PBS Off Book: Expanding the Definition of Art

Check out the latest video installment from PBS Off Book on Etsy Art and Culture.

Reiter8 was lucky enough to be featured along side the fabulous Alyssa Zygmunt, from BROOKLYNrehab and the enlighted (couldn't help it) Allison Patrick, from zipper8lighting.

Vanessa Bertozzi, Director of Community & Education at Etsy speaks about Etsy's outlook and approach to art. She says at Etsy they don't consider there to be a hierarchy where fine artists are on a different level than those create accessible art or who craft. I do love that Etsy is not a curated site and that it's so accessible from both ends: those who create and those who are looking for creations.

I do think that there is validity and skill to expressing your creativity in any of the vast array of mediums available and that when you do that you are an artist. What do you think?

No Impact Week

First Monday. New Year. Big to-do list brewing. Studio clean up re org planned. And if that wasn't enough. It's also day 2 of No Impact Week. Oops! I missed day one. Well, it seems fairly forgiving.



More info and registration on the No Impact Project website. Good luck!
If you haven't seen No Impact Man - the year long documented experience of a New Yorker attempting to live without negatively impacting the environment - I highly recommend that you check out. You can play it instantly on Netflix.

Trash or Treasure?

What do you do when your vinyl banner wasn't printed quite right?

If you're Michelle from Cloud 9 Fabrics, you email me. I'm not one for letting something fun like that go to waste; soon it was sitting in my studio staring me down with potential.

Here's a first glimpse at some of the treasure:




Be sure to check out Michelle's collections of organic fabrics. Her current collection is entitled 'My Happy Garden'.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the 'By the Sea' collection which will start shipping in March 2010.

Glenn Robinson - NYer of the Week!

Congrats to Glenn Robinson, founder of Bags for the People (BFTP) for being named this week's NYer of the Week by NY1.

'Glenn Robinson used to sell vegetables at the stand in the Union Square and hand them over to customers in tens of thousands of plastic bags.

"We were giving out plastic bags left and right and it just seemed like a problem to me and I was part of the problem, I was actually handing them out," says Robinson.

So five months ago, Robinson started making cloth bags to give to people at the stand. The idea took off and he started the organization "Bags For The People," which holds sewing workshops for the public and in schools.'

With sewing machines fueled by solar panels, Glenn is sewing live at farmers markets. Find the full schedule here. Whether permitting he'll be at Union Square Farmers Market today, Saturday, August 22 sewing from 10:00 - 2:00. BFTP will be sewing and giving away bags in conjunction with the soon to be released No Impact Man Documentary.




BFTP is a non profit and therefore depends on the generosity of people who can donate materials, time and funds. More on how you can support here.

Watch the full NY1 NYer of the Week video at NY1 online

Thank You, Zooguu!

Many, many thanks to Jen Gubicza who ran our booth at the Renegade Craft Fair. It's not easy prepping, hauling, setting up, single-handedly offering fantastic customer service for 8 straight hours, breaking down and hauling everything back home. But that's what Jen did for two days in a row.

It's been a pleasure getting to know Jen this year as we are studio mates. I highly recommend a visit to her website as I have witnessed the talent, creativity and drive behind her plush business Zooguu. Pictured above are some examples - don't be fooled by the cuteness - she also has monsters. Well, OK, they are cute, too.

Don't see what you're looking for? Jen will custom create a likeness of your pet, real or imagined.

Special Delivery

Whaling captain James Colnett established the wooden post barrel on the Galapagos Island of Floreana in 1793. At the time whaling was a big industry, ships were typically gone for 2 years at a time. The Galapagos Islands were a frequent stop for these ships. Outbound ships would drop off letters after rounding the cape and the ships returning home would mail them.

Over the years thousands of ships have stopped to send and receive mail at Post Office Bay. Many have posted a sign of driftwood or other materials memorializing their visit. This is the only area in the Galapagos were graffiti is still acceptable. This tradition has continued over the years, and even today visitors may drop off and pick up letters, without stamps, to be carried to far destinations.

My parents recently visited the Galapagos Islands. During their trip, they stopped off at Post Office Bay and dropped in several postcards.

My parents postcard dated 4/2 took just 35 days to travel 3148.2 miles (Thanks distance calculator!) ... without a stamp! It was personally delivered to me last night by Clinton Hill resident John. He knocked on my door and handed me the postcard which I assumed it had been miss-delivered to him by the post office. When he explained the tradition and that he had carried this with him from his recent travels to the islands, I was floored. I felt like I won the lottery. A hello from my parents personally delivered from around the world by a neighbor - how cool is that?!

