Style Spotlight: Night at the Museum

January 2009 | BY Christine Kloostra | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Live music, cocktails and mingling are often the ingredients of a sophisticated night out on the town—not exactly what you’d expect at a museum.

Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, like dozens of others around the country, throws open its doors in the evening for events designed to attract young professionals who may not otherwise visit.

“After Hours” at the Gardner kicked off its second year last fall, with 10 themed evenings of entertainment and education.

The monthly events feature live music, lectures, gallery tours and other performances. The museum has even developed a specialty cocktail, “The Madame Gautreau,” named for a John Singer Sargent painting in the museum’s collection.

“After Hours” evenings are scheduled March 19, April 16, May 21 and June 18. For more information, visit www.gardnermuseum.org.

Style Spotlight: Arts Medals Presented

January 2009 | BY Christine Kloostra | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Former President George W. Bush presents a Presidential Citizens Medal to NEA chairman Dana Gioia.

In a surprise addition to last year’s National Medal of Arts ceremony, President George W. Bush announced five recipients of Presidential Citizens Medals to civil servants, including Dana Gioia, who stepped down as the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts in January.

The November ceremony honored nine individuals and organizations for their contributions to the arts in the United States.

Recipients of the 2008 National Medal of Arts are:

• Olivia de Havilland, actress
• Fisk Jubilee Singers
• Ford’s Theatre Society
• Hank Jones, jazz musician
• Stan Lee, comic book writer
• José Limón Dance Foundation
• Jesús Moroles, sculptor
• The Presser Foundation, music patron
• The Sherman Brothers, songwriting team

Sandra McCaw

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | 1 COMMENT

Sandra McCaw, “Falling Leaves”

From commercial photographer to chocolatier and finally to polymer clay artist, Sandra McCaw “can’t remember a time” when she wasn’t working with her hands. The Westborough, Mass., artist proved to be a natural with polymer, developing the “McCaw Cane,” a distinctive caning technique, a year after beginning to work with the medium.

In addition to her polymer work, McCaw also works with fiber and travels extensively, both influences that are evident in her jewelry, which has been compared to Turkish tiles. “My inspiration derives from a fascination with the interplay of color, line and form. In working with polymer clay, I am able to create complex patterns,” McCaw says, “where colors bloom and merge.”

McCaw’s work has been recognized nationally, with accolades including a 2009 NICHE Award finalist ranking, and is carried at galleries including Artisans Gallery in Santa Cruz, Calif., and The Firehouse Gallery in Damariscotta, Maine. See more examples of her work at www.sandramccaw.com.

Merrie Buchsbaum

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Merrie Buchsbaum necklace

Working in her studio, located along the banks of the Connecticut River in Cromwell, Conn., Merrie Buchsbaum draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the landscape around her. Buchsbaum, who also works as a professional nutritionist, has been working with polymer since 1992, and counts outdoor activities and travel as vital to her creativity.

“My jewelry captures my life’s experiences,” she says, noting that she has always kept a visual diary of her travels. “The colorful intricate motifs which I create are a mini moment from my life.” Her most recent line of jewelry combines translucent polymer with ground herbs such as cinnamon and paprika. “Each batch of organic colors is a limited edition,” Buchsbaum says, adding to the “uniqueness and natural quality of each piece.”

Buchsbaum has been recognized nationally for her work, including two finalist rankings in the NICHE Awards and inclusion in several books. Visit her website at merrilymade.com to see more examples of her work.

Judy Dunn

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Judy Dunn, “Gold Green Shibori Fringe Necklace”

One could be forgiven for thinking that Judy Dunn, with a background in chemistry and business, stumbled into the world of polymer. But, the Acton, Mass., artist says, “From the time I could hold a crayon, or grasp a pair of scissors, I was creating.” A self-taught artist, Dunn began working with polymer in 2003 and found that the medium satisfied her “fascination with color and pattern, and adds the element of form.”

