Design: More Indulgence

 By Erica

Full confession. I actually take two design-related courses. The first one I already wrote about, Daniella Ohad's Collecting Design class at the NYSID. The second is Design and Decorative Arts in NYC, also with Daniella. This one has no school affiliation and no classroom. We just visit with incredibly talented people she knows at places we never knew about, many of which are private studios, all around New York City. 

Much of what we see we could never see on our own. I always learn something I didn't know before and fall in love with something I didn't even know existed. Every semester is different of course, and undoubtedly this fall will bring some surprises. To give you some idea of what it's all about, here is a sample of where we went and what we saw this past spring.

We met David Stark at his studio in Brooklyn. David plans events for organizations like Robin Hood, Martha Stewart and the Met.  A behind the scenes look at how the magic happens. Misha Kahn's show at the Friedman Benda gallery, Return of Saturn: Coming of Age in the 21st Century (apparently Saturn returns every 27 years to the same place in the sky it was when you were born) went over my terrestrial head--but interesting nonetheless about how the gallery chose to show his work. 

As we were led by a young curator through her exhibit at the FIT Museum about the history of denim, we learned that on almost any given day, nearly half the world's population is in jeans and that there used to be laws prohibiting the wearing of them. (She was also wearing a fabulous blazer by a young Australian designer, Kym Ellery.) On a guided tour of the Artistic Furniture of the Gilded Age exhibit at The Met, the highlight was the dressing room commissioned by Arabella Worsham, who went from being a courtesan to one of the richest women in the world. At the famous Carpenters Workshop, now on Fifth Avenue, we were taken in by furniture wrapped in bronze by the Dutch designer Maarten Baas. 

Sometimes we take bus trips to local studios like David Ebner's on Long Island to see his famous scallion coat rack (pictured above) and other magnificent woodworking. Other semesters we stay local. 

Those who would like to join me on this adventure can contact Daniella directly. 

If you can't already tell, I love this class. Can't wait to see what this semester brings.