In this age of emails, tweets, voice mails and text messages, I can tell you NOTHING compares to a personally delivered 'hello' from a friend or family. A truly unique and special experience. Thanks Mom and Dad and John!

Bow Tie Sewing Night

Mark your calendars!

You are cordially invited to attend the first-ever BurdaStyle Charity Sewing Night!

Meet the BurdaStyle team and other members as we come together to complete our goal of 150 bow ties for the American Cancer Society. All skill levels are welcome, but space is limited.

When: April 29th, 2009, 5pm

Where: 325 Gold Street Suite 201 Brooklyn, NY 11201

RSVP today!

Not able to make it to Brooklyn? There is a free pattern and a step by step how to on their website which is PACKED with tutorials and patterns.

Earth Hour

Get ready to cast your vote tomorrow night.



I'm going to have to set multiple alarms otherwise I will tra-la-la go on with my Sat night. It would be a shame to remember this at 9:31 pm.

Update: I remembered! Candle light IS wonderful.

Happy International Women's Day!

(Noticed for the first time today on the corner of Livingston and Red Hook Lane, Brooklyn.)

Happy International Women's Day! Celebrated since the early 1900, March 8th marks a day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women.
Yahoo's got a list of 35 women you should know. It's very inspirational list. Among them, Jane Goodall whom I've always admired. I remember hearing a story on that spoke about her early interest and experience with animals.

Jane, as a child, had a very good relationship with her mother. Their good relationship continued, even as she fought her way to Africa, when no one else said she could do it. Jane remembers how understanding her mother was. Once, when Jane was 18 months old, Vanne found her with a bunch of earthworms in her bed. Vanne did not make a fuss about the mess; never mind there were slimy earthworms in her baby's bed. Jane's mother simply told her that she had to return the worms to the earth quickly, or they would die (Goodall 1996).

"My mother used to tell me, 'Jane, if you really want something, you work hard enough, you take advantage of opportunities, you never give up, you will find a way.'" (Davies 1997).

-More online here

The power of women in influence each other and .. the world!

On that note, but bringing it a little closer to home: Grace Bonney from design*sponge is continuing her Biz Ladies Series 2009 with posts every Tuesday. Biz Ladies aims to connect local women running their own art and design-based businesses Details here.

Strapped

The above picture shows a small portion of the belting materials from a long gone Brooklyn belt manufacturer that my studio mates and I were lucky enough to go into and reclaim what we thought we could reuse. It was packed floor to ceiling of wonderful crazy stuff: neon patent leather perforated woven strapping anyone? Ok, I exaggerate but not by much.



(Yep, that's clear plastic zodiac strapping)

Two van loads and a car full later, piles of vinyl, patent, ribbon, woven strapping supplies are piled in our common work area. I believe the remaining went to Materials for the Arts. (MFTA redistributes materials to artists, non profits, schools and students.)



Oh, the possibilities! Stay tuned for the prototypes...

Another Round, Please!

If you thought you missed out on the Nie Nie Benefit on Etsy, you have a second chance!

There will be one more sale today at 7PM PST.

See last weeks posts for more info.

Don't Blink!

If you stopped by the Nie Nie Benefit on Etsy that began yesterday, you saw it was on FIRE! Wow, I really have never seen items sell as fast as they were listed, until yesterday. And the views - there were so many shoppers! A real success.

Well, get ready: today is the final day and postings begin at 10:00 am PST. If you are interested in buying the Blue 8 Tote that I donated - get there at 10 sharp and don't blink!

More background and links on the benefit in yesterdays post.

ADDITION TO THE ORIGINAL POST:
1:02 EST: The Tote is listed here
1:05 EST: SOLD! Wow, thank you!!

Nie Nie Benefit Sale

Starting today at 10:00 am PST over on Etsy please visit the 2 day Nie Nie Benefit Sale. Keep an eye out for the Reiter8 Blue 8 Tote that I donated.

Stephanie Nielson and her husband, Christian were critically injured in a private plane crash in eastern Arizona in mid August. If you haven't already heard the story take some time to read this NYT article. Stephanie is a mom of 4, a blogger...you know - like you or me...or someone you know or have known.

Thank you Morgan Moore for your Herculean effort to organize and pull off this event.

