The AMAZING Armory Show 2013

If you missed The Armory Show this weekend, you missed a lot!

 

A few months back, some artist friends of mine told me about this infamous art show on a couple of Manhattan piers. They said it was an amazingly unique experience not to be missed, they were completely right. This weekend I decided to check out the show for the first time and am so completely happy I did.

I was initially curious about the name of the show, since an Armory is, by definition, a place where arms are kept. I decided to do some digging and find out whether or not Piers 92 and 94 were armories. I was surprised to find out the current version of The Armory Show has a history of changing locations and received it's name when it was moved to the 69th Regiment Armory building on New York's upper East side in 1999. Previously, an art exhibition called The Armory Show was held there in 1913. Fun fact, since the current version of the show took on the name, this year is technically The Armory Show's 100 year anniversary.

The trip from Hoboken was quick, super easy and scenic. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to take the NY Waterway ferry from 14^th Street in Hoboken to the 39^th Street pier in Manhattan. The $9 each way can be a little difficult to stomach, but on a beautiful *almost* spring day, it was totally worth the extra cash for the convenience and the view.

From the 39th Street pier, I took a leisurely stroll up the river, passing by the Intrepid Museum and snapping a couple of photos.  

I arrived at Pier 94, located at West 55^th Street and 12^th Avenue, around 12:30. Since the show opened at noon, the line for tickets was short. I quickly and easily purchased my tickets and even received some helpful hints from the girl at the ticket booth. Anticipation was high, but I still had no idea what I was in for.

Once I entered Pier 94, containing contemporary art, I was taken aback. The pier was an expansive space, many football fields long, containing hundreds of spaces sponsored by art galleries from around the world. Many of the small gallery spaces had different layouts and installations; each was distinctly different from all of the rest. I barely knew where to start!

I aimlessly began walking down the first aisle. Art featured among the galleries ranged from anything and everything one might be able to imagine. Pop art, classic art, inventive, creative, loud, quiet, scary, beautiful, empowering, functional, imaginative… any word you might imagine could describe a piece of art somewhere within The Armory Show. Galleries represented came from across the United States, Brazil, Japan, Turkey, The United Kingdom, China, Canada, Italy, France, and many more - I wish I could find a complete list!

I would have to say, one of the artists I enjoyed most at the show was David Kramer. His art featured an intertwined old school aesthetic with a pop art twist. I related to both the words in his art and his graphic style. The coolest thing about contemporary artists is the experience of actually following their careers as they develop instead of just appreciating their body of work after they are gone. The coolest thing about David is that he's a New Yorker so our paths even have a possibility of miraculously crossing sometime!

 David Kramer, The Armory Show, 2013

Another powerful piece I was enraptured by was a single large painting by Ryan Foster, Sunset (Smiling Landscape), 2012. It was a single piece, but to me it was the most striking. Foster seemed to be one of the singular contemporary artists utilizing old school oil techniques in a piece harkening back to that of masters before his time. Absolutely stunning.

Ryan Foster, Sunset (Smiling Landscape), 2012 - The Armory Show, 2013

After spending hours on the contemporary pier, I moved over to Pier 92, housing the modern exhibits, including artists from Andy Warhol to Pablo Picasso and many more known and unknown artists. Unfortunately, by the time I made my way over there, I was already starting to get a little tired. However The Armory Show was very deliberate by choosing to include many respite stops with functional artsy seating areas. I took a load off and soaked in my surroundings. One of the funniest things I saw was two small children also taking a break (who knows where their parents were, but they were no where to be found). These two kids sat amongst hundreds of priceless art pieces and, what were they doing? Their heads were buried in electronic games on smart phones. I guess I have to give them a pass since little kids can get tired in an adult art world, but it was still pretty ironic and kind of sad.

The show was truly amazing and I was so glad I was able to check it out. If  you might have missed this year's show, you can still browse the art from the show here or check out my images below.

Thanks for stopping by!
~The Hobokenista

 Contemporary Art (me in the middle) 

“Big Night” aboard the SS Yankee Ferry: Part 1

Tonight, as I sat staring at the leftovers I was attempting to stomach for dinner, I could not shake the memory of the immaculate flavor symphony I was able to experience on Saturday night courtesy of Chef JamieBusch aboard the SS Yankee Ferry in Hoboken.

Sometimes you can’t question how or why things happen, but when presented with an amazing opportunity, you just have to say yes and take the plunge. My entire life I have taken the taken risks, forged into the world seeking out unique opportunities, and, as a result, reaped great unforeseeable rewards. Saturday night was no different and I couldn’t be happier for saying, “yes” to the unexpected dinner invitation I received.

Being invited to attend "Big Night" Seasonal Feast & Tour of Yankee Ferry, a houseboat in Hoboken, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. However, I quickly looked up the owner of the boat and co-host of the event with Chef Busch, Victoria Mackenzie-Childs, for a hint of what the night may hold. By viewing items on her store website, I quickly became acquainted with her beautiful, light hearted, design aesthetic and knew I needed to find a sweet colorful outfit for the evening. (Note: If you would like to host an event or inquire about other programs about Yankee, you can contact the correct folks by emailing ahoy@ssyankee.com!)

After choosing the perfect ensemble, I began my journey to the 12^th Street Pier. When I arrived, it seemed like a scene from a movie. The quaint unassuming boat is docked far enough out on the pier that if you don’t make it a point to walk the pier, you might not notice the boat at all. The boat sits quietly basking in light emanating from the Manhattan skyline, a picture of two worlds silently coexisting in the darkness. The entrance to the boat’s gangplank is through a wooden arch and small gate, which you might expect to see at the entrance to a fancy garden and not a boat. This archway served as the threshold to the magical night that lay ahead. 

