THE RESOURCE FOR ARTISTS AND RETAILERS CraftsReport the September 2005 ® Growing Viable Artisan Communities Returning to Craft After a Long Hiatus Selling Book Arts & Paper W AD E’RE DE G D RO TO W OU ING Se R M : 10 , e De ON 000 ta TH M ils LY O , p R RE . 8 EA BU DE Y RS ER HI S P 2005 CODA Conference Highlights Photo © Sol LeWitt. Photo by Mark Morosse, MMA. REGIONAL PROFILE: Connecticut and New York (Above) The Manhattan skyline frames “Splotch #3” by Sol LeWitt on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Left) Ceramic artist Janine Sopp at her studio in Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kyron Parris. (Below) “X Marks The Spot,” a bracelet of 22K vermeil and embossed leather by RoKa Jewelry. . xpo le E Sty y to b Pho 48 The Crafts Report • September 200548 focus on New York City: CRAFTS FIND THEIR WAY in an URBAN ART F UTOPIA or a city tagged the Big Apple, thinking big is an understatement. This extraordinary city growls with an immense art life from the crowds that massed to witness Christo and JeanneClaude’s saffron gates in bucolic Central Park, to the throngs that navigate the urban sidewalks and subways to visit the art museums that lend New York City its fame. In a city that breathes art with abandon and seems to offer on a gilded platter every cultural thrill and retail experience you can imagine, how does craft find its niche? It takes a lot of shouting to be heard amid the cacophony of New York’s relentless, collective energy. But artists can tap into the city’s spirited mix of resources and community, mix in a dash of adventure, and take root and thrive. by Loretta Fontaine September 2005 • www.craftsreport.com 49 HIGH-PRICED RENTS What’s the flip side of living in a city where everyone wants to be? Rents are expensive. Ceramic artist Janine Sopp builds exquisite functional ceramics that are textured with hand-made stamps and glazed in rich, antiqued hues. She resides in Brooklyn and often wonders how long she can afford her studio space. It’s located in a remodeled mill building and is shared with 72 small manufacturers and artisans. “The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center is a fabulous place, but I have mixed feelings. I feel fortunate to have the space, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay because the rents are rising.” However, Sopp finds it hard to imagine working elsewhere. “Brooklyn is full of cool, artsy families,” she says, “I’m raising my daughter among such a diversity of culture and inspiration. The community network of potters here is great. Ironically, the financial stress and lack of studio space makes artists more cooperative with each other. We’re all in this together.” 50 The Crafts Report • September 2005 OUTSTANDING MUSEUMS Of course, New York City holds court for the multitude of museums scattered like crown jewels throughout its streets. Head over to the Museum of Arts & Design on 40 West 53rd Street. This mus- Photo by Spike Mafford. A WEALTH OF RESOURCES Roanne Kolvenbach, of RoKa Jewelry, works out of a Tribeca loft and her luxe, modern jewelry wears the influence of its urban surroundings. “I love it here,” Kolvenbach enthuses. “You have an incredible amount of resources within walking distance. On 47th Street in Manhattan there is the diamond district, full of precious metals and beautiful precious and semiprecious stones and pearls. Walk 10 blocks down and you’re in the garment district, with sources for leather, trims, ribbons and things you never even knew you needed!” Kolvenbach sells her work through The Buyers Market of American Craft, American Craft Council shows, The Accessories Circuit, and the New York International Gift Show. She also puts her line in one of Manhattan’s year-round showrooms, Notanonymous on 39th Street, which represents 20 designers. “Having work in a showroom is expensive,” Kolvenbach says, “but it lends a certain degree of credibility with the major buyers.” Indeed, RoKa Jewelry counts Bloomindales and the J.Jill catalog as clients through Notanonymous. Busy fashion magazine editors also frequent the showrooms. “An editor can walk into a showroom year round and find 14 turquoise items,” Kolvenbach says, “and can have them sent for a photo shoot the next day.” Work by Preston Singletary is part of “Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2,” at the Museum of Arts & Design. eum has withstood controversy recently for dropping “craft” from its name and for allegedly annoying preservationists by proposing a major facade overhaul to the Edward Durrell Stone building it will move into in 2007 on 2 Columbus Circle. But put the controversy behind you and just tour the impressive collection of contemporary craft. “Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2” runs from Sept. 22, 2005 to Jan. 15, 2006 and highlights contemporary native art from the