rosemary luckett's altered terrain exhibit

I happen to have a very talented mother, Rosemary Luckett. We just got back from the opening of "Altered Terrain", her first solo show at Touchstone Gallery since it moved to a better, brighter, spiffier location on New York Ave in Washington, DC. It will run until October 30th.

Touchstone Gallery

Rosemary is an innovative contemporary fine artist working in the conservative Washington DC area. No easy feat. Her current work is about the radical changes man has made to the land and makes connections between the altered terrain and the often absent people who transform it.

"Slipping Away" and "Eden" by Rosemary Luckett

She has worked in many media over the years, but the work in the show is primarily collage, drawings, and assemblage sculpture.

"Robot's Cradle" by Rosemary Luckett

My daughter actually named this one when Rosemary was stuck for a title: "Robot's Cradle".

Emma pondering "Lost" by Rosemary Luckett

Kids really respond to the work.

Initially children see the ducky imagery and think its funny, but when the contrast of the man-made and the natural is explained to them, they actually get the point. My daughter is only 9 and was captivated by the show and seemed to understand the metaphors.

"Halo" by Rosemary Luckett

Even my little guy who is not quite 5 yet wanted to get in on the action. He didn't seem to be into the exhibit at the time, but the next day he begged to be taken into grandma's studio to make some art.

"Wood" by my little boy

This is what he made.

It is a challenge finding your niche whatever it is you make. I read somewhere that when you make something unique, you don't want to try to reach thousands, but reach those very few out of a thousand that resonate with your work. Being in the generation I am in, my first instinct is to go online, have a website, use social media, etc. My brothers and I have helped set Mom up with a website, Etsy shop, and Facebook page. Mom, however, prefers showing in galleries, having open studio once in a while, and sending mailings to people who sign her guest book. It is true that it is very hard to sell fine art online. Nothing beats seeing the work in person. But if you can't be there in person...

I would love to know what works for other fine artists. Feel free to comment!

diana: a celebration

I have to sheepishly admit, I have a soft spot for popular culture. I love it when I am at the gym to half-heartedly ride the exercise bike, and the magazine rack has a People magazine. There are certain famous people that are just fun to to look at. I don't care much for the speculation into their personal lives, I just like to revel in their fashionableness as I toil away in my baggy sweats.

There are those certain few that mesmerize us and make it to icon status. I think of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and, more recognizable worldwide than even Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana Of Wales.

I was tickled to receive the book A Dress for Diana for Christmas from my friend Anne, who knows of my secret interest in her. It's all about the making of the most famous wedding dress of all time, Diana's gown for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981. It's not a gossip book. It is less about Diana than it is about the designers, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who were rather young themselves, and the whirlwind surrounding the making of the bridal gown, as well as the outfits of the attendants, in just 6 months. Being a designer myself, I like the behind-the-scenes perspective of the book. The book captures how the designers savored every moment of their interactions with Diana and how they felt the full weight of the responsibility attached the honor of being the royal dressmakers. Can you imagine being only 29 and asked to design the gown of the century?

I love the sketches they included of all the not-chosen versions of the dress, some of which I think were actually better than the final dress. But the more fashionable or low-cut versions would not have been a reflection of the shy 19-year-old Diana that met with the designers in a "little cardigan and pie-crust frilled blouse". They were all completely pouffy, though. She rightly picked a version with an unembellished skirt  But those sleeves! It was the 80's, I guess. Elizabeth Emanuel still gets her pouf on today as you can see on her site (go to the wedding dress section).

Flower girl dress sketches.

I've been poring over all the  pictures of the trial muslins, which they call toiles in England (I like that name better, actually), and the nitty-gritty scenes of the workroom in action.

And not only did I get this great book, but I was invited to attend the exhibit, Diana: A Celebration today in Philadelphia at the Constitution Center with my mother-daughter gal-pals Anne and Misha. The choice of venue is a little puzzling: what does a an exhibit about a British Royal have to do with American history or the Constitution? A few people are peeved about that- they think only people like Betsy Ross or Martha Washington should be featured there. Whatever. That didn't stop us from going and enjoying the spectacle.

Boy, was it crowded! We had tickets for a certain time, arrived early, and still had to wait over an hour in line to get in. Shame on you, Constitution Center! Once in, the first alcove was intentionally dark with a spotlight shining on a diamond encrusted tiara. Magnificent! Several rooms of Spencer family memorabilia followed. The case full of Diana's early childhood things, including her favorite stuffed toy, photo albums, pastel portraits, and school things was attracting a lot of interest. But we were really there for THE DRESS.

A whole room was devoted to it.

And it needed it because of the 25 foot train, which wasn't even fully extended. Can you imagine the weight of walking with that much fabric dragging behind, and an equally long veil attached to your head?

It was amazing to see all the details up close, the hand-sewn beading, the intricate antique lace, and the fine silk taffeta . It really looked different to me, though, than in the photos, or the footage, or my memory of watching the wedding on TV as a wide-eyed teen. On her wedding day, Diana looked swallowed up by the pouffiness of it all, the perfect metaphor for what would befall her. The actual dress wasn't all that full on the mannequin, like maybe the crinoline was missing underneath. Still, really neat to have seen it up close.

Equally interesting was the next room, filled with many other recognizable outfits of Diana's. These were on loan from private collections acquired at the  1997 Christies' charity auction just a few months before her death. Collectors and even some regular people paid in the tens of thousands for the dresses and suits, some going for well over $100,000. Now some of the ensembles tour on a rotating basis earning even more proceeds for Diana's pet charities. No one expected her to be gone not even two months later.

