Yesterday we visited the Autry National Center to see the exhibition, California Designing Women, curated by Bill Stern who turned his collection of Vernonware into the Museum of California Design. He emailed me his story behind the purchase--- from Vernonware Collection to Museum.
GENERAL DETAILS: I want to write more on all listed topics, but maybe another day...
About the Exhibit: go see it, so worth it! Don't wait, California Designing Women ends Jan. 6, 2013!
About the Autry: go with some kids! Ride movie style on a saddle, lights, camera, action and costume, pan for gold, docents galore with touchables and stories
Telling my hoarder rehab story: more below, but I almost cried telling complete strangers
Stories I overheard: One lady was shocked to find out her neighbor was Gere Kavanaugh. Oh no, I've already forgot the others!
Tender Green Restuarant Review: Tasty organic! Love love their fried chicken salad and marinated steak plate!
HoarderRehab backslide purchase Eyeing the Atomic and Inside Out bowls at Anthropologie for half a year! I finally went to go see them and they were on sale for one day only! I got five bowls, one bowl for free and still saved $2! Pics and story to come!
DETAILS:
About the Exhibit: Anyone interested in California Designing Women, featuring many artists from the Los Angeles area from the 1930's on would love this visually striking informative exhibit or anyone interested in the history of California pottery, furniture, textiles, jewelry, clothing, first computer graphic arts and more. 46 featured designers!
1. I love and used to collect square dishware (For the Love of Square)! So I was excited to find and see Margaret Mears Gabriel, who worked in Pasadena: she is considered the first designer of square dinnerware of the US or was it California? perhaps inspired by Japanese sushi serving ware.
2. Esta James: see her secret signature on her designed Franciscan pottery. The Co. banned artist signatures, so she hid it in her dandelion floral design. Another square dinnerware design!
Photo from LA Times from LA Home section July 18, 2012
pic from SnoGirl on etsy, get them for some luxury glamor this Valentines!
4. Gere Kavanaugh: Textile and furniture designer still active in Los Angeles. I had just mended my jeans to wear to the exhibit and it felt so good. Her words from the video hit home when she said something like, "making things with your hands teaches your inside person something that's not explainable but transpires really being connected with yourself." And also something to the effect that "folk artist were like bistro cooks because they could make nothing into something."
Even though I can't remember her words as she said them to quote them correctly, they stayed with me and I want to finish mending my jeans more creatively! She is my favorite!
Photo from LA Weekly, use this link to see 5 of the 46 Designing Women and more pics from the exhibit.
Muriel Coleman, furniture designer used existing furniture and upcycled
and later used rebar and mesh. I had some of her furniture or some like
it! knock offs of a mesh vanity, desk and tall shelved plant stand that I left behind around 10 years ago.
Photo from Esoteric Survey. Check it out if you are not in Los Angeles and see the exhibit!
Dorthy Shindle
furniture designer, back in the day, I had a gossip or telephone table with a drawer and
shelf for a phone book in similar or knock off style too.
Shindel furniture upfront and Coleman's to the right towards the back, a pic of Coleman's hat hanger.
5. Judith Hendler: for many years she has created by recycling acrylic, mainly from aircraft windshields for her one of a kind jewely pieces and works at a thrift store! She lives in two of my many dream jobs! Bill Stern met her while she was working at the thrift store and added her work to the exhibit!
About the Autry: All of them were interesting and had video clips of each designer talking about their process and/or art! I could have spent much more time there, but I had to move on to see if it was still the cowboy museum I remembered as a kid!
Yes, it was! but they have since added Michael Jacksons and Thelma and Louise western memoralbilia. Mr. Oz ran out of phone battery here, otherwise I'd have more Native American photos.
More interesting to me was the Native American section, which focused on the importance of corn! So interesting and of course it was about food and it was gluten free! So I got some ideas on new foods to try, like hominy and lamb stew, nokwivi, , corn pudding or pikama, and piki bread that's more like see thru paper thin tortilla or rice wrap.
Ever wonder how Princess Leia got her famous donut hair style design? It's from the Maana Maiden ceremony and the hair style is more appropriately called Butterfly whorls or poli'ni.
Telling my hoarder story: mr. oz said that the people in front of him buying tickets (I was already in the gift shop!) were asking if Bill Stern was going to visit and the desk person said maybe later and for sure on Sunday. Later I heard them talking about him loudly, so I went over there to see if they knew what time he was coming.
One of the girls had done research for him at the LACMA exhibit and asked how I knew him. I told her he bought some Vernonware from my etsy shop and as a hoarder was collecting stories to put on my blog and he had sent me one. It was the second time I said it to a stranger there and it still brought tears to my eyes to let it out.
The first item that drew me in like a magnet before I got there was the abalone lamp and seeing it in person was awe-some! It stopped me in my tracks!
It is awesome people were talking to themselves with comments, including myself! I blurted out, how did she get the abalone shells to shine that pearlescent? The outside of the abalone shells looked like mother of pearl.
Anyways, another lady standing next to me who whispered comments, like wow and then wrote on a clipboard answered me and weirdly enough we were thinking the same thing! Something like those old toy rock tumblers, but done by hand!
Abalone shell lamps by Elizabeth Eaton Burton stopped me in my tracks and are very "wow" in person! I have since found out that the abalone shells might come that way. They are California Red Abalone? I saw them on etsy awhile back but can't find them again!
Long story short, she asked me what brought me there and when I told her the curator bought some Vernonware at my etsy shop for his collection which he turned into a museum and he emailed his story for my blog because I am a recovering hoarder. Yes, it was all mumbled and jumbled and brought tears to my eyes, which I'm sure she saw.
Before she could say anything I took off looking for mr. oz, like Linus looking for his misplaced security blanket! Later she came up to me and told me that it will change me life that people make books, documentrys and other things... I can't remember all she said. I wanted to burst into tears, but just said, "I'll just take a different life."
I have much more to include in this from the subjects above, but will need to continue at another time.
Hoarder Desperation: There was a WHOLE LOT A LOT of hoarder desperation going on! I found myself saying, "Makes Me WAnt to Throw Away NOthing, nothing from now on!" and by the end of the day it was like a new mantra.
It brought on memories of throwing away, a bunch of my furniture and items I had through out my life! A list rolled through my head at each new designer and through all the rest of the other exhibits, until even things not in it, like my art deco collection that included overstuffed furniture rolled on out. It was a never ending list long enough to wrap me up like a mummy!
I was on override overload the rest of the day! Not grounded at all, but pie in the sky whacked out!
Hoarder Inspiration: It was super inspirational and motivating to see the exhibit curated by Bill Stern, who turned his collection into a museum. Also, the Autry has expanded from what I remember as a cowboy museum to a more Updated Modern Twist Western California theme.
Spending the day at the Autry National Center is highly recommended for hoarders and non hoarders! See more information on visiting on my post Vernonware Plaid Plaid Mix: from collector to museum founder. I would repost it here, but I'm on a deadline from my one a day posting which actually makes me one more day behind, since this isn't part of my hoard of backdrafts!
Thank you for your visit!
There are really a lot of centers for addiction treatment in California. However, you should go for the trusted one.
ReplyDeleteHi Harold!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information. I have tried many different ways and forms to help my hoarding ways. I'll keep your suggestion and link in mind. Thanks again.
I don't really know what is the relationship of your exhibit with rehab centers but I have seen your objects and they are really cool. It should have been a great exhibit.
ReplyDelete