Discovering Columbus

Hello Columbus.  Nice to see you all up close and personal.  

I went to see the Tatzu Nishi Discovering Columbus Exhibition by the Public Art Fund a couple weeks ago.  The exhibition is actually a room that has been built around the statue of Columbus in the middle of Columbus Circle.  Overall, I liked it.  It provided a different perspective on Columbus Circle and the statue.  It was surprising how large Columbus felt up close.  However, although there were some clever things about the decor of the living room Columbus entertained us in, I do feel they could have jazzed it up a bit more.  There was a little something lacking.

Regardless, the views from the top of the exhibition were stunning.

59th Street

Broadway, facing North

Central Park West

One fabulous thing about the exhibition is that it is free.  Although you have to reserve tickets in advance.  Originally it was supposed to close mid-November, but it is now scheduled to close December 2nd.  Check it out here.

I love how the woman in this shot appears to be self-consciously smiling at the camera...

I was there at the end of the week Hurricane Sandy hit.  Columbus Circle happens to be right nearby where the crane is dangling in Midtown.  Broadway South of Columbus Circle was cordoned off and so were many of the adjacent streets.

The Circus Pendant Light + the Plumen Blub at the Conran Shop

I was recently visiting ABC Carpet & Home in NYC and I ended up at the Conran Shop on the lower level of the store.  I've never made my way down there before.  But their furniture and furnishings are fabulous.  Modern lines with a cozy warm feel.  I really would love to use their Circus Pendant Light somewhere in our home.

The pendant caught my eye first, but then it was also what was inside the pendant that inspired me.  Where
can you get a light bulb like this?? So perfect for a pendant where you will see the light inside on display.

I did a little internet research and it appears to be the Plumen light bulb.  Not only is this bulb's design fabulous, it is also energy efficient!  Win Win!  What a great antidote to the undeniably cool but oh so power hungry vintage filament bulbs that have been in vogue the last few years.

the MoMa (with Babe)

Joan Mitchell, "Wood, Wind, No Tuba", 1980

As part of the New York City Challenge, Fiona and I visited the MoMa last Friday afternoon during Free Fridays from 4-8pm.  I haven't been to the MoMa for a while, and we were going to go earlier in the week and pay full price.  But our previous attempts to visit were thwarted by a sick and tired babe so I decided we would just go during Free Friday.  I was itching to go but with Fiona not feeling great I didn't want to pay full price if she was going to be fussy and we would have to leave after a short time.

Free Fridays at the MoMa, can be, honestly, a complete madhouse.  If you really want to have any time and space to look at the art then Free Fridays are not the time to go to the museum.  But for a quick and free jaunt through the galleries and exhibits, it's not a bad way to go if you can handle the crowds.  

It ended up being the perfect way for us to visit the MoMa this time.  With Fiona strapped in our BabyHawk baby carrier, we visited ever floor.  Fiona was quite the sport during our whirlwind tour and I took a few pictures of a some of the highlights for me this time around.   We ended our tour in the sculpture garden where I let Fiona walk around.  She was pretty much in heaven there.

Interesting exhibit on re-imagining suburban space after the 2008 housing crisis. 

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled" (Placebo) 1991

Mark Rothko

Mr. Jackson Pollack of course

Baby Carrier Shot

Sculpture Garden

Discovering dry leaves....

The Antiques Garage

Fiona and I have been busy running around the city the last two days on field trips for the New York City Challenge and have been off to a great (re)start of the mission.  The weather here has been perfect for site-seeing.  Low 70s and Sunny!  Friday, we visited the MoMa and yesterday we went to the Antiques Garage flea market on W. 25th Street with our good friend Jess.  

Wow.  I really wish I had visited this place before yesterday.  As in, when we moved into our apartment three years ago.  I would have used it to decorate and furnish our place.  What a great flea market filled to the brim with everything a good Flea Market should have: clothes, books, furniture, jewelry, art, and various knick-knacks.  I could have gone home with a few things and if we weren't moving in a few months I probably would have!  The Brooklyn Flea seems to get a lot of press, but this flea is bigger, and seems to have a lot more of everything (except that it is all antiques and doesn't have any new artisans or food booths).  Really, I would have been coming here often if I had known how good it was!  Just walking through sparked my creative juices.

An old shoots and ladders type game, Canadian Toboggan style!! 