What I love about watching Diana over the years is seeing her evolution. In the beginning of her public life, Diana's look was overly coordinated, dowdy, and always with the requisite hat. In the last few years of her life, she had developed a sleek, glamorous, confident style for herself. Barely a hat in sight.

Definitely a fashion don't, even for the 80's. Yikes! Apparently she wore this polka dotted thing on many occasions over a 5-year period. I was surprised how many of her outfits she wore multiple times. She was actually criticized for repeating outfits, but how sensible, I think. She would save the new and exciting outfits for attracting attention to a special charity or to take attention away from something else, like her husband's televised admission of adultery (see the "revenge dress" by Christina Stombolian here).

Most of her official daytime suits and some of the evening wear (like the famous "Elvis" dress) were designed by Catherine Walker. This suit was not in the exhibit, but you get the idea. I can't say I care for Diana's royal matched suit & hat look of the 80's specially designed to make her "stand out in a crowd". She stands out, all right. But then, I'm an American and we just don't get hats. You should see Walker's suits now. Diana would be stunning in them.

Most people agree that Diana looked her best after her separation from Prince Charles. She started wearing non-British designers like Versace and Valentino, but her go-to designer at that time seems to be London-based Jaques Azagury, a designer I'd not been aware of. His flattering evening dresses were our favorites in the show.

Misha's favorite. Worn to a Red Cross gala in Washington DC.

Anne's favorite. Worn to a British Ballet performance of Swan Lake during the time when Prince Charles was being seen publicly with Camilla Parker Bowles.

My favorite. The dress she wore to her last public appearance before her death, a charity event on her birthday (what a drag!).

The rest of the exhibit showed some of her hand-written thank-you notes (she must have spent half her days writing thank-yous), a huge case-full of condolence books, some open and written by children (sniff), and in the last room a blown-up copy of her brother's eulogy with Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" song playing in the background. Ok, time to go!

Thanks, Anne & Misha for a fun day!

risd alumni weekend

After 20 years and much cajoling from my apparel friend Liz, I went ahead and attended alumni weekend at RISD (pronounced "riz-dee" and also known as the Rhode Island School of Design) in Providence, RI.  My good sport of a husband came along to see what the mystique of RISD is all about. How does an art school located in the unassuming little state of Rhode Island keep up with the heavy-hitting schools located in New York, LA, and Chicago?  RISD is actually ranked #1 for fine arts schools by US News & World Report and continues to consistently produce great artists and designers such as glass artist Dale Chihuly, apparel designer Nicole Miller, and children's book author/illustrator David Macauley, to name only a few. To me, one of the best things about the school is that it is NOT located in a major city, but exists in it's own bubble, protected from too much outside influence. Just walking into the apparel studio and sitting at my old table brought back that protected cocoon feeling despite the notable addition of computers and better equipment.

Up the hill, on Benefit Street, the alumni and student sale was buzzing with energy and variety. After the Crafty Bastards show last weekend, I was in the mood for more.

I gravitated toward the apparel offerings this time and sniffed out this cheerful childrenswear by a contemporary of mine, Catherine Andreozzi. It turns out she is now a faculty member of the apparel department.

There have been a few other changes around campus since I attended.  In addition to nice improvements to the refectory and student housing, the museum recently underwent a drastic renovation and expansion with the addition of the sleek Leed-certified Chace Center designed by Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo. The building took over the one parking lot on campus. The center is quite spiffy and useful, but I couldn't help but wonder... where do students park now?

Chace Center - Courtesy of the RISD Museum / Photo by Erik Gould

The reunion dinner was held in the museum galleries where the exhibit Subject to Change: Art and Design in the Twentieth Century was on display.  We apparel folk enjoyed the juxtaposition of clothing, furniture, and art in the exhibit.  As students we had access to a vast collection of apparel from every era.

Another big change for the school was the inauguration a year ago of new president John Maeda. When we glimpsed him casually browsing the student and alumni art sale, I did a double-take. He looked just like a student, such is his young appearance and attitude. He actually is quite young for a college president at age 43 (same as our graduating class). A graduate and former faculty member of MIT, he has been a high-profile practicing graphic designer, computer scientist, and educator. He is famous for his philosophy of "humanizing technology" and his book The Laws of Simplicity which I might just have to get.

Maeda has even been dubbed "one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century" by Esquire magazine. We're only nine years into the 21st century, but still that's nothing to sneeze at! I was eager to hear him speak after seeing a few of his lectures online and he did finally make it to our dinner for a short but entertaining speech in his signature casual, rambling style. Alas, no meet-and-greet!

Stacey Guggenheim of Hartstrings, Christine Best of Barnes & Noble.com, Lorraine Howes, me, Maria Bassett of Jhane Barnes

We did manage to nab our beloved mentor and former apparel department head, Lorraine Howes, for a photo op on her way between parties. She still teaches History of Dress in the apparel department and critiques student work. Like the true style icon that she is, she looks poised and up-to-date, even after all this time.


It was a quick whirlwind of a visit, but it was enough time to soak up some of that RISD energy and feel reconnected to the place. I think even my husband might "get it" now. A nugget of an idea that my 8-year old daughter might like to attend here has lodged itself in my brain. Guess we'd better pick up the pace with the 529 plan!