I saw a tweet from someone yesterday that said, “By the time you turn 30, you should have at least one piece of original art in your home.” I don’t know if that’s a hard and fast rule, but at some point, you’ll want to start using art — original or otherwise — to enhance your personal space.

If you’re just starting to collect art, or are thinking of collecting, or have been collecting art but need a bit of a refresher, you’re in luck. This Saturday, from 10:00 to 11:00, West Elm and 20×200, the online gallery of affordable art, are teaming up to teach the fine art (get it?) of art collecting.

Learn how to build a collection, ways to display art, and “tips for integrating art into your everyday life”. I’m not quite sure what’s meant by that last part — maybe it’s about having art in your car, or in your cube at the office? Either way, you’re sure to learn something new.

These West Elm/20×200 are happening at both West Elms in Massachusetts, in Boston and Burlington.

Just like last year, ICFF fell on the same weekend as the SoWa Art Walk. Lucky for me, VenuView’s Crystal J. Silva went and offered her thoughts on the happenings in the South End. Thanks Crystal!

It couldn’t have been a better day for the opening of the 2010 season of SoWa Open Market and the SoWA Art Walk! The occasional gusts of wind were no match for the excitement in the air from both vendors and attendees alike.

The nearby galleries were inviting and unintimidating making it a relaxed atmosphere and great for first-timers. This event was definitely the time to take advantage of the special discounts offered if you had your eyes on something for a while or just wanted to indulge in a spontaneous purchase that wouldn’t make you feel guilty! The local bands and music played were entertaining and provided a great way to pass the time when needing to take a break from walking in the sun. Parking was easy, free and close by which was a pleasant surprise to all.

The Open Market had some certain stand-outs representing — like Catalina Delatorre, Hijacked Ceramics, F Rock Bags, and Margo Petitti — although many of the booths offered mom & pop-like crafts or artisans that were mediocre at best. After speaking to others attending the event, it was evident that they would like to see the event management draw more fine or “high craft” items and vendors than what was presented, to bring about a more balanced offering to the public and to be in keeping with their surrounding neighbors.

My NICHE Award nominee would go to the lovely young lady Sarah Anne Dinardo. She shared with us that her interesting designs came about while sitting in art class. Instead of doodling in her notebook, she started to roll the nearby masking tape. Sara’s three dimensional rolled tape sculptures were both unique and eye catching. I look forward to seeing her new designs in upcoming events.

The SoWa Open Market and the SoWA Art Walk was a lovely way to spend part of your day and well worth the leisurely stroll!

Crystal J. Silva
VENU, LLC.
www.venuview.com

Did you make it to the SoWa Art Walk this past weekend? What’d you think?

In last Sunday’s Boston Globe, Dushko Petrovich explored how Boston could find itself as the home of a new art revolution. In his essay, Dushko cites all that Boston has going for it: “several great museums, a superabundance of universities, many galleries, a highly educated and increasingly sophisticated audience, and a density that allows for the most important element in cultural life: interaction between creative people.” Dushko makes a pretty convincing job that this revolution is right around the corner, and he’s right. Kind of.

Kind of, because it’s not an art revolution that’s coming, but a design one. It’s been brewing for a while.

In 2006, the public was just starting to educate itself on design. ApartmentTherapy, DesignSponge, sfgirlbybay and others were showcasing creations coming out of New York and San Francisco. Boston had a large, energetic design scene, but people outside of the city thought it was a quaint, stodgy old town, not giving it the attention it deserved. I started DesignBoston to help get that conversation going. Three and a half years later — whether its architecture, interior-, product-, graphic deisgn or more — if you’re offering unique, thoughtful, innovative creations, we want to share it.

A year later, the Design Industry Group of Massachusetts (DIGMA) was formed as “an initiative of the statewide design industries to organize and promote the Massachusetts design cluster as integral to the state’s economy. ” DIGMA unites the various design industries and promotes them to business, government, and the public. In the most recent Boston Home Magazine, DIGMA director Beate Becker shared an interesting fact:

Our impressive numbers may surprise people who think the city is strictly a science and technology powerhouse; in fact, more than 45,000 people work in design-related jobs in Massachusetts, from architecture and advertising to product design for New Balance and Reebok. Boston-area companies actually support the second-largest industrial-design population in the country, behind San Francisco.

The same year, the pinkcomma gallery opened. The introduction on pinkcomma’s website says it all:

This gallery aims to foster and recognize a more creative and experimental scene that has grown out of one of the world’s most significant capitals of architectural education. For all the city’s stodginess, Boston’s six architecture schools and their instructors have unleashed some of the most provocative figures on the world scene.

