Wender·Vista
Islamic Center of America
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in Dearborn, just west of Detroit

Islamic Center of America

— — a blue dome holding the late afternoon.

— 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 mosque in North America by area, on Ford Road in Dearborn. A wide low dome flanked by two slender minarets, the surface a particular blue that takes evening light slowly. The congregation traces back to the early twentieth century, when Lebanese families settled around the auto plants. On Fridays the parking lot fills early.

from the studio
Islamic Center of America
— bring it home

Islamic Center of America, 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 Islamic Center of America

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

The Islamic Center of America sits at 19500 Ford Road in Dearborn, Michigan, about ten miles southwest of downtown Detroit. The current building opened in 2005 and covers roughly 70,000 square feet, the largest mosque in North America by footprint. It serves a predominantly Shia congregation whose roots in the Detroit area reach back to the early 1900s, when Lebanese and Syrian families came to work in the auto industry. The complex includes a prayer hall, a school, and a library.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the stone

The building's signature is the wide central dome and twin minarets, designed by the Pakistani-Canadian architect Gulzar Haider in a contemporary reading of Persian and Levantine forms. The dome reads as a flattened hemisphere over a clerestory band; the minarets rise roughly a hundred feet, slender and unornamented. The exterior is a warm sandstone-coloured stucco that takes the Michigan light differently across the day, going gold near sunset and a cool grey under winter overcast.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the visit

The mosque is open to the public outside of prayer times, and staff run scheduled tours that have hosted school groups, interfaith delegations, and clergy from across Michigan since the building opened. Visitors are asked to dress modestly and to remove shoes before entering the prayer hall; women are offered a headscarf at the door. Friday Jumu'ah draws the largest weekly attendance, with overflow into the courtyard in warmer months. Parking is on-site.

— where
United States · Dearborn, Michigan
— position
42.3168° N · 83.2613° 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.
5 km E
The Henry Ford
museum complex
4 km E
Ford World Headquarters
corporate landmark
5 km E
University of Michigan-Dearborn
university campus
N
Islamic Center of America
The Henry Ford
Ford World Headquarters
University of Michigan-Dearborn
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Islamic Center of America — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The current building on Ford Road opened in 2005. The congregation itself is older, growing out of the Lebanese-Shia community that settled in the Detroit area in the early twentieth century to work in the auto industry.

It is the largest mosque in North America by footprint, roughly 70,000 square feet. A handful of other mosques claim larger congregations, but the Dearborn building leads on physical size.

The architect was Gulzar Haider, a Pakistani-Canadian known for North American mosque commissions. His design uses a flattened central dome and twin minarets in a contemporary reading of Persian and Levantine forms.

Yes. The mosque welcomes visitors outside of prayer times and runs scheduled tours for schools, faith groups, and the general public. Modest dress and removing shoes before the prayer hall are expected.

The congregation is predominantly Shia, with deep roots in the Lebanese and broader Arab-American community of metro Detroit. Dearborn has one of the largest Arab populations of any American city.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well in that context. The Islamic Center is a civic landmark for the community, and a Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note travels gracefully as a wedding, graduation, or housewarming gift.

The blue dome and warm sandstone tones suit Mediterranean-modern, jewel-tone Maximalist, and warm Minimalist rooms. The piece reads well against cream plaster, walnut, and unbleached linen.

A single Large covers most sofas. For wider walls or a deeper console arrangement, a four-tile Mural reads more architecturally. A nine-tile Mural anchors a full feature wall.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for vertical installation in steam-rich rooms, including showers and backsplashes. Cleaning is a soft cloth and water.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, beneath a thin glossy finish, so cleaning never lifts or fades the image.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our Knoxville studio, in our own visual language, with no third-party licensing. Reid Wender curates the atlas and signs each piece off.

— if this one stayed with you

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