West, Northwest and Pacific. One of the exhibit’s gems: the glowing, iconic glass sculptures of Preston Singletary, an Alaskan Tlingit artist who studied with Lino Tagliapietra at the Pilchuck Glass School. Other not-to-miss museum exhibits are “Sol LeWitt on the Roof: Splotches, Whirls and Twirls,” through Oct. 30, 2005 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Weather permitting, one can climb up on the roof of the Met, with sensational views of the city skyline, and frolic amongst LeWitt’s large-scale, vibrantly painted fiberglass works. Textile lovers should not miss the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum for “Extreme Textiles: Designing for High EXTRAORDINARY ART VENUES For the serious collector, a multitude of world-class galleries abound in Manhattan: Aaron Faber Gallery on 5th Avenue for art jewelry, Heller Gallery on West 14th Street for glass, and Nancy Margolis Gallery on West 25th Street for ceramics lead the list. Don’t Regional Resources Artrider Productions [email protected] www.artrider.com Roanne Kolvenbach, RoKa Jewelry [email protected] www.rokajewelry.com The Metropolitan Museum of Art www.metmuseum.org Inside the Masters Showcase at Wallace Hall on Park Avenue. have time to roam around town? Then visit the Seventh Regiment Armory on Park Avenue in June when the three galleries mentioned above join 50 other international galleries at Sculpture, Objects & Functional Art. No coach potato of a show, SOFA, as it’s called, serves up $10 million in sales during its four-day run, making it the contemporary crafts event of the year. Taking advantage of SOFA’s excitement, Stacey Jarit of Artrider Productions launched Masters Showcase, an upscale retail show of 50 artists that ran concurrently with SOFA last June. A shuttle bus made the 10-minute trip between the two events. “The show surpassed our vision,” Jarit says. “It was an exceptionally beautiful show with exceptional artists. I saw a lot of happy customers! We also had a lot of museum directors and gallery owners coming through who had come over from SOFA.” QUEENS HOSTS A UNIQUE CRAFT MARKET Arts organizations in the city are ready to offer support when needed. New York Creates, a program of the New York Foundation Photo © Artrider. Performance,” running through October 30, 2005. There you can examine soft polyester slings, capable of lifting 50 tons, that are replacing steel chains for heavy lifting. Or observe a smart textile touch-on light made of pom-poms. Museum of Arts & Design www.madmuseum.org New York Creates www.nyfa.org/newyorkcreates Notanonymous Showroom www.notanonymous.com Sculpture Objects & Functional Art New York City, N.Y. [email protected] www.sofaexpo.com The Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum www.ndm.si.edu Janine Sopp, Glyph Designs [email protected] www.glyphdesigns.com September 2005 • www.craftsreport.com 51 Photo by Daisy Rosenblum/NYFA. for the Arts, assists craft and folk artists in New York City. Six hundred artists have registered with the program as of date. Recognizing the influx of immigrant artists in the city, the program’s survey form is available in 11 languages, including Albanian and Haitian Creole. New York Creates is holding a weekend outdoor craft market at Atlas Parks in Glendale, Queens, through Oct. 29. “There will be minimal costs to the artists,” says NYFA executive director Theodore Berger. “The Shops at Atlas Park are absorbing key costs in marketing and insurance. We’re trying to get people to participate who work at a craft but may not identify themselves as ‘craft artists’ who could sell their work to the public.” What type of work might you find at the craft market? Korean knot work, apparel embroidered with Ukrainian designs and Ghanaian woodcarving will share the stage with a greenmarket and musical performances. Dynamic, energetic and exuberant, New York City seems to have it all. And even if a little shouting is necessary to get noticed, you’d be hard pressed to find another city where the art-savvy locals and eager tourists appreciate craft more. TCR Loretta Fontaine, a jeweler, writer and photographer, often takes the train from Albany, N.Y., down to the Big Apple. New York Creates artist Richard Amoah working outside his Brooklyn home. See work from these Regional Craft Artists, featured in Craft Showcase, pages 12-15: 52 • Gale Rothstein Design – Unique contemporary jewelry. • Alchemy, Inc – Handmade jewelry. • Carol Barclay – Handbuilt porcelain tableware. • Amajewelry – One-of-a-kind silver & gemstone jewelry. • Caron Designs – Whimsical fused glass. • Yucandu LLC – Functional kitchenware. • Investment Design – Jewelry from vintage pieces. • Dinerware/Ceramicar – Limited-edition cookie jars. • Bella Bead Jewelry – Handmade glass bead jewelry. • Louis Fischer Cozzi – Wearable art jewelry. The Crafts Report • September 2005