A Day at Storm King Sculpture Park

It was an absolutely gorgeous day! and off we went for a picnic and tour of Storm King Sculpture Park. 

We went mainly to see the Maya Lin exhibit "Wavefield", but there is oh so much more to see here. Be prepared to walk A LOT. There is a tram service, but the walking is through such wonderful open spaces, gravel paths, along the stone wall, by the ponds and on and on that you will want to take adavantage of it. 

Our day was just perfect. Not too hot, yet dry and sunny. Wavefield is "an organic living artwork": the grasses and clover have started to grow and will be allowed to sort of "go wild". The grass is long. The clover is sweet. Animals have dug holes to live in! The field is best viewed, to start, from the top of the hill. The overview is spectacular. The actual "hills" are, well, rougher and more trench-like, than we had expected. It is a very different perspective when you get down and in them. 

The Goldsworthy Stone Wall is really spectacular. Long and winding, through the pond, up and down hills, around trees, it was built by six men in something like two weeks! The park had gathered up all the stones from around the entire property and brought them, on pallets, to the site. 

So.... go and see for yourself and enjoy this most wonderful "museum park".

Working at Surtex

Here I am! Working in the booth, #343, at the Surtex Show. I'm with a customer (name withheld!) choosing designs for her presentation to a retailer.

The booth looked great and DID attract many new customers. Of course, like everyone else there, we want to do an even better presentation next year! It never seems quite...... good enough.

The number of booths, both at Surtex and the Stationary Show, was definitely down. However, there was a LOT of business taking place. Very reassuring! I was disappointed that we didn't see some familiar faces, either in coming by our booth, or they were no longer showing at Stationary. On the other hand, we met so many new people with the potential for much new, exciting business.

We are all pleased at the reaction we received with so many of our new collections. One in particular, finished just the day before the show, was a real winner! Way to go, right?

Michelle Obama Necklace

I just have to post this, right now: check out the mrs-o.org site and see that fabulous necklace she wore the other night with the magenta dress!! Oh man, it's wonderful.

A Visit to Storm King Sculpture Park

Here is another, really GREAT trip in the New York City area: Storm King Sculpture Park in Mountainville, NY (about an hour north of the city). This photo is from The New York Times.
Just this month a really fantastic, unusual exhibit opened: Maya Lin's "Wavefield", an open air exhibit described by the New York Times as "where the ocean meets the mountains". Occupying eleven acres in the verdant Hudson Valley, these undulating hills resemble ocean waves. They were molded and "sculpted", and are now almost fully green. One can sort of look over them, and thus see them all, or walk between the "waves" and almost get lost, and have a feeling of total isolation.
Maya Lin is known, more than anything else, for her Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. This she designed while still a graduate student at Yale.
So, if you can possibly get here, it is worth the drive and time. A most unusual "day trip"!

And, while up in this direction, stop in at DIA Beacon. This oversize museum is housed in what was built as the Nabisco factory, was then owned by International Paper Co. who then donated the building to DIA.

Beacon is also a fun stop to go antiquing, browsing, "market shopping" for local crafts, and of course, eating!

Things to do in New York this Weekend

For those of you coming into New York this weekend, May 16th, here are some suggestions for museum exhibits relating to design:

1) MAD (Museum of Arts & Design) See my earlier post of October 31, 2009 "A Visit toMAD". This is the "new" museum (just opened last fall) dedicated to the arts. Right now there is an exhibit of "industrial ceramics". This should be very interesting to all of us who have worked in ceramics in any way: there are works from major manufacturers but also from independent designers around the world.

Also at MAD is "The Art of Jewelry". I have seen this exhibit and it is wonderful, particularly for those of us who collect all sorts of jewelry and who love the textures, feel, color and design of the many varied "ingredients" in jewelry. And, if you do go, be sure to pull out the large drawers underneath the glass exhibit cases: yes, you are allowed to do this and you will see oh so much more!

2) At the Cooper-Hewitt Museum is "Fashioning Felt". I am dying to go see this! We have all seen the emergence of felt in fashion and home accessories, and this exhibit chronicles the history and uses of this wonderful, historical fiber. And, just to go up to 90th St. and Fifth Ave. is a treat: take a walk in the park, or, of course, stop at the Guggenheim or Met.