Her work is distinguished through the surface design, which features mica particles embedded in the clay to create a pattern, and her technique of stitching components together to allow for some movement when strung onto a cord. Since 2008, Dunn has also folded 1,000 origami cranes in polymer clay. The project started as a memorial to lives lost in the Iraq war, but has expanded to include custom-made cranes to mark special moments. “It is a gift to be able to create something that has so many rich emotional connections for people,” she says.

Dunn received a Best in Show ranking at the American Craft Exposition in 2007 and is a finalist for a 2009 NICHE Award. Her work is available at Gallery Morada in Islamorada, Fla., and Silver Heron Gallery in Depoe Bay, Ore. Visit www.moms-studio.com to see more.

Betsy Baker

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Betsy Baker, “Maya Green Three Bead Neckwire”

Although she’s crafted throughout her life, Betsy Baker never thought of herself as an artist until she visited a mineral store in the Yucatan and fell in love with the colors, shapes and textures of natural stones. That attraction led her to jewelry design, and, a few years later, to polymer clay.

Her most recent work combines polymer with precious metals. “I love the contrast,” Baker says. “Metal is bullied and cajoled into doing whatever you want by hammering, sawing, using a torch and all sorts of intimidating tools,” she explains, while polymer is “the most cooperative, versatile and forgiving of mediums.” It’s the coming together of opposites that she loves, the way the two “work beautifully together.”

Baker, who lives in Charlestown, Mass., describes her work as “chic and elegant,” perfect for jewelry lovers and polymer collectors alike. She sells her jewelry primarily through retail shows, although it is also available at the Cambridge Artists Cooperative in Cambridge, Mass. Visit www.stonehouse-studio.com to see more.

Melanie West

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Melanie West, “Nudibranch”

Living in the deep woods of Maine has proved to be a source of endless inspiration for Melanie West. A former architectural photographer, West seeks to replicate the extravagant colors, patterns and forms surrounding her. “Nature never ceases to amaze,” West says, “and I have always been compelled to answer that amazement in my work.”

Her most recent line is a series of bracelets focusing on amorphous forms, suggesting salamanders, cephalopods or snakes. The playful shapes and vivid colors reflect West’s own exuberant nature, and have received recognition from the National Polymer Clay Guild, which awarded West’s work a second-place ranking in the 2008 competition.

West will participate in both 2009 CraftBoston shows, and is represented by several stores along the coast of Maine, including Maine Gathering in Camden. To see more of her work, visit www.ravensclay.com.

To learn more about polymer clay, including its origins and techniques, and to see work from a range of artists, visit www.polymerartarchive.com. Artist and curator Elise Winters developed the site as an essential resource for the study of polymer clay.

Steven Ford and David Forlano

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Steven Ford and David Forlano, “Cone Spray”

The artistic partnership of Steven Ford and David Forlano began more than 20 years ago when the students met in Rome during a study abroad program. Painters at the time, the two were drawn to each other’s different approaches to the medium, and began trading half-finished pieces and working new ideas into them.

The pair continue to work collaboratively, not letting a physical separation stop them. In 2005, Forlano moved from Philadelphia to Santa Fe, and now pieces are sent across the country for further development. Their work is inspired by nature, by clusters of seeds and buds that are composed of numerous unique parts. These structures inspire the two to create necklaces, brooches and, more recently, both three-dimensional and textural wall pieces.

Their work has garnered an impressive reputation, and is part of the collections at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass., and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Galleries representing the two include Sherrie Gallerie in Columbus, Ohio, and Obsidian Gallery in Tucson, Ariz. To see more of their work, go to www.fordforlano.com.

To learn more about polymer clay, including its origins and techniques, and to see work from a range of artists, visit www.polymerartarchive.com. Artist and curator Elise Winters developed the site as an essential resource for the study of polymer clay.

Wiwat Kamolpornwijit

January 2009 | BY The AmericanStyle Staff | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Wiwat Kamolpornwijit, “Cactus in Bloom”

Some artists are born knowing they’ll work with their hands to create beauty. Others find their calling in a more indirect way. Before the end of 2004, Wiwat Kamolpornwijit made his career as an environmental engineer. Then he helped a friend make and sell polymer clay jewelry for a fundraiser, and the chance encounter turned into a love affair with the medium. “Since then I have played with polymer every day,” he says. He turned his passion into a full-time career two years later, making what he calls a “critical decision” with his heart.

