‘Judy’s Wine Caddy’ is another recently completed piece. Is it art? Is it craft? Is it both? Does it matter? This delicate-looking sculpture is actually quite sturdy - one of the attributes of wire sculptures I find appealing. Judy likes her personalized wine caddy and displays it on our kitchen counter when it’s not in use.
I recently finished shooting my first YouTube Video. Laugh at my very serious opening statements and watch me hold up and operate interactive card projects from my book Cards That Pop-Up, Flip and Slide, and then make two of the projects along with me as I walk you through step-by-step instructions. I couldn’t fit everything on one video - you’ll see the projects and the first two steps for making an Easel Card in Part 1. In part 2, I finish the Easel Card and step out a Slider Card. Both cards are versatile and can easily be adapted to different sizes, occasions, etc.
Thanks to Suzanne and Brian Glazer, owners of Pennywise Arts (studio and camera) and Noah Greer (editor) for their assistance on this project.
Just one of many photos I took of the Seattle skyline as I walked to the Statue of Liberty dedication site
The Tully’s Coffee Shop in West Seattle is located on Alki Avenue across the street from a sandy beach bordering Puget Sound. Judy and I like hanging out there in any kind of weather - rainy, cloudy, sunny, foggy, clear skies or snow - it’s like being on vacation even though we’re just a few miles from home. Today the weather brought back memories of my home town of Santa Monica in the summer - the sky was it’s legendary blue and the sun was shining brightly.
My main goal for heading over to West Seattle this afternoon, however, was not to sip an extra hot double tall latte and amble along the beach soaking up vitamin D. I wanted to witness a special event - the unveiling of the new STATUE OF LIBERTY, scheduled to take place at 1:30 pm and, coincidentally, also right across the street from Tully’s.
Television crews making last-minute adjustments before the unveiling
Alki’s original Statue of Liberty was made of copper sheating. It was one of over 200 similar ‘Little Sisters of Liberty’ placed by the Boy Scouts of America in 39 states and 4 US Territories in 1952, to celebrate scouting’s 40th anniversary theme, ‘Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.’
Judy and I walked past the original statue countless times since we first met 22 years ago, but those days are history. The statue stood proudly facing Puget Sound for over 50+ years, but, ultimately, acts of vandalism, sand and the salt air took their toll. You can view the statue in the 1904 Log House Museum just blocks from it’s original site.
Statue of Liberty moments after unveiling
I parked my car near the boat ramp on Alki. I wanted to get a little exercise and savor the 2-mile walk to the site where the festivities were to take place. And what a day for a leisurely stroll! Seattle on a sunny day is one incredibly beautiful city. Puget Sound, Seattle’s ubiquitous ferries, container ships, two huge cruise ships, the space needle and skyscrapers presented a constantly changing visual feast from my vantage point along Alki Avenue. It was a ‘picture postcard’ kinda day, and I savored every minute of it!
Patrick Donahue, Senior Project Manager, Paul and Libby Carr, Statue of Liberty Plaza Project Co-chairs, and Adam Sheridan, former Executive Director of North West Programs for the Arts, were just a few of the people I met, before and after the dedication ceremony. Adam, through NWPA helped raise $100,000 and was instrumental in bringing architects Matt Hutchins and Chris Ezzell together to design the new Statue of Liberty site.
I was touched when Adam told me the following story. One day in 2006, right after the official paper work was completed so that fundraising for the new statue could begin, he was at the Pike Place Market buying fruit for dessert that evening. He started talking with one of the vendors, and the conversation eventually turned to the Statue of Liberty project.
Adam explained how the old statue was falling apart and that he was part of a group whose goal was to replace it with a new cast bronze statue. The vendor asked if donations were being accepted and Adam explained that they were, but none had been collected yet. The man wanted to know if his donation would actually go to the building of the statue and Adam promised him it would. The vendor, a man about 30 years old, told Adam he was an immigrant, explained how much his new country meant to him, then proudly handed Adam four one dollar bills. He said he wanted to walk by the statue with his grandchildren and tell them he played a part in creating the new statue.
New Statue viewed from the dedication area shortly after the unveiling
Seattle fireboat Leschi honors statue with full water spray
Spectators listening to dedication ceremony speakers
Base of new pedestal
Back side view of vendors' booths lined up on seawall along Puget Sound
Paul Quinn, 'Evil Genius' at Jet City Cakes, serving slices of his amazing (and delicious) cake baked to commemorate dedication of Statue of Liberty
Artist Noelle Ferwerda signed 300 prints and generously gave one to each family attending the dedication ceremony
View of the Statue of Liberty and the Plaza area as I left the scene about 4:30 pm
Before I left to drive home, I watched children happily creating art at a big table outdoors, strolled the vendors’ booths, watched the ribbon cutting ceremony and ate the piece of liberty cake mentioned above. I missed the Ken Burns ‘Statue of Liberty’ documentary, the lighting of 200 luminaria at 6:30 pm and the sunset concert at 7:30 pm. For more information and photos of the Statue of Liberty dedication click on the sites below - the West Seattle Blog has lots of photos showing construction of the plaza site from start to finish.
