Red Hook Designers, a Reclining Lady Liberty, and Taylor Swift
Was it us or did May go by far too fast? We were invigorated by all the NYCxDesign festivities, hosting events here in our showroom and shop, and all sorts of shows to fuel our creativity. Here's a sampling, along with a bit of what's ahead for summer.
1. Any season is a good season to visit the Noguchi Museum (Sofia and Adam say the indoor/outdoor space is always magical). But right now, and closing June 18, is your chance to see the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize Exhibition. In its 6th year, the show brings together the work of 30 finalists (chosen from over 2,700 submissions internationally), in various mediums, from ceramics and woodwork to jewelry and basketry. Can’t make it to town? This digital walkthrough will give you a taste.
2. Step into our showroom and you’ll see we have a thing for cork…we clad an entire structure in it! So naturally, in the sea of shows during NYCxDesign, The Thick Skin, an exhibition focused on cork and design, caught our attention. Daniel Michalik, founder of DMFD, specializes in creating objects from overlooked materials, including cork. He co-led a class at Parsons School of Design that took the students to Portugal’s Corticeira Amorim, one of the world’s biggest cork processing factories and research labs. We’re excited to see what’s next for these students. And in the meantime, a gifting tip: Daniel’s online shop has plenty of beautiful cork designs.
3. Shiny Sparkle Studio, our next-door neighbor here, is a boutique glass fusing and casting facility specializing in fabrication for art and architecture. But in off hours, it’s a place to go have some fun! Fuze and Booze is a three-hour introductory class where you’ll learn to cut, bend, and sift brightly colored glass pieces to create charcuterie boards and coasters. And as the name suggests, there’s locally sourced wine and snacks, too. Click here to see the upcoming availability be sure to book in advance.
4. After a long winter, we were so happy to restart what’s become a springtime tradition: a Red Hook Studio tour in collaboration with Mason Lane Art Advisory, Token and Brightbound. We took a group of some 20 designers, artists, and friends on behind-the-scenes visits with makers focused on lighting, woodworking, mirrors, and more. Some of the stops along the way included Bowen Liu Studio, Evan Yee Studio, Joel Seigle, among others. The tour capped off here with an extended happy hour. We plan to continue hosting tours—formal and informal—through the summer. To learn more, please be in touch here.
5. This one’s for the Swifties…because we can’t help ourselves! Through September, Manhattan’s Museum of Arts and Design is presenting Taylor Swift: Storyteller. The career-spanning show looks at her artistic reinventions, with various costumes, props, and jewelry. And for her biggest fans, there’s a lineup of public programs, from video and film screenings to karaoke sing-alongs. And while you’re there, be sure to check out another fashion-focused show: Generation Paper.
6. Seemingly every month, we see a newcomer in the neighborhood. This time, it’s Andrew Logan Projects. The new gallery for sculptural works is located at 384 Van Brunt Street, right along a strip of browse-worthy shops. Last month, Fitzhugh Karol’s spectacular Red Metal Art Work kicked off the opening. And next up: New York based artist, Zaq Landsberg’s epic 25-foot-long Reclining Liberty, which will be on display June 8th through to June 24th.
7. We recently noticed C. Finley’s art on the side of a building in Dumbo. In digging a little deeper, we found that along with her bold and colorful murals, she has also transformed dumpsters into art in the ongoing Wallpapered Dumpster Project. “The simple twist of wallpapering a dumpster turns it into a work of art. In this way, consciousness is raised about the urban world around us and something that is otherwise ignored or loathed is transformed into a moment of unexpected beauty.” The project has found its way to Paris, Rome, New York, and LA, and more…where to next?
8. While on the subject of everyday things made beautiful, it’s Father’s Day in just a few weeks and we have a gift suggestion: a sculptural, colorful toolbox from Character. Large enough to hold a streamlined set of tools, the brightly colored (and also neutral) boxes are pretty enough to keep out on display. Now on to searching for the best napping/eating/drinking ideas!
Image above via Shiny Sparkle Labs.