Isn't this old wall paper fantastic!  I love the colors and the design.  Darn it.  Just realized I should have bought this.

Great 50s light fixture hanging in the middle of this pic.  How cool would that look over a dining table??

A Field trip to the Fabulous Fish's Eddy (plus a New York City Challenge update)

Broadway, facing North from Union Square. 

So, after, say about 2 months or so of failing my New York City Challenge, it is with new vigor and motivation that I am rededicating myself to this challenge.  The last month and a half has been a whirl, packed with a wedding, a trip to Chicago, a bachelorette party in Las Vegas, Fiona's birthday and party, and a visit from Patrick's parents.  I'm cutting myself some slack.  Really, don't you think I should? Or are my excuses starting to ring hollow? I'm really hoping I can keep up with the challenge for the next month, since we don't have any travel plans until July (with the exception of one trip to New Jersey for a wedding), and with the realization that we really will probably be leaving the city in just a few months (gulp!!!).  

Facing North on Broadway from 19th street. 

Ok, enough with the excuses.  Onto meet the challenge!!

Fish's Eddy...a dishware store (and more!) located in this lovely old building located at 889 Broadway at 19th street.  It offers lots of basic utilitarian products with hefty dose of joy!  It's just a super fun store to visit...think major eye candy. 

Wedding dress made out of spoons...!

 Kitchen tools.

Flatware on the cheap.

But what you are really here for are the dishes...

And the fabulous glassware...Party Glasses!

What a great gift idea! 

However, it's their coffee mugs I always leave with.  Their coffee mugs all have major heft, just as I think a good coffee mug should.  They feel solid and sturdy in your hand, which is a reassuring after waking up after too few hours of sleep because of a late night or an early morning baby (ha!).  This coffee mug I truly couldn't resist...

This mug is part of their 'Intervention-ware'.  Borderline mean perhaps?  But hey, mornings are rough sometimes.

Yay for Fish's Eddy!

the museum of arts and design

Last week, as part of the New York City Challenge, Fiona and I visited the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) here in NYC.  The Museum is located in a newly renovated building on Columbus Circle that used to be a real eyesore but now looks absolutely fantastic.  I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about taking my 11 month old daughter to an art museum.  How long would her attention last?  Would she cry out or yell?  How much of the museum would I be able to enjoy?  Well, with these questions running through my head I bravely wrapped Fiona to me and set off on the subway to find out.

The museum has a great feel to it and uses the location of Columbus Circle as one of it's installations, showcasing the location through the windows inside that act as a frame.  And the feel of the space is airy and open without feeling overwhelming.  It's just a great space to show art.   The permanent collections were nice, but it was the special exhibitions that really caught my attention.   We first visited Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Art and Design, part of a series of exhibitions the museum has had that explore unusual mediums.  The art made with these ephemeral materials introduces many interesting questions about permanence of objects and materials.  Much of the work is grey and has a somber tone which seems to emanate from the nature of the mediums.

This work is called Unfurling Splendor (Adaption IV) by Catherine Bertola.   At first glance it appears to be a lovely damask stencil or wall paper, but the patterns are made with dust over PVC glue.  You can see the dust bunnies as you get closer!  How unexpected to use dust this way to show something so intricate from something so ordinary.

I loved this piece called Murder by Maskull Lasserre consisting of ravens made out of burned wood.
The artist wrote of the piece that "I only make work that I don't understand.  Relationships that are easily harmonized, ideas that have completeness in my mind, don't need my intervention in the material world."  This sentiment really resonates with me - the idea of the artist exploring things they don't understand.  However, I also find I understand things in a new way as I explore them even if I think I have an understanding of the work.

Isn't the view north on Broadway stunning from this window?

Javier Perez's Carrona, 2011. 

The Glasstress New York exhibit had some fantastic glass pieces from the Venice Biennales.

Mike + Doug Starn's Untitled, 2011. 

Jaime Hayon's Testa Mecanica, 2011. 

Beautiful stained glass - but I missed the artist's name!  Let me now if you know who this is by!

Fiona was an absolute angel during our whole trip.  And I think we were there almost 2 hours.  She was quiet and seemed to be engaged.  Once we were done we took a trip up to Robert, the restaurant at the top of MAD to check it out.  Of course, the views were fantastic.  I hope to be coming back for a date night at Robert!!!