“I like to believe that there is something good in everything,” the Alexandria, Va., artist says. The pliability of polymer clay allows him to explore shapes and design almost without limitations, revealing “hidden or emerging treasures” in his work.

Kamolpornwijit’s sculptural jewelry features organic components set within a contemporary frame, and has garnered accolades including a 2009 NICHE Award finalist ranking. His work is available at RedSky Gallery in Charlotte, N.C., and Haven Gallery & Fine Gifts in Austin, Texas. Visit www.kamolpornwijit.com to see more.

To learn more about polymer clay, including its origins and techniques, and to see work from a range of artists, visit www.polymerartarchive.com. Artist and curator Elise Winters developed the site as an essential resource for the study of polymer clay.

Ann Kruglak

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | 1 COMMENT

Ann Kruglak, “Anemone Tea Pot”

Colorado artist Ann Kruglak is a relative newcomer to the field of polymer clay. She worked in mixed media in the early 2000s, and after retiring recently from a technical career, began working with polymer clay in 2008. Believing that art connects her to the greater mysteries of the universe, Kruglak hopes to create work that will inspire viewers to bring their own gifts of service to the world.

Her work ranges from masks, figurative wall pieces and functional objects like clocks and mirrors to more sculptural work, and encompasses techniques including caning and mokume gane. Kruglak’s lastest venture, “Mystic Dreamer: Art for the Earth,” is an eco-service project with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the World Land Trust-US, a land-conservancy charity.

Kruglak has already received national recognition for her work, including a first-place ranking in the 2008 National Polymer Clay Guild competition in the sculptural objects category. To see more of her work, visit www.mysticdreamerart.com.

To learn more about polymer clay, including its origins and techniques, and to see work from a range of artists, visit www.polymerartarchive.com. Artist and curator Elise Winters developed the site as an essential resource for the study of polymer clay.

Crafting a Dream House

January 2009 | BY Sara Baker | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

In the living room of the HandMade House, ceramic birds by Pamela Brewer sit atop a coffee table by Ronno Cooke. The “Biedermeier Secretaire” by Jamie House with Denton Bragg stands to the left of the fireplace, a project collaboration by Jan Derr, Diana Gillispie and Jeremy French. Susan Webb Lee’s “Diamonds and Rust” quilt hangs above the fireplace, with a ladder by Lang Hornthal to its right. Photography by Stewart Young

Take 100 artists plus one custom-built home and what do you get? A handcrafted masterpiece.

Turning a new home into a reflection of yourself is always a labor of love. You bring in things that you’ve loved for years: a comfortable chair, a colorful quilt, your wedding china. Then you get to work on the challenge of finding the perfect art to fill the rooms—pieces that complement the person you are and the space in which you live. It’s a process that usually never ends.

Imagine what the results would be if you turned the entire process on its head, bringing artists and designers together to incorporate art into every aspect of the home, before ground for the building had even been broken.

That’s exactly what the “HandMade House at the Ramble,” a design experiment in the mountains of Asheville, N.C., has done. HandMade in America, a nonprofit organization representing craftspeople, and Biltmore Farms, the developer of The Ramble Biltmore Forest community, invited 100 regional artists to incorporate their work into the design of a custom-built home.

“We are discovering that new creative relationships are being forged between the artists, makers and design professionals as they work together,” says Geraldine Plato, executive director of HandMade in America. The project considered art in every phase of construction, including handmade cabinets and countertops and a f loating master bath vanity. Each room is filled with handcrafted furniture, wall hangings, rugs, pottery and various works in other mediums by artists including ceramist Akira Satake, mixed-media artist Don Stevenson and metal artist William S. Rogers.

The home was open to the public in the fall and winter months, and is now on the market, all art included. In addition to its unique handcrafted charm, it also meets the green building standards of North Carolina’s HealthyBuilt Homes Program, with features like geo-thermal heating and cooling and a rainwater harvesting system.

The partners are also publishing a handbook to help other developers create similar handmade houses. For more information, visit www.handmadeinamerica.org.