by Sara Farizan PROVIDENCE-There's something missing from your living space. Perhaps your tired of the sectional sofa in your living room, you've always hated that chair that your significant other inherited from their great-grandmother or the feng shui just isn't doing it for you. Finally, when you motivate yourself to take action, you are lost in a cookie-cutter landscape of furniture that has been produced and manufactured for the masses. You think to yourself, "I kind of like it, but I know I've seen this dinner table somewhere before," or "Man, the meatballs in the food court are overrated." It can be difficult to find a piece that is unique, daring, and completely you. There is, however, an alternative. Mark your calendars for the Fine Furnishings Shows, annual showcases exhibiting furniture and accessories by artisans with one of a kind visions and extraordinary attention to … [Read more...] about Karla Little’s Not-So-Little Fine Furnishings Show

by Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein BOSTON - (Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein were the featured artists in artscope magazine’s September/October 2011 issue; two coinciding solo shows: “Donna Dodson: Flock Together” and “Andy Moerlein: Avian Language” are currently on view at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, 486 Harrison Street, Boston through February 5. In this article, they share and document the process in which they promoted and marketed the exhibition with an eye towards laying down the groundwork for future partnerships, exhibitions and sales.) Artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein are building a market for their work despite the slow economy. They are proving that they can succeed in the creative market by applying the tried and true methods of commercial enterprise: build name recognition, seek clients outside the familiar gallery setting, keep the attention of their established … [Read more...] about Artists use the tools of business to meet the market challenges of the economic slump

By James Foritano BOSTON-The press day for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s was a whirl of personalities, expectation, art, architecture and commercialism. For me, the star personality was the Pritzker Prize winning architect Renzo Piano. He charmed everyone with his eloquence and humility as he stood in the middle of the new, sleek music hall and thanked all the people who contributed to its final design from the acoustics expert to the director of musical programming, to the board. The music hall is a cube with the same dimensions of height, width and length, which, along with the single row seating, gives it a very democratic feel: no matter where you sit, you won’t be looking over anyone’s shoulder to see the musicians or squinting over distances. It was all very intimate, although spare of ornament. Additionally, and not incidentally, this new hall frees Isabella Gardner’s … [Read more...] about Inside the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s New Wing