Craft Shows 2023

The Smart List is a monthly list of multi-media recommendations on everything design, curated by Interwoven Design. In this issue we share some of the most exciting Craft shows in New York City! The List includes: Beyond Mud: Ceramics in 2023, Craft Front & Center, LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize and Furniture & Decorative Arts Collection.

The Smart List: Craft Shows 2023

Beyond Mud: Ceramics in 2023

at BWAC 481 Van Brunt Street Door 7, Brooklyn, May 13, 2023 – June 18, 2023

Beyond Mud 2023 is a national juried ceramics and art exhibition located in Brooklyn, NY. Beginning on May 13, the show will put on display “beautiful, exciting, edgy and/or unusual works.” The competition is sponsored by the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition and later in May will also participate in the Brooklyn Ceramics Arts Tour, an opportunity that is a 3 day open studio, Brooklyn wide event.

Established in 1978, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition is Brooklyn’s largest, artist-run organization that gives artists opportunities to show their work, engage with audiences and develop professionally. Come check out this awesome Ceramics event!

Craft Front & Center

at the Museum of Art and Design, New York, through January 14, 2024

Challenging the traditional existence of craft, the Museum of Art and Design‘s has assembled an revolutionary collection that has repositioned themselves as a widely recognized and significant movement. Craft Front & Center, “brings together more than 70 iconic and lesser-known works to highlight key thematic touchpoints in craft’s history that have brought us to this movement.” Comprising of thousands of artworks, the collection spans materials of textiles, clay, glass, metal and wood.

The exhibition reveals many significant artists which are women and people of color who led craft to be perceived as and motivated by art’s major movements. If you have the time, this exciting collection of handmade objects at the Museum of Arts and Design should definitely be on your list!

LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize

at the Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, NY, May 17, 2023 – June 18, 2023

As previously mentioned in our Design News Series, the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is an exhibition that will put the competitions finalists on display at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, NY. This Craft Prize aims to “acknowledge and support international artisans of any age (over 18) or gender who demonstrate an exceptional ability to create objects of superior aesthetic value.” Allowing the artists to portray their own personal language and distinct skills contributes to the current culture of craft.

The LOEWE FOUNDATION, was founded by Enrique Loewe Lynch in 1988 and continues to promote creativity across all disciplines of art. By supporting design and craftmanship, the LOEWE FOUNDATION comprises an expert panel that will judge and consider which pieces they find the most outstanding!

Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection

at Museum City of New York

The Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection at the Museum City of New York contains New York’s plethora of furniture, ceramics and glassware. The collection contains furniture and cabinets made all the way back to the 17th century! These rare and one of kind works were designed by some of the most iconic New York City Designers of their time. These objects have been traced back and verified ownership to some of the most distinguished New Yorkers. Governors, senators and other politicians commissioned these works from these famous designer and the pieces were made in New York or by foreign manufacturers.

In the Realm of the decorative arts the Museum’s collection has many pieces that also connect the to prominent figures. These ceramic and glassware pieces were made by the most skilled artisans and were influenced by New York City itself. The aesthetic combination depicts the tastes from different centuries.

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Design News N. 037

The Interwoven Design News is your tiny dose of design, technology and other important news, curated monthly by Interwoven. In this Interwoven Design News series we share the latest on our favorite topics, including product design, installation design, furniture Collaboration, sculpture and AI generated images. This issue includes: Varmblixt by Sabine Marcelis x IKEA, Watches & Wonders 2023, Janny Baek at Culture Object, Isamu Noguchi: Sculpting the World and AI generated images!

The finesse of time, by artist Clément Vieille. Photo courtesy of Hermès

Watches & Wonders 2023

Watches and Wonders Geneva, the international watch and jewelry show that takes place in Geneva, Switzerland features the newly introduced the breathtaking Hermès H08 existing in the sculptural installation, The finesse of time, by artist Clément Vieille. 

Hermès H08
The Hermès H08. Photo courtesy of Hermès

The Hermès H08 is a collection that was originally released in 2021 and designed by Creative Director, Philippe Delhotal, on 3 different head watches. The new line’s new aesthetic combines a perfect mixture of texture, material usage, and geometrical shapes on the Chronograph. The H08’s function does not take a backseat while the watch’s mechanical self-winding movement is framed by a light carbon fiber and composite shell along with careful highlights that color matches the watch’s band perfectly. 

