Wender·Vista
Joinville
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileBrazil
in northern Santa Catarina, between the Serra do Mar and the Babitonga Bay

Joinville

— — a German town that learned to dance in Portuguese.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The largest city in Santa Catarina, founded in 1851 by German and Swiss immigrants on land that was a dowry of Princess Francisca of Brazil. Half-timber houses still stand along Rua XV de Novembro; the cemetery has Lutheran headstones in old German script. The city carries the Bolshoi Theatre School's only branch outside Russia, opened in 2000, and hosts the Festival de Dança every July, the largest dance festival in the world. The Serra do Mar rises green behind the city; Babitonga Bay opens to the Atlantic through mangrove and mata atlântica forest. — from the studio

from the studio
Joinville
— bring it home

Joinville, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Joinville

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Joinville sits in the north of Santa Catarina, between the Serra do Mar mountains to the west and the Babitonga Bay to the east, about 180 kilometres north of Florianópolis and 130 kilometres south of Curitiba. With a population near 600,000 it is the largest city in Santa Catarina, ahead of the state capital. The city was founded in 1851 on land granted as part of the dowry of Princess Francisca of Brazil to François of Orléans, Prince of Joinville, and was settled primarily by German and Swiss immigrants brought in under the Colônia Dona Francisca contract.

— the year

The Festival de Dança de Joinville has run every July since 1983 and is recognised by Guinness as the largest dance festival in the world, drawing roughly 6,000 dancers across about 200 companies over twelve days. The festival fills the Centreventos Cau Hansen, an arena seating about 4,200 named for a longtime city patron. Joinville also holds the Bolshoi Theatre School's only branch outside Russia, the Escola do Teatro Bolshoi no Brasil, opened in 2000 with the founding director Pavel Kazarian. The Festa das Flores in November and the Fenachopp beer festival in October fill out the cultural calendar.

— the visit

The Museu Nacional de Imigração e Colonização occupies a 1870 mansion on Rua Rio Branco that once served as a residence for the Princes of Joinville, with collections covering the German, Swiss, Austrian, and Norwegian migrations into Santa Catarina. The Mirante Joinville on Morro da Boa Vista gives a 360-degree view across the city, the bay, and the Serra do Mar from 240 metres elevation. Babitonga Bay holds 24 islands and one of the largest contiguous mangrove ecosystems in southern Brazil, with boat tours running from the Espinheiros quay on the eastern edge of the city.

— where
Brazil · Santa Catarina
— elevation
4 m · 13 ft
— position
-26.3000° S · 48.8500° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
4 km SE
Morro da Boa Vista
mirante
8 km E
Babitonga Bay
bay
35 km E
São Francisco do Sul
colonial port
20 km W
Serra Dona Francisca
mountain road
N
Joinville
Morro da Boa Vista
Babitonga Bay
São Francisco do Sul
Serra Dona Francisca
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Joinville — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Joinville is in northern Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, about 180 kilometres north of Florianópolis and 130 kilometres south of Curitiba, between the Serra do Mar and Babitonga Bay. Population is near 600,000.

The city was founded in 1851 on land given as part of the dowry of Princess Francisca of Brazil and was settled by German and Swiss immigrants under the Colônia Dona Francisca contract. The architecture, food, and family names still reflect that origin.

The largest dance festival in the world, recognised by Guinness, running every July since 1983. It draws about 6,000 dancers across roughly 200 companies and fills the Centreventos Cau Hansen for twelve days.

Yes. The Escola do Teatro Bolshoi no Brasil opened in Joinville in 2000 and remains the only branch of the Bolshoi Theatre School outside Russia. It teaches classical ballet to roughly 300 students at no cost.

A large estuarine bay on the Atlantic coast of northern Santa Catarina, holding 24 islands and one of the largest mangrove ecosystems in southern Brazil. It is a primary nursery for Guiana dolphins along the southern Atlantic coast.

No. The capital is Florianópolis. Joinville is the largest city in the state by population and the principal industrial centre, but the seat of state government is on Santa Catarina Island.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well to anyone with family in the German-Brazilian colonies of Santa Catarina, or to dancers and parents who passed through the Bolshoi Brasil. A Medium with a studio note travels well across hemispheres.

The piece settles into European-Brazilian eclectic, warm-tropical, and mountain-modern interiors. It holds against teak and rattan as readily as against pine and brick from the German-heritage houses.

Current South American interior work has moved toward muted greens and weathered woods rather than bright tropical print. The piece sits in that register without leaning travel-poster.

A single Large reads cleanly above a love seat or console. Above a full sofa, a 4-tile Mural or 9-tile Mural carries the wall without crowding the room.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and humidity-tolerant, appropriate for backsplashes, vanity walls, and shower surrounds.

A soft microfibre cloth with water. No abrasive cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish and will not fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every Wender Vista piece is original to the studio in Knoxville. We do not license images in or out. Each tile is hand-finished and shipped from one studio.

— if this one stayed with you

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