Neocon Gallery from Core77

Photo from Arktura

[Charles]This month is the Neocon show which sounds like some sort of Matrix get together but which is actually a convention so commercial furniture companies can show off what's new and exciting. I was snoozing my way through "new" cubicle designs when I smacked right into Arktura's designs which look a lot like the sort of things we at TSM would love to make. Lots of detail on a simple and sustainable framework of standard issue items like benches and tables. Here's the link if you'd like to check them out...

Also, here's the link to the whole Core77 gallery blog post

Enjoy the diversion and inspiration!

Good Old War at the Orpheum - "It takes a lot of maracas..."

Photo from Elawgrrl (although technically I'm pretty sure this was taken by yours truly on her Hipstamatic phone camera)

[Charles] As soon as I got to the Good Old War show at the Orpheum I knew I had made a good choice with my after hours freetime on Friday night. Maybe it was the lack of an extremely packed house that helped my comfort level with crowds, maybe it was the smiles from my buddies Nicole and Andy that spotted me on my way in, and maybe it was the post-rock alt to alt-country three piece band that was playing their hearts out on the stage to a respectable cluster of dedicated fans. In any case, I was immediately relaxed and happy and, with a grin that would be hard to recreate on Monday morning, I skipped my traditional first trip to the bar and headed right in to the front of the crowd with the ultimate rock expert Nicole.

"Elawgrrl", as she is known to most of the hundreds of bands that she has photographed in her "other job" of live music photog, was my ticket to a good spot in the crowd. We snaked our way through the crowd from a not so obvious sideways tack and even though I had to squeeze and push a little, most everyone was pretty forgiving about letting me through. I was about three people back in the center and I was completely surrounded by fans of the band that knew every word. I was heartened to see that they weren't the sort of annoying frat boys that typically latch on to bands like this, but more of the thoughtful rocker guys and girls that have a soft side and aren't afraid to sing along with PBR in hand to lyrics like "All of my dreams, hope they won't leave me too."

I loved it. I loved being in the middle of all of it. The drummer comes around at one point and grabs an accordion for a few songs, and the front man even shook the maracas during one song (this led to me and Andy's post-review snickering about the fact that it takes some maracas to shake the maracas in a band.) It does though, and these guys were completely comfortable with who they were. They seemed completely happy to play to a small crowd in a small bar. They played "Coney Island" - the song that even I knew - and they were in no hurry to shut down when the show was over. They wandered out into that warm gooey center of the crowd and headed up a sing-a-long to a few well worn crowd-pleasers including Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia" with their Tampa Bay friends.

As we chatted at the bar after it was all over, I couldn't help but wondering aloud to Andy and Nicole that if you weren't so worried about having millions of fans around the world, wouldn't it be nice to have 100 really dedicated fans in every town? Thanks Good Old War for a really great night - maybe we should move that number up to 101 in Tampa - I'd be happy to sing along with you guys anytime...

Here's a blogger that's posted "Coney Island" if this post got you wondering what they sound like...

Etsy Party Wrap Up

Everything came together for a great party on Friday night at Tempus Projects with artists and crafters aplenty. It was totally DIY and chaotic and unpretentious and fun! Everyone was so happy to be out and not getting rained on with friends and like minded folks that we could have been in the East Village instead of in our little village of Seminole Heights. The cupcakes were amazing - Carbombs and Mojitos YES! The art was cool - although there was definitely wallspace for more the next time. The crafters were so happy and appreciative to be out. People packed the little craft tables and seemed to really enjoy being out with friends without all the high pressure snobbery that comes with some of the gallery shows on a Friday night. We met lots of people who'd never heard of our little shop and we also ran into tons of friends that we reconnected with. We can't wait for the next one.

Here's the photos on our Flickr page for your enjoyment...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39463401@N08/sets/72157624184546045/

Etsy Party tonight at Tempus Projects

Photo from darkcycleclothing on Etsy (the organizer of tonight's party)
[Charles] Looks like tonight's little meetup of Etsy makers has turned into a huge scale shindig. Last night we stopped by Tempus to meet Coryn Enfinger from darkcycleclothing and chatted a bit while they hurriedly greeted folks and planned out vendor space. There are over 250 people on Facebook that say they will be there, there are over 130 artists that RSVP'd on Meetup, and well even if only half of those folks break away from their computer screens for a few hours it should be a massive turnout for the smallish gallery space on Florida Avenue in Seminole Heights. They are setting up 25 or so vendors outside around the courtyard space and there is first come first served wall space in the converted garage that Tempus uses for all their shows.

We will be there with some of our latest pieces of furniture, but the main attraction is meeting all the other artists and talking shop with a growing community of people that are taking solid steps toward a new marketplace. If you don't know Etsy yet, well I'm sorry but I'll give you the short version. It's an online marketplace built around giving crafty people a place to sell their wares to anyone in the world. Say you like making toe rings from the palm fronds in your yard and you've always wanted to sell them but you don't have time or know how to market yourself to stores. Etsy allows makers to bring their products to market and it can be a few items or thousands. The website is already made (it's sort of like Ebay but you pay for things outright - no auction) so you just have to be good about describing what you make and taking photos of it. Then you can sell anything that you make, even things that are made from something else. Also you can sell vintage items like clothing. The artistry of individuals is where Etsy really shines - we've purchased earrings from an artist in Australia and these sort of small items that are easy to ship are really the best sellers on Etsy. Go check it out if you haven't and just do a search. You can search based on types of items or materials - like steel? or marble? how about Tampa artists only? Do a local search. It's a pretty amazing tool.

Anyway, the point is, tonight come meet some of those amazing artists that are reshaping our handmade world through this website in person. Tonight you can chat them up about how it works or how they make things. You might even fall in love with someone's art that lives right down the street from you.

Hand Painted Industrial Cottage Table by TSM $425

Modern Bench by TSM $325

Vintage Blue Dresser $325

Parsons Bench

Mobile Pop Shopping

Photo from Lisa Smith at Core77
[Charles] Rents go up. Sales go down. Next thing you know you are looking for a moving truck. But what if the moving truck was how you showcased your designs so that you could work in super cheap rent space somewhere and bring it to the people when you're ready? I've thought about this before. On slow days at the shop it seems pretty appealing, but I've never seen it in action before like this. Check out these guys in Chicago that display at Neocon to showcase small designers.

The rest of the story is at Core77 after the jump...

Get Dirty Tonight at TMA

[Charles] Photo from FromTheEarthPottery

Need something to kick off your weekend right? Check out a great show tonight with a few of our favorite local artists at the new museum.

From the TMA website:

"DIRTY," A NIGHT OF ART AND MUSIC

Get Dirty with Friends while we explore nature with artists Clay Lipsky (goclaygo.com), Wesley Allen (fromtheearthpottery.com), Rudolph Lopez (rudolphlopez.com), and Daniel Mrgan (danielmrgan.com).

Dirty will be held Friday, June 4, 2010 from 7:30pm to 10:00pm at the Tampa Museum of Art and will feature Art of Sound by Josh Wilkins, hors d'ouevres my Mise en Place, and cash bar. The event is FREE for Friends, $5 for Members, and $10 for Non members.

Friends is a volunteer group made up of current museum members and created to promote and support the Tampa Museum of Art . Friends hosts and assists with special events to raise funds for educational programs and acquisitions. Now, for $25 added to your membership, you can be a Friend.

For more information, please emailannmarie.moulin@tampamuseum.org or call 813.421.8370.