Clément Vieille explains his inspiration for the environment which he designed for the trade show’s location. His carefully designed flowing sculptures are suspended from the ceiling while exploring the potential of controlling time. Even though impossible, can time be captured, can it be tamed? All these motivations are shared between Hermès and Clément Vieille, the two design collections complement each other in a beautiful way.”

via Design Boom

Photo: Gerard Stolk

Varmblixt by Sabine Marcelis x IKEA

Award winning designer, Sabine Marcelis has recently released a collaboration with the Swedish furniture retailer, IKEA! Their collection named, Varmblixt was revealed at Milan Design Week and features a beautiful plethora of homeware that includes sculptural lighting pieces and a glassware collection. The Dutch-Kiwi designer showcases her aesthetic by, “embracing vibrant, playful hues and employing pure forms to highlight the often unique materiality of her pieces.” An impactful feature to a viewer is Marcelis’ use of material combinations that cause people to want to take a closer look. Traditionally, the products that provide light have been designed with a utilitarian mindset. Sabine Marcelis strived to rethink the way lighting pieces live in a home and how it exists in space. Taking a more artistic approach, the team was able to step away from functionality as the only trait to design with a different perspective in mind. Overall, the collection aims to bring a warmth to the home atmosphere.

Varmblixt’s glassware collection refrains from using color. The designer explains that she wants the drink of choice to activate the use of color. The specific collection had been dreamt up in the past, years ago to be exact, and has finally come to life! Check out the collaboration at the link below.

via International Contemporary Furniture Fair

Photo courtesy of Janny Baek

Janny Baek at Culture Object, New York

Janny Baek, a Korean-American artist and architect is presenting her first solo exhibition from March 22, 2023 to May 20, 2023 at Cultural Object in Manhattan! The artist studied ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design and then pursued a master’s degree of architecture from Harvard University. Baek along with her husband, Thomas McMahon, founded McMahon-Baek Architecture in 2014 and she continues to help run along with her ceramics practice that she revamped in 2019. 

When creating her striking ceramics, Baek uses a traditional process that involves stacking clay and later slicing cross-sections to expose a hidden interior pattern. She sometimes alters this process, called Nerikomi, by treating the colored clay as a pattern or colored sheets on the surface of the form. Using different aesthetic techniques including colored layered surfaces producing gradients. Baek explains how creates with a purpose, “my sculpted ceramic forms are based on the themes of growth, flux, and other various states of in-between.” This effect helps the artist express vibrancy, pleasure and hope through artificial coloring but with clay. The artist shared, “ultimately, I hope that my work communicates the wonder and importance of questioning assumptions and being curious: about ourselves, our world, and our future.”

via Wallpaper

Isamu Noguchi
Isamu Noguchi, Photo: Penn State Special Collections

Isamu Noguchi: Sculpting the World

The Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art (LaM) is featuring Isamu Noguchi for its 40th Anniversary. The LaM is one of the most influential museums in Europe while being positioned between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Luxembourg and London. 

The Exhibition is currently featuring over 250 of Noguchi’s works spanning sculpture drawings, designs, photography and other forms of art. From an artist who has continued  to make an impact throughout art history even after his death in 1988, “Noguchi embodies an open and decompartmentalised vision of art, which even today, influences contemporary creation.” 

Noguchi’s mother was from the United States while his father was Japanese. He spent his childhood in Japan and later living in the United States and moved to Paris to become the assistant sculptor to Constantin Brâcusi. The artist struggled to find an identity while living in multiple cultures and dealing with the dramas of his time. This motivated his exploration and work as he submerged himself in different art genres and movements. Isamu Noguchi’s passion was to go beyond art and attempted to study connection and relationship with space and body.

Via Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art (LaM)

The Pope Drip
The Pope Drip, Photo: u/trippy_art_special via Reddit

AI images take the Internet by Storm

If you have spent any time on social media in the last few months, we are sure that you have come across some type of AI generated art. Whether they are portraits of friends or family members morphed with historic or fiction themes. These realistic looking images are so believable that only some can actually validate an AI generated image at first glance. One image in particular that has caused an uproar from people on social media dubbed, The Pope Drip. The AI generated image features the Pope wearing an iconic puffer full length jacket. He is even holding Mate! A traditional herbal tea from his home country of Argentina. 

There’s no doubt that AI generated images are very entertaining and interesting to see how people will utilize this technology with their own creativity. Where will this technology inspire us to go? Will it provide us with a new continually used tool or will it be abused? Only time will tell.

via Designboom

That sums up this month’s Interwoven Design News, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for design news, multi-media recommendations, and to learn more about product design and development!

