08 Aug, 2015
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Seattle Art Fair
08 Aug, 2015
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OPEN-EDITIONS popped up at the entrance to the inaugural 2015 Seattle Art Fair. We collaborated with local partner SAM Books, raising over $1,200 for the Seattle Art Museum through sales of books on art and artists in the Pacific Northwest. The reading table of 25 titles provided visitors to the fair a chance to take a short break from the visual stimuli in the galleries and check out books chosen by the SAM Store staff.
In addition to our OPEN-EDITIONS bags and blankets, we were joined by collaborating artists Sarah Ward, Derek Chen, Liz Russoff, Agelio Batle, and Tim Eads.
From left to right, Lauren Dicioccio's Thank You totes, OPEN-EDITIONS Salvaged Selvedge denim totes, Tim Eads' boisterous screen-printed Weekender Bags, and more OPEN-EDITIONS denim totes.
Derek Chen's wood veneer and resin vases were a crowd favorite, with visitors choosing their favorite from dozens of combinations of wood grain and resin colors.
Liz Rossof's Xi'an-American Warriors stood guard on our "Limited Edition / Made in China" shelf. While we are proud that OPEN-EDITIONS fabricates locally and creates unlimited-editions -- both to underline the utilitarian intent of our products and distinguish our objects from an artists artwork-- we welcome exceptions and loved sharing these guys at the fair. Liz commissioned the "official" reproduction factory in Xi'an that casts the terra cotta warriors to create the heads of american heroes and editions the heads on various traditional warrior bodies.
Sculptor Agelio Batle's intricate cast and carved graphite drawing tools made an interactive display for visitors to doodle, some leaving messages about their experience at the fair.
Brooklyn based Sarah Ward designed these Tablets made by OPEN-EDITIONS from American Oak and painted Douglas Fir, available as a set of five for $1,000, or ordered individually for $225--with free shipping! The small stools/tables are sturdy seating, nest as a coffee table, or sally up to your favorite chair to hold a book, a beer, or both.
OPEN-EDITIONS' Salvaged Selvedge collection includes quilted patchwork denim blankets and sturdy denim tote bags. We use all reclaimed denim from SF sewing shops, a byproduct of making selvedge edge denim jeans. While master cutters work to maximize yield for the precious raw denim fabric, there is inevitably some waste in the process. Over time the stacks of remnant fabric pile up and we re-cut and quilt to make these picnic / beach blankets and bags.
Lauren DiCioccio's Thank You tote was a fair favorite, and we made a special THANK YOU SEATTLE tote as a gift for the gallerists, SAF Staff and VIPs for the event. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray stopped by to get a Seattle Tote, and share a moment of appreciation Seattle's ban on plastic bags.
The Fair was well received by visitors and critics alike. Lauren and I spoke with hundreds of visitors and the overwhelming message was "I can't believe this is in Seattle" and "I hope they do this every year". We were impressed with the Art Market Production team organizing and executing this large scale fair in a new city, and it was great to have the local partner in Vulcan, who encouraged us to include a bookstore in our booth concept, which was much appreciated by fair visitors who took a break to read about art in the Pacific Northwest. This ariel view of the fair is photographed by Joshua Lewis-- you can see our bright orange neon OPEN sign peeking out in the upper left. You can read a review of the fair in the New York Times here.