Photo Credit: "Big Night" Seasonal Feast Eventbrite

The gangplank opens up into the boat’s workshop area with a couple of rope chairs hanging from the ceiling and a window a view of Manhattan’s financial district. We were welcomed with warm mulled apple cider in handcrafted mugs. As guests for dinner arrived, we chatted with one another while marveling at our surroundings. Prior to hearing the history of this 106 year old ship, the master chef of the evening, Jamie Busch, came to greet us. His passion and enthusiasm were evident, further adding to the excitement surrounding our imminent meal.

 

Workshop

Next, the senior crew member addressed our group with the history of the SS Yankee Ferry. I wish I could speak in a more detailed way to the ship’s history, but I decided to soak in the experience instead of scribbling notes. However, it was fascinating and I’ve included some info from memory, with the reference help from Wikipedia (so sue me!) below.

Among her rich history, the SS Yankee Ferry was built in 1907 under the name Machigonne and shipped off to Portland, Maine, where she started carrying passengers back and forth between Portland and the Casco Bay. Next, she was used to transport folks on routes originating in Boston. Then, during World War I, she was acquired by the US Navy to be a patrol boat, and was armed with heavy artillery in case the crew spotted any German U-Boats in Boston Harbor. After the war, she returned to commercial service in the New York Harbor and served as a vessel to ferry arriving immigrants from their ships to Ellis Island and, eventually, to the mainland. A many updates, name changes, and jobs followed her service to arriving immigrants, including a second commission by the US Navy during WWII, until she became Yankee in 1947 and permanently docked in Hoboken in 2006, she doesn't run on her own power at the moment, but for now floats graciously on the Hudson River.

Our tour of the main living quarters was fascinating. Victoria Mackenzie-Childs has truly made this ship her own for herself and her family. Intermixed with the historical elements of the boat from bells to a speaking tube intra-ship communication system are modern paintings, lamp shades, bold designs, playful features, colorful rugs, and more. Off the family gallery, there’s even a small chicken coop providing inhabitants with fresh eggs daily. 

Next, the tour headed up towards the bow of the ship where there was a small love seat stationed with the most beautiful and expansive view of Manhattan straight ahead. Though it was a foggy night, the Empire State Building was still shining through as a beacon directly across the river from the SS Yankee's home.

After taking a quick glance into the old captain's quarters and wheel room, we headed back to the second level, which served as the home base for our meal.

This is where I leave you with a cliff hanger – the meal prepared by chef Jamie Busch was the best meal I have ever eaten! Check out the details of dinner by reading "Big Night" aboard the SS Yankee Ferry: Part 2!

Follow all the cool folks from Saturday night on Twitter!
Culinary Artist, Jamie Busch @letspoon
The Amazing Miss Emma @wordsprout
SS Yankee - @SSYankee
Crew member and new Hobokenite, Thom O'Donnell @Thom0Donnell
Photographer, Gwen Charles @swamigwen
And of course, yours truly! @TheHobokenista

Until next time!

Arty Afternoon & BrookeLynne

For Christmas this year a dear friend of mine gave me the gift of a puppet sculpting workshop in Brooklyn with Lone Wolf Tribe in Brooklyn - it was awesome. Any artist would find this session fascinating, especially those who enjoy the Muppets as much as I do. 

The workshop started at 2pm on a Saturday in Fort Green Brooklyn. The studio is in the basement of this really cool arts co-op building. There are acting classes and photography workshops that all seem to be going on simultaneously - it's also just a stones throw from theLayfayette stop on the C line. 

I buzzed in and was kindly greeted by Kevin Augustine, and Lone Wolf Tribe Artistic Director, and his assistant - whose name I can't remember - dang! Unfortunately, I'd missed the pre-workshop instruction of coming prepared with a sketch and/or photo of my puppet design. I ended up drafting right then and there and was a bit disappointed with my overall idea. The moral of the story is - plan early and be creative! I ended up making the face of a woman, who was she? Well, she ended up evolving into BrookeLynne the Jersey Girl - after her birth place and in honor of where I live now.

Kevin expertly guided our group of 9 through the complicated process of sculpting our own puppets, which is a lot more difficult than one might think. It involves knives of all sizes, permanent markers, scissors, pastels, and some creativity. Together, we went step by step with demos from Kevin and help along the way. He was very helpful and patient with our group of beginners - though some in our group were clearly VERY artistic. We even had a few younger participants, the youngest of which had his mom there to help him. See my photos below and get an idea for the process!

First, we started with a sturdy block of foam - most of which included 2-3 pieces glued together. We drew the silhouette on one side of the foam and cut our way around the outside edge - making sure to have the mouth of our puppets open.

Next, the silhouetted puppet was laid on it's side and we sketched the front of our puppet's face onto the contoured foam.

 After sketching the face we cut along the outside edge of our puppet faces.

 Next, after much shaving down with knives, we had a few lumpy heads.

Finally, we used sandpaper to try and smooth out some of the bumps and wrinkles, then we added color with pastels. My puppet, BrookeLynne, doesn't have hair or accessories in this photo... 

But in this photo I added an old Snookie Halloween wig. Ta-Da!!

I was definitely not the only person in class and I was on the "not so skilled" end of the spectrum. Check out the other creations made by the class!

And - for something REALLY cool - check out the Artistic Director's current project. All colored using permanent markers and pastels. Too cool!

 Quite an adventure and only an hour from Hoboken using public transportation. If you like creating art and would like to try a new outlet - check out a workshop! Totally worth the $60 price tag!