NYC Museum Shows 2023

The Smart List is a monthly list of multi-media recommendations on everything design, curated by Interwoven Design. As a group of aesthetically obsessed designers, there are a lot of beautiful products, objects and events we love and enjoy. These recommendations make our daily lives special and inviting and we want to share them with you. This issue is guide to Museum Shows in New York City in 2023!

Smart List Museum Shows 2023

1. Jumana Manna: Break, Take, Erase, Tally

Jumana Manna is currently being featured in the first major exhibition in the United States until April 17, 2023 at MoMA PS1. The works span from two films, Wild Relatives (2018) and Foragers (2022) to sculptures that explore “ the paradoxical effects of preservation practices in agriculture, science, and the law.” (MoMA) Jumana Manna is a multi-disclinary designer that communicates a way of life that includes difficult times in connection with the environment. Her work challenges and asks questions about what is the possible future based on our current, self induced predicament.

Via MoMA PS1

2. Thierry Mugler: Couturissime

Thierry Mugler, the French designer was a daring, unorthodox visionary that innovated through techniques and rigid materials including, glass plastic, vinyl and metals. Also the creator of the famous perfumes, Thierry Mugler, experimented with provocative collections that spanned fashion shows in carefully designed environments. Thierry Mugler: Couturissime is on display at the Brooklyn Museum until May 7, 2023. Mugler’s work continues to influence and while his timeless classic  gowns have been worn by some of the biggest celebrities.

via Brooklyn Museum

3. Every Ocean Hughes: Alive Side

Every Ocean Hughes, formerly known as Emily Roysdon connects interests of transitions, thresholds, relationships, memory and queer life. The exhibition at the Whitney Museum is available until April 2, 2023. The presentation is four parts that includes performances and videos that use a demeanor to tell stories touching on communities, cultures as well as a mythical story, River (2023).

vie Whitney Museum

4. Guillermo del Toro: Crafting Pinocchio

Following Carlo Collodi’s 1883 children’s novel, Giullermo del Toro reimagined Pinocchio into a feature film that focused on the original stop-motion animation. Crafting Pinocchio, was the onset set view point of the creation by an international team of designers, craftspeople and animation artists that help bring a universal perspective to the film. The exhibition is available at the MoMa until April 2, 2023.

via MoMA

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The Gift Guide: NYC Puzzles 2022

The Smart List is a monthly list of multi-media recommendations on everything design, curated by Interwoven Design. As a group of aesthetically obsessed designers, there are a lot of beautiful products and objects we love and enjoy. These products make our daily lives special and inviting and we want to share them with you. This issue is a extra edition holiday gift guide for the design savvy people on your list. Discover these quality New York City flavored Puzzles!

The Gift Guide: NYC Puzzles 2022

1. Lets Go Get Lost Together New York Puzzle

500 Pieces – Luckies/Trouva

The 500 piece recycled cardboard, Lets Go Get Lost New York Puzzle depicts a beautiful historic Manhattan aerial view. It was design by artist and advertiser Dave Buonaguidi. His experiences in advertising and screen printing shine bright through the playful lettering on top of the faded image background. The puzzle can be found for purchase through Trouva.

2. Frank Stella Puzzle

750 Pieces – MoMA Design Store

Frank Stella’s Puzzle is inspired by his famous painting, Firuzabad. The puzzle is constructed of 90% recycled paper while also using non-toxic ink to portray the two overlapping circles, with colorful striping. This work can be found through the MoMA Design Store.

3. NYT Front Page Puzzle

500 Pieces – Uncommon goods

The New York Times Front Page Puzzle is a great personalized gift option idea for wanting to commemorate a specific date or historic event. Uncommon Goods allows customization of the puzzle to chose the front page image as well as the piece count, 500 or 1,000. This unique gift is manufactured in the United States.

4. Inside the Museum Puzzle

500 – Met Museum

The Inside the Museum Puzzle is an intricate 500 piece puzzle features that illustrates the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s galleries. The puzzle tells a story through the museum map as well as hidden treasures. Once the puzzle is completed, the game has only begun! Specific objects are listed on the border and used to pinpoint the objects that are depicted.

5. Puzzle Thing: NY Heart

465 Pieces – Areaware

The Puzzle Thing: NY Heart was created during the COVID-19 pandemic by three friends, Alex, Michelle and Stephanie. The motivation behind the image stems from the awareness of the hardships that hospitality workers face during the lockdown. Areaware supports the organization, One Fair Wage, which focuses on improving wages and workplace treatment of these workers.

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