As I drove into Putnam, Connecticut in my 1972 Volkswagen Bus, brisk air drifted through my window and crimson gold leaves crunched under the tires. A scenic drive through winding farm roads led me here and Cargill Falls with its cascading river water welcomed me into town. About an hour drive from Boston, shop windows along Main Street were decorated with stacked pumpkins and copper objects and gears in celebration of Putnam’s October 4 Steampunk Festival. Galleries, antique shops and street art give this town an artsy, yet vintage flair, and autumn is the perfect time to explore it. To begin the journey with a coffee, espresso, latte or hot cider from Woodstock Orchards, head to Victoria Station Café located at 91 Main Street. Its draped curtains and spiral staircase give a classic feel to this family-owned establishment and the full skeleton at the bar adds Halloween eeriness. In … [Read more...] about A Wanderlust Journey Through Eccentric Putnam, Connecticut
steampunk
CORNERED: STEAMPUNK REIMAGINEER BRUCE ROSENBAUM
By Titilayo Ngewnya Brockton, MA - On September 10, “New Sole of the Old Machine: Steampunk Brockton, Reimagining the City of Shoes” opens at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass. Curated by Steampunk ReImagineer Bruce Rosenbaum, founder of ModVic, LLC, the exhibition features work by John Belli, Jim Bremer & Ruth Buffington, David Lang, Susan Montgomery, Janel Norris, Sam Ostroff, Bruce Rosenbaum and Michael Ulman. The show’s opening reception is this Sunday, September 11 from 2-5 p.m. Last month, Titilayo Ngwenya, the museum’s director of communications, interviewed Rosenbaum prior to the show’s opening. TITILAYO NGWENYA: HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE STEAMPUNK? BRUCE ROSENBAUM: For those who are new to Steampunk let me offer this simple math formula: History + Art + Technology = Steampunk. Steampunk started off as a subgenre of science fiction. It’s really a big “What if?” … [Read more...] about CORNERED: STEAMPUNK REIMAGINEER BRUCE ROSENBAUM
Bruce Rosenbaum – The Expansion of Steampunk
By Shem Tane Sharon, Mass. - I recently traveled to Sharon, Mass. to visit Steampunk House, the home of ModVic, a Steampunk art and design company owned by Bruce and Melanie Rosenbaum. At first I thought I had the wrong house and had stumbled onto a historic landmark. I was welcomed in and felt like I had traveled not only back in time but also to a different dimension. Bruce gave me the grand tour and I was fascinated by the re-purposed furniture that took on new life in the house — each room had a story attached with it and each piece of antique furniture had a role to play — before we sat down to discuss Steampunk and its role in today’s art world. Bruce Rosenbaum explained how he came across Steampunk and the effect it had on his life: “It began with the kitchen when the stove had to be replaced. I found an old 1890s wood fire cooking stove and … [Read more...] about Bruce Rosenbaum – The Expansion of Steampunk