Candy from The Cornershop

Remember when I posted about Lucy Sparrow's art installation The Cornershop in London a couple of months ago? Well, I finally got the handmade felt candies I ordered from the shop! I had such a hard time deciding which ones to order, but ultimately I went with the classics: KitKat and Rowntree's. My package arrived when we had Halloween candy already in a bowl by the door, so it seemed fate that I should snap a few pics with my new treats in their element.

Just as much fun for me without the toothache. :)

Now they're living in my studio with lots of other handmade bits and bobs. One of these days I'll get around to installing some shelves to display all my treasures properly, but in the meantime, they're brightening up my workspace.

It looks like the online shop is still open, and there are a few things left if you should fancy getting yourself a treat too. :)

The Cornershop by Lucy Sparrow

In today's news of my dreams, artist Lucy Sparrow has converted an abandoned corner shop in east London into an art installation completely stocked with handmade felt everything. It's open to the public from now until the end of the month. I so wish that I could be there to see it in person! I read about this installation on a few other sites but felt like I had to post about here too because FELT (*raises glitter-covered spirit fingers).

Sparrow is dealing with larger themes than omg cute felt, obviously, like asking people to think about the politics of consumption and the disappearing cornershops in London. We are dealing with the same issue in America, only we call them "mom and pop" shops. I think I've actually posted about this issue before...buying with intention, thinking about the businesses you support and why, and knowing where goods come from. (It's also possible that I wrote that post in my brain and never published it.)

The shop will also serve as a means to foster community building; Sparrow will host workshops and live sewing events too.

I know there are lots of people who make felt food and candies--that's nothing new--and there are also lots of artists who've broached the subject of a disappearing high street and consumerism, but I don't think an artist's work has to be completely groundbreaking to affect people, make them think, make them laugh, bring a bit of joy into their lives, or inspire change. And isn't that the point?

I really really wish I could walk into the shop, touch everything, and then probably buy a felt candy from the felt cash register. But the next best thing to being there in person is to order a felt item from the shop online. I feel so much nostalgia looking at pics of the felt digestive biscuits and Hobnobs, which sadly have both sold out.

If you are lucky enough to be in London during the month of August, head over to 19 Wellington Row,  London E2 7BB and let me know what it's like! :)

(via Colossal)

Over, Under, Next

A few weeks ago, we went to see "Over, Under, Next: Experiments in Mixed Media 1913-Present" at the Hirshhorn. Normally, I'm not able to take photos in most exhibitions, but since most of the works in this particular exhibition came from the Hirshhorn's permanent collection, I was a happy snapper all day. Here are a few highlights:

Flower Overcoat, Yayoi Kusama

Medici Princess, Joseph Cornell

Aviary with Parrot and Drawers, Joseph Cornell

?, Joseph Cornell (Anyone know the title of this one? Can't remember.)

Buddha of Las Cruces (detail), Terry Allen

Fish, Alexander Calder

Peter studying Stalingrad (Victory in the East) by Hans Richter

Untitled, Doris Salcedo

Ruth Szowie, Ray Johnson

From Continent to Continent, Mario Merz

Soundsuit, Nick Cave

This Way In, Jim Hodges

Yours truly looking through Damien Hirst's The Asthmatic Escaped II

I was happy to see a lot of my favorite artists represented in this collection, including many who aren't pictured here. I have such a soft spot for collage, assemblage, found object, and mixed-media art in general. It's like the best mix of artistic talent and creativity combined with a bit of the unexpected, a dash of happenstance that makes each piece unique. And when put in context of the history of art, works like these are nothing short of revolutionary.

The exhibition runs until September 8, and it's definitely worth checking out if you're in town. I should mention, though, that a large part of the 3rd floor of the Hirshhorn will be closed all summer due to budget cuts (fewer security guards) thanks to sequestration. Bummer. There's still a lot to see, though, in the lower levels.

And as always, I encourage you to seek out art exhibitions in your town too; you'll be happy you did. :)

Rain Room

Have you guys heard about the Rain Room at the Barbican in London? It's an experimental artwork by Random International, a studio made up of designers who often do digital art installations using light and movement.

When I first saw news about this exhibit, I'll be honest, I sort of glossed over it. This might have something to do with the cheesy press photos which featured dancers backlit in the rain, which unavoidably brings up images of Flashdance to me. Anyway, I don't think those photos did the exhibit justice, as I've since seen many more interesting photos and read blog posts of people who've been, who've all said that waiting up to two hours in line was worth it.

Apparently, you're meant to move about the space and experience a downpour without getting wet. As you move about the room, the rain moves also. I've heard it described as if you have a magnetic field around you that pushes the rain away. That sounds pretty cool to me. Then again, I'm always intrigued by experiential art and interactive exhibits.

What do you think? Has anyone been to the Rain Room?

(Click on image to go directly to source.)

Swedish Christmas Bazaar

We went to the Christmas Bazaar at the House of Sweden (the Swedish embassy) last Saturday. It was a little crowded but definitely worth it...if for no other reason than to spend a little time in one of my favorite buildings in DC.

