For some serendipitous reason that I cannot hope to understand, I opened a mass e mail that I got from a local artist who’s mailing list I am on. It was about a craft fair called Maker’s Market, but this one was located in the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens (where I have always wanted to go) and was curated by Alan Wanzenberb Architect/Design, The Noguchi Museum and R 20th Century as well as, evidently, the Sculpture Park itself. And since we were around, I packed up the little family and headed over the Pulaski Bridge into Long Island City to check it out.
Our efforts were rewarded, not only by a lovely breeze on a hot-ass summer afternoon, but by some really great design and some beautiful objects hand in hand with the opportunity to speak with the people who make them. And while we are desperately trying to get rid of some of our excess stuff and clear some space in our home, we couldn’t manage to leave empty handed. Here are the two things I bought:
Hallelujah! A plastic placemat suitable both for a toddler’s eating habits and a design conscious parent’s eyes. In a campaign against brightly and randomly colored kids paraphernalia, this mat gets high marks. Hilariously, it is actually designed (by Jen Curry) for cats. Go figure.
And for us adults, a beautiful cutting board made of cork, which is evidently naturally anti-microbial. The designer, Daniel Michalik, makes all sorts of larger pieces (bowls, chairs, tables) but this little board makes a great addition to any kitchen and is one of those genius gifts (at $30) for someone who appreciates good looking stuff and has almost everything already.
click below for more:
There were all sorts of other amazing things under the three tents that made up this festival. I collected a bundle of cards and will be doing lots of after-hours website visiting in the next few weeks. Plus there were workshops for kids and design related panel discussions over the course of the weekend. This was the second year for the market, and hopefully is just the beginning of a long history!
If you go to the website, you can read more about the event itself, as well as check out links to the vast majority of artists who were selling their wares. Which is basically like going to the fair without having to find a parking space.
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