Through exhibits like “Rethinking City Hall” and “Heroic“, directors Chris Grimley and Mark Pasnik ask us to reconsider our built spaces. The upcoming Design Biennial Boston will “showcase emerging design voices through an exhibition and publication of innovative professional design works.”

This year, Design Museum Boston was formed to “educate the public on the role of design in their lives and the contributions of design within the creative economy.” It’s planned network of physical — galleries, storefronts and malls — and online exhibits will expose audiences “to the design process from a social, economic, and environmental point of view.”

Whether you’re a creative professional or not, design shapes your world. Look around, and you’ll see a world full of buildings, graphics, products and experiences that were all originally visualized by designers. The clothes you wear, the car you drive, the building you work in, even your favorite website; all are the products of designers’ efforts. Each is more usable and inspiring because of designers’ involvement.

DIGMA, Design Museum Boston, pinkcomma gallery, and DesignBoston are trying to achieve the same thing, but from different angles: DIGMA from an institutional level; DesignMuseumBoston in our places of commerce; pinkcomma gallery from the (literally and figuratively) underground, and DesignBoston from a grassroots level.

These are of course just four examples of the connectors bringing attention to the design industry around Boston, and throughout Massachusetts. As more connections are made, as newer, evermore innovative work gets produced, and as more people — in Boston and beyond — recognize the contributions of Boston’s design industry, Boston will truly be a hub of design.

Do you like handmade design? If so, you need to know about Boston Handmade.

Boston Handmade, founded by local photographic mixed-media artist Jessica Burko in 2007, is a consortium of handmade designers “who support one another in the pursuit of creativity made by hand.” There are currently over 25 member of Boston Handmade, from fields as diverse as photography, clothing, jewelry-making, books and paper goods, and more. All members are registered Etsy sellers and based in Massachusetts.

The members do a lot of cross-promotion online. Aside from each artist’s site, there is a Boston Handmade blog they maintain as a group, as well as profiles on Twitter,Facebook and Flickr.

Want to see what they make firsthand? As a group, Boston Handmade puts on shows, like the Boston Handmade Downtown gallery over the holidays. They also take part in shows around the city, such as the Bazaar Bizarre Boston and various open studio and art walk events.

The members support each other one other way, too. With every piece they sell, each artist encloses information about all of the other artists in the shipping packaging.

Many designers I speak to admit that they don’t often think about the marketing end of their businesses. If that’s you, take note: Boston Handmade is a great example of the collaborative ability of small, independent designers to work together to improve their marketing message and visibility. It’s also a great way to meet and interact with other like-minded people, something that is great for all creative people.

Iris Gallery, on Charles St since 2007, closed several months ago. But it wasn’t, as you’d suspect, another victim to the economy. No, Allison Collins closed Iris Gallery, in fact, because she needed more room  – not a bad problem to have!

Iris Gallery is having a party to celebrate their re-opening at their new location, upstairs from Jonathan Adler at 129 Newbury St. Tonight, from 5:30 to 7:30, come check out the incredible photography, as well as the great new space!

Iris Gallery
129 Newbury St
Boston, MA

…but it’s for a good reason!

When I should have been writing about the great designers I’m coming across, I’ve been working with Joyce — not just a blogger but also a freelance photographer and graphic designer — on designing and programming a new DesignBoston.org.

The basic layout is all set, but there’s still much to be done. We’re hoping to be finished in the next few days. When that happens, the site will be unavailable for a short time while we make the switchover.

In the meantime, I’ll be sure to post as often as I can.

Thanks for your patience!

(Yes, I was dared to put this old school .gif up. )

Merry Christmas!

Cosmic Thing 2002

Earlier this week, I was priveledged to attend a preview of the lastest exhibit ‘Damian Ortega:  Do It Yourself ‘ at the Insitute of Contemporary Art.

I have to say that there is something utterly fascinating about seeing a Volkswagon Beetle exploded in an all white space.  It feels like something out of the Matrix.  Ortega has a way of pulling apart everyday objects and putting them back together in an uncommon way that’s refreshing and bold.

Skin

His work is thought provoking and fun.  An installation that I particularly enjoyed was Skin.  With Skin, Ortega took three modernist buildings that serve as public housing and has cut out the floorplan of a single apartment unit in leather.  The leather floorplan was then hung from a meat hook from the ceiling.  It shows the contrast between architectural theory and the end result.  Soft hanging scultpures that are based on architects’ attempts to solve the problem of overpopulated urban living.  Skin as a border of the body and the wall as a border of a home.  An image of the housing structure that the floorplan belongs to is cleverly tattooed on each piece.  With Skin, Ortega provides further proof as to how an architect like Le Corbusier failed in his meglomaniacal attempt at public housing and how the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The exhibit opens today to the public and runs through January 18th.