The architecture of this building is so inspiring to me as a designer. I love the materials, openness and transparency, site, signage, everything.

You enter into an atrium that's enclosed with glass walls that have water running down them. It's part of a permanent installation entitled March 6 pm by Swedish artist Ingegerd Råman. There is glass and water throughout the building, all part of this piece. Some of the glass is etched, frosted, combined with granite...all meant to invoke the Swedish landscape of water and ice. The space might sound cold or hard when described this way, but it really isn't. It's beautiful.

Here's Peter being a good sport and posing in front of the water wall.

There were lots of cute kids running around, of course.

And lots of Swedish goodies for sale. Can you guess what I bought?

I got a new little white Dala horse to go with my older blue one. I thought he was getting a little lonely on the mantel all by himself, and now he has a friend. Don't they look cute together?

They also had some pretty decorations up along the waterfront.

I like the simple green and gold theme.

The next day, we went to another Christmas fair, but I'll save that for another post.

Also, I promise it won't be all Christmas posts for the entire month. :)

40 Under 40

I finally went to see 40 Under 40 at The Renwick Gallery, an exhibit featuring 40 artists under the age of 40 who all work in various craft media. The exhibit explores the future of craft and the changing notions of craft in the art world. I won't go into a large discussion here about craft versus art; I wrote a bit on that topic here. But I do want to write that the main impression I took away from this exhibit was one of scale. Several of the pieces are large, very large installations in fact, and they reinforced something I've been thinking about a lot this past year. I realized I have a tendency to think "small" when working on craft projects, whether because of time constraints or financial constraints or some other self-imposed limits. Restrictions can push us to new discoveries, but they can also force us to be too narrow in our approach. I've been making an effort to think bigger, not just in literal terms of the scale of my projects, but the reach of my work, the intended audience, the potential imprint. These are all very big and potentially scary ideas but necessary if I'm to continue to grow as an artist and maker. After all, isn't that why we're all here?

Photos aren't allowed inside the exhibition, of course, so I borrowed these from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's flickr pool for the show. (Click on images to go directly to source.)



To find out more about the artists whose work is pictured, please visit the exhibition site; there are links to short videos on each artist that introduce them and show a bit about how they work--fascinating stuff.

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

This weekend, we'll be going through our things to decide what should come with us to the new place and what should go on to a new home with someone else. I'm really dreading packing and moving again; I joke all the time that I have PTSD from the last move. I got rid of a lot of stuff last summer, but you guys, the books are out of control! We have way, way too many books. I use the library a lot, and I donate often, but somehow we still find ourselves in a situation not unlike this:

(Source: My Modern Met)

This is an installation by Spanish artist Alicia Martín, part of a series called Biographies.

Anyway, I suspect that most of our books will be coming with us. I am definitely going to clean out clutter though, and probably donate some clothes to Good Will. Perhaps I'll do a "yard sale" online or a giveaway?

I did happen to see a timely article on Apartment Therapy yesterday with three "junk-busting" apps and websites, specifically how to stop junk mail, automatically organize email newsletters, and find people online who want your stuff. Definitely worth checking out, even if you have no plans to pack up all your belongings and shift your coordinates several miles to the west. Humans are so silly; why do we do this?

Hope everyone has a great weekend. xo, Mary

*Post title courtesy of Groucho Marx.

(From top to bottom: "Blue wren watercolor painting" by Splodgepodge; "Diagonal abstract print" by twoems; "Colorful Vintage Cars" by make.life.paradise; and "Hand shadows on the wall" by LouisestArt.

This collection is all about color! How fantastic is chartreuse and magenta mixed with cool blues and greens. I think this color palette is energizing and fun but not so bright that it would overwhelm your space. Plus, I love that each piece feels sort of vintage and modern at the same time. What do you think?

You can see other Instant Art Collections here and here.

Pixie Pop-Up Shop Tomorrow!

I am super excited that the ladies of Pleatherette asked me to be one of the designers in the Pixie pop-up shop that's part of Lightbox, a huge all-day (12pm - 12am) event to kick off Lumen8Anacostia. Seriously, you guys, this event is going to be so cool, with art installations, a record fair, vintage goodies, DJs and live music, performance art, and of course, good food. If you're in the DC area you should check it out!

Here are some of the brooches I made for the event.

And here's how I packaged them. I didn't have a lot of notice, so I had to pull the packaging together diy style. What do you think?

Do you guys have any fun plans for the weekend?

Bahar Yurukoglu Installation

Bahar Yurukoglu, a recent MFA graduate of Mass Art in Boston, created an interesting installation using geometric shapes made of acrylic glass, which he illuminated with projected rays of light. The result is a really fantastic display of color and an altering of our perception of space. The two-dimensional shapes become seemingly three-dimensional color fields and shadows. It reminds me of the transformative power of light in shaping the spaces we inhabit. What do you think?