Keep up to date on the Nielsons recovery here.
picture credit: Blue Lily Photography

Neighborly Fleas

A beautiful day at the Flea yesterday. Had great neighbors. Patty, the veteran dealer (17 years!) was a treat not only because she had a great collection but she is a wonderful character who has been there done that. Slightly jaded by shelping her bins (leaves her house at 5:30 am), she loves what she does and the people she meets by doing it. I observed a steady stream of friends pop in - those dealers are quite a close knit supportive group.

On my other side was a blast of color exploding from Martine's Dream's booth. Sadly no website or pictures to be found at this time, but she is a regular at the flea selling children's and women's clothing and accessories that pack a big punch of vibrant hues. Fun. Did I mention the color?

Across the way was Coral and Tusk. Really lovely embroidered goods: onsies, Ts, pillows etc. Mostly nautically inspired hand drawings that are redrawn in stitches for the embroidery machine to do it's magic. There's a nostalgic sweetness to Stephanie's aesthetic and attention to detail that doesn't quit. (see the laser cut business card pictured below.)

A little blip on their website explains the company name choice and philosophy:

Use of the words coral and tusk originates from the powers entrusted to these precious objects across cultures and over time as symbols of good health and fortune. More importantly we chose these words to evoke awareness and action toward the protection of the animals and the environments from which they come.

Nice.

Park(ing) Day 2008

It's Park(ing) Day today!

National Park(ing) Day is an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and promote the need for more parks by creating temporary public parks in public parking spaces.

More than 70% of most cities’ outdoor space is dedicated to the private vehicle while only a fraction of that land is allocated to open space for people.

Started in 2005 by the art collective REBAR in San Francisco, they have made available a light hearted How To Manual which states that

The manual covers it all - from reminders to bring change to feed the meter to advice for dealing with the authorities and curious by standers.

The Trust for Public Land has lots of info, too.

Locally, The Project for Public Spaces, an organization with global reach is dedicated to sustainable public spaces and the importance of these spaces in building communities, is participating in Park(ing) Day. Their Park(ing) spot will be on Great Jones and Broadway outside their offices. More info and map here.

For other NYC spots and info check here.

Coasting

If you get daily tips from Ideal Bite you saw this already. But it's so worthwhile that I thought I would post:

September 20th is International Coastal Clean Up Day. According to the The American Littoral Society (who knew!?): In 2007, 9,339 volunteers, coordinated by the American Littoral Society, cleaned and documented 142,243 pounds of debris along 677 miles of New York State's shoreline.

Find out more about NY state wide organized cleanups here.

(pictured is the beautiful Maine Coast)

Windjammer Weekend

Former Harbor Master and Scooner 'bum', Annie Higbee has organized the Windjammer Weekend in Camden Maine for 14 years. The event is being held this weekend Aug 29-31st and promises activities and entertainment for all ages . Check out their website for a full list of events which include talent shows, lobster crate races, a harbor dog show, lots of demos and a build a boat contest. And of course a gorgeous fleet of windjammers will fill the harbor including the Stephen Taber (pictured above) - the oldest registered sailing vessel in the US which still operates cruises.

We were fortunate enough to stumble upon the event last year - the talent show is a hoot! It's a really great hometown, relaxed atmosphere and if you are in the area or can be, I highly recommend it.

Here's a short video covering last years event:

To Flea or not to Flea?

No question at all: To Flea!

The Brooklyn Flea seems to be under some scrutiny by a few of it's neighbors. Eric Demby, Flea Founder has been nothing but courteous and accommodating from what I see and hear as a vendor. Always reminding us vendors in his communications to clean up and that church toilets are not for the public's use. Eric seems to always be aware of making good by the neighbors.

There is a community meeting tomorrow night Thursday 7/24 at 7 p.m. at the Queen of All Saints' Roman Catholic Church at Lafayette and Vanderbilt. I will not be able to attend because I have already committed to attend Summer in the City Salon Series: Connect / (Dis)Connect at the Craft Council.

Brooklyn Flea 5/18

I'll be at the Brooklyn Flea again today with a armful of newly sewn one of a kind bags. Looks like it might rain the the late afternoon so come early!

New to the flea this week is a satellite smaller operation of the Red Hook Latin Food vendors. Look for grilled corn and fruits this week and more substantial faire next week.

Brooklyn Flea

See you at the Brooklyn Flea!
Map, directions and lots of info here.
I am at booth V3 - at the corner of Vanderbilt and Lafayette!