Red Line (Close Up 1) by Ben Willis

South End Open Studios is this weekend.  For all who are unfamiliar with Open Studios, it is an annual event that allows the public the opportunity to visit with South End artists in their workspaces and view/purchase their work.  Over 250 artists are featured in this event.

Parallel Universe by Ben Willis

This is a great opportunity to purchase art outside of a gallery environment.  This makes the art purchase all the more personal and meaningful because you’ll have the opportunity to meet the artist and discuss their inspiration for the pieces at great length.  You can also find a lot of one-of-a-kind original works at great prices.

When Will I See You Again? by Ben Willis

This Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm in Boston’s South End.  Make a day of it.  Grab brunch at one of the South End’s many great restaurants (Tremont 647, Francesca’s, Pop’s, Banq).  After that, pick up a pair of diesel jeans or a Modern Amusement shirt at Uniform.  Then see some art.

ICFF 2009 was smaller than last year, surely due to the economy, but there was no shortage of imaginative, thoughtful designs.

Indeed, the amount of sustainable design at the show was greater than ever, and the pieces showed a great deal of both creativity and maturity. Below, here are 11 green designs, from floors to ceiling lights,  that I think are especially noteworthy.

Scrap Lights from Graypants Scrap Lights, designed by Seattle-based architect/designers Jonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle, aka Graypants, are made from repurposed cardboard boxes. The pieces are handmade, so their slightly irregular pattern creates playful shadows on the walls. When the Scrap Light’s lifecycle is up, it can simply be recycled into something new.

MIO Naked Cabinets MIO Naked cabinets are made with Formaldehyde free particleboard made from independently certified 100% pre-consumer recycled wood fibers. It’s then assembled, but not painted, turning what is normally thrown away into an aesthetic statement.

Greenplay Greenplay is a modular play system made from “recycled, renewable, and low-impact materials”. They’re painted in low- or no-VOC paints, meaning they’re safe for both your kids and the planet. Which is the point of all this, isn’t it?

Izm There are no recycled or recovered materials for Izm’s Visualizm AV unit. Jerad Mack and Shane Pawluk’s idea of sustainability works a bit differently. Working with the knowledge that it takes 100 years for one walnut tree to grow to maturity, they use age-old construction techniques to ensure that their furniture will be passed down from generation to generation. So when it’s ready to be replaced, that tree’s grown back.

Pieter VanTuyl There’s no chance of calling Pieter VanTuyl’s Illuminated Shelf cold. This beautifully crafted shelf, made from sustainably-harvested walnut, with it’s illuminated glass shelf, is a striking example of green modernism done right.

MissPrint Fireplaces are considered fairly environmentally unfriendly, what with the wood or gas burning. EcoSmart Fires, fueled by clean burning denatured ethanol, don’t need a flue or a connection to a utility, giving you the warmth of a fireplace and the flexibility to install it where you’d like.

Anne Kyyrö Quinn Anne Kyyrö Quinn‘s striking three-dimensional wall panels, made with 100% renewable wool felt, suggest dramatic movement and help absorb sound in a space. It’s that they are constructed with such a simplicity of design that truly shows Quinn’s talents.

Lulan Artisans Eve Blossom, Lulan Artisans‘ founder and CEO, takes a whole-Earth approach to sustainability: She and design partners Laura Guido-Clark and Michael Koch design textiles, which are then woven in Cambodia, India, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam using centuries-old techniques. These techniques help ensure each country’s culture remains intact while providing economic opportunity for them. Their new Diamond Cut line is made of 100% organic cotton, hand-woven, hand-dyed and hand-spun, and is available in six colors.

MissPrint UK-based MissPrint, the mother-daughter team of Yvonne and Rebecca Drury, produce their own lines of wallpaper. Each midcentury-inspired design is hand-drawn, touched up in Illustrator, then hand-made from PEFC-certified paper and low- or non-toxic dyes.

Iannone Design Michael Iannone uses a variety of sustainable materials, including cork, reclaimed and FSC-certified lumber, bamboo, and Kirei (Soughum board). But the materials aren’t the only thing to take notice of: His innovative styles create eye-catching pieces that would right just about any interior.

Lift soap dish by Steph Mantis What if we could make something that would let us use the ordinary, everyday things we buy last a bit longer? That, and how to make if for only a dollar were the questions Steph Mantis of Pratt Institute’s Department of Industrial Design answered with her Lift soap dish. The dish is designed to save soap by lifting the bar up off the surface. Not a huge problem, yet a very real one at the same time.

No single piece was the furthest reaching or most radical attempt as sustainable design, but taken as a whole, they reflect the wide range of options avaiable for green living.

With the continued push of designers, both large and small, into green design, I look forward to the day when “sustainable” is no longer a feature, but a standard.