The Ottra8: March 2023
Welcome to the first installment of Ottra8, a monthly roundup of news, events, resources, and other things that caught our attention this past month, and a bit of what's coming up. Not in this list, but worth noting: we celebrated our 6 year anniversary two weeks ago! We'll share some highlights soon, but for now, just saying THANK YOU to all that have been part of our story, whether we've known you since our first show back in March 2017, or we just met a few weeks ago. Sharing our work with you has been such a pleasure. Now without further ado, 8 things!
1. Thierry Mugler: Couturissime is the Brooklyn Museum’s latest must-see exhibit—and one that’s extra special, given how closely Mugler worked on this exhibit before his passing away earlier this year. Among the highlights, the Fembot Couture display, featuring the renowned Maschienmensch robotic armor suit from the 20th anniversary show in 1995.
2. If you happen to be in Austin next week, please join us for By Cloudia’s Spring Show. We’ll have a few of our pieces there, and we can’t wait to see how it’s styled with all sorts of beautiful, and unexpected art and accessories. All the details are here, and even if you can’t make it, there’s plenty to take in on her Instagram.
3. Over the years we’ve had the chance to work with photographer Genevieve Garruppo, and it’s been a pleasure to follow her career shooting interiors for the likes of Vogue, Elle Décor, and Architectural Digest, among others. We were so happy to see she just published Embrace Your Space with Katie Holdefehr and can’t wait to dive in.
4. Our friends Kristin Coleman and Chad Philips of Available Items in Tivoli, NY are about to wrap up their show with designer and educator Constantin Boym. If you're upstate, stop in! Ecophilia features a series of modern habitats for plants and animals, all simple to build and environmentally sound. Feeling inspired? There’s a book of open-source plans with detailed instructions.
5. And here in NYC, we’re always excited to see what’s happening at Culture Object. Currently on view: Janny Baek’s first solo exhibition of ceramic vessels, and Hyper Materiality, a show exploring the manipulation of materials including wood, plastic, and clay, and featuring the work of NJ Roseti, Elyse Graham, and Daniel Wiener.
6. Several years ago, Sofia got an impromptu studio visit with artist Rob Szot and has been a fan ever since. Just the other day, he announced his new venture: a storefront studio in Los Angeles where he will also hold Painting and Work on Paper workshops (with two already on the schedule for April). Follow along at @robszot.
7. Last month marked one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. It's a war that's hit close to home for Sofia, who has family living and fighting there. The Ukrainian people still need our help, and even the smallest gestures go a long way--if only to lift spirits and fuel another day of resilience. We've set up this Pinterest board that links to various artisans (mostly on Etsy, and we'll continue to add more); one easy way to support Ukrainians is to purchase art for digital download, and we link to a few on the board. Please also have a look at our friend Dustin Ross's organization, Sunflower Network; this non-profit is shining a spotlight on the work of Ukrainian artists (you can see them all here) and to date has brought over $1.5 million to directly to Ukrainians in need.
8. Last but not least, it's SPRINGTIME (thank goodness!) and we are happy to see our neighborhood freshening up...with the trees and flowers, and also new businesses. This month we're happy to welcome Bar Mario to Red Hook. Go for the signature Negroni, stay for the meatballs with creamy polenta, fried artichokes, and unami-rich hangover spaghetti.
Image above via Sunflower Network; painting by Anna Bondar.