On my walk back to my car, I chanced upon this wedding celebration. I liked the scene, with the West Seattle Bridge and Seattle's huge orange waterfront cranes in the background. I snapped several shots.
A group of nude bicyclists happened by and stopped to congratulate the Bride and Groom, who happily posed for photographs. These will undoubtedly add a bit of interest to the wedding album. I shot several photos, too, and figured the whole scenario played beautifully into the (Statue of) Liberty celebration.
From July 12 - September 7, The Tacoma Art Museum is hosting an incredible exhibit that harkens back to the time when all books were laboriously written by hand. Illuminating the Word showcases the first three books of the St. John’s Bible, one of only two handwritten bibles created in the past 500 years. It is one amazing work of art! And it’s BIG! Each page measures 24 ½” high x 15 7/8” wide, and the two-page spreads on exhibit make for a spectacular display. It is truly mindboggling that scribes from around the world used quill pens, inks, paint brushes, gold leaf and other simple tools (also on display) to write and illuminate this seven volume, 1,100 page bible. Illuminating The Word is one awe-inspiring exhibit!
This exhibition is devoted to a single work of art, an illuminated, handwritten Bible commissioned by Saint John’s University and Abbey in Minnesota. This contemporary Bible is at once old and new: a masterpiece of the ancient crafts of calligraphy and illumination that could only be made by artists of today. The Saint John’s Bible is being created by professional scribes in a scriptorium in Wales, under the direction of Donald Jackson, one of the world’s foremost calligraphers. Begun at the start of the new millennium, this unique undertaking combines a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship with the latest capabilities of computer technology and electronic communication. It is a collaborative effort, involving many persons in both Wales and the United States. In the Middle Ages, monumental Bibles weremade for daily use in monastic communities, yet they were carefully preserved for future generations. The Saint John’s Bible is the modern representative of that great tradition. The pages of the Bibles shown in this exhibition represent a work in progress. The completion date for the St. John’s Bible is 2008.
…quoted from The Library of Congress Online Exhibition
Photo #1. Donald Jackson, St. John's Bible Artistic Director, is a world renowned calligrapher and illuminator
Photo #2. Illustration by Donald Jackson with contributions from Chris Tomlinson
Visit these links to find out more about the St. Johns Bible and the exhibit:
Library of Congress, Checklist of Objects
BRIEF INTRO TO ARTIST ALEXANDER CALDER
Alexander Calder (1898–1976), created over 16,000 works of art in a career spanning fifty years. His works include pen-and-ink drawings, charcoal sketches, etchings, lithographs, oil and gouache paintings, carvings in wood, bronze sculptures, kitchen utensils, jewelry, designs for rugs, tapestries and wallpaper, wire and sheet metal sculptures, articulated toys, hand-cranked and motor-driven sculptures and theater sets.
Trained as an engineer, and drawing upon his need for serious play and his lifelong interest in the cosmos and science, Calder created radically new abstract sculptures we know as mobiles and stabiles in the 1930’s. These monumental commissioned pieces can be found in museums, airports, public parks, outdoor plazas, banks and government buildings throughout the world.
CALDER JEWELRY
Alexander Calder produced approximately 1,800 pieces of jewelry. For Calder, making jewelry was making art, and he displayed and sold his jewelry through trunk shows and gallery exhibits along with his other art works. Calder’s wife, Louisa, received hundreds of his jewelry pieces throughout their marriage, including the necklace shown above. Other recipients included Georgia O’Keefe, Peggy Guggenheim and the wives of his friends and fellow artists such as Duchamp, Miro and Chagall.
CALDER JEWELRY is the first museum show devoted entirely to the hand-made jewelry of Alexander Calder. The exhibit, organized by The Calder Foundation and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, consists of approximately 100 objects, and includes earrings, pins, necklaces, bracelets and tiaras. Currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (top photo from PMA website), July 12-Oct 19, the show will be at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 8-March 1, 2009, and then travel to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, March 31 - June 22, 2009. Accompanying the show is a beautifully illustrated companion book published by the Calder Foundation.
Go here to find out about a big, beautifullly produced book titled CALDER JEWELRY (released in conjunction with the show), edited by Alexander S. C. Rower and Holton Rower, with contributions by Mark Rosenthal and Jane Adlin and photographs by Maria Robledo. It’s fabulous! Click NPR (bottom photo from NPR website) to read an informative article about the artist Alexander Calder and the Calder Jewelry exhibit written by Susan Stamberg.
NOTE: Alexander Calder is one of the giants of 20th century sculpture, and my favorite artist of all time. In 2006 I created an edition of 100 miniature artist books titled Playing With Calder and each piece includes a tiny, crank-operated kinetic sculpture made of wire.
(my thanks to friend and fellow artist Meredith Arnold for the heads-up on the Calder Jewelry exhibit)
