A friend comes to pick up her child from a play-date with our son and she announces excitedly that we are in Dwell. I smile and I say I know! Isn’t it great, we’ve been on Dwell a couple times, which one did you see! And she goes, no, you are in the “100 Houses we Love” Dwell, and you have a big article in it!
So we pick it up. Here’s an excerpt of the editorial:
They only chose TEN full articles, one per year. Thank you Dwell not only for choosing us–what an honor–but also for making us the chosen article for 2008.
The American Institute of Austin, Austin chapter is posting some of the award videos they make every year. I’ll post our wins as they become available. This project of ours was the honor award in 2008. Here’s why, according to the judges.
The owner requested that the house have the feel of a “cabin”. A place of solace and repose in the middle of the city.
It also was important to respect the delicate lines and low profile of the existing mid century modern house designed by the late A.D. Stenger, one of Austin’s great modernist architects. From the street, the house looks virtually untouched. It remains a modest presence on the block.
The original house was taken back to the studs, the existing fireplace with its eccentric stone work was saved, and two previous unfortunate, mold infested, additions that made the existing house a black hole were removed.
A master bedroom and bath where added and the interior of the existing house completely remodeled and re-oriented around a long skylight and two interior courtyards. The skylight and courtyards maintain privacy and allow natural light into all parts of the house while providing a connection with the live oaks and changing sky.
Maple, tinted to match the tone of the pine flooring, wraps through out the house becoming cabinets, paneling, and flush doors. Traditional, earthy D’hanis “mocha” brick pavers become the surface in the courtyards.
Toni Bravo just choreographed a new show, this time they will perform at the Long Center. “A Glimpse of Heaven–With Eyes Closed” will benefit Life Works. As usual, I took the pictures and designed the posters. I’m proud of these photos, they were so much fun to take, I was practivcally dancing with them, a good workout for sure!
I can’t believe this. The odds of winning the Palo Alto competition were pretty slim, just because of sheer numbers at these types of contests… but the odds of winning BOTH competitions, I mean, what are they? Myartspace.com has 55,000 members. I don’t know how many artists entered these competitions, but it couldn’t be just a few. What attracted me to the London competition was the jury.
Artists from our network of over 55,000 in 116 countries submitted work reviewed by a jury of curators Vanessa DesClaux from the Tate Modern, Tom Morton from The Hayward Gallery and Francesco Manacorda from the Barbican Gallery for consideration. The top 20 winners will be shown at the Scream London Gallery, 34 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London.
And I am one of the twenty! In any case, I entered these just for fun, not in a million years I expected to win, much less both competitions… I stood out, twice in a row, among large numbers of entries, it makes me happy. Two different sets of juries liked my work! Today, my work is exhibited in London and some people who don’t know me from Adam are looking at my hard worked photos on both continents. Fun. Art. Yes.
Catherine McCormack-Skiba, the Company founder of myartspace noted (…) “We’ve got a great venue in the heart of Mayfair in London. (…) We think this is an ideal venue for our best community members to have their work on exhibit.”
Brian Sherwin, senior editor at myartspace notes “The Scream London gallery, (…) known for its edgy and progressive atmosphere, is located in the heart of the West London art district. Notable gallery guests have included Claire Danes, Beverly Knight, Cilla Black, and Tracey Emin. Scream London is co-owned by Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones.”
Ok. It’s all very silly, but hey, I hope the Rolling Stones, all of them, fall in love with my work and buy oodles of it.
Here’s the invite, go if you can, you’ll see Natalie’s neck flashing in the background on some screen. Do get drunk for me. I need it badly.
MYARTSPACE London Calling Exhibition!
Opening Night — Thursday 25 June
MYARTSPACE
the premier online network for contemporary art Opening Reception and Cocktails
Thursday, 25 June 2009, 6 to 9PM Location:
Scream London Gallery
34 Bruton Street
Mayfair, London
Congratulations to the artists selected for representation at the NYAXE Gallery. 3 artists– Jane Fulton Alt, Leah Tomaino, and Miles Holbert, will have their work physically represented at the gallery. 17 others will be represented digitally.
The digitally represented artists for the May 21st NYAXE Gallery exhibit (click to view their myartspace.com profile):
The previous exhibition at NYAXE, February-March 2009
NYAXE Gallery is located at 818 Emerson St. in Palo Alto, CA. The represented members were chosen from a selective– ongoing –competition that allows members of the myartspace.com community to compete for NYAXE Gallery representation. The gallery serves as a bridge between the online and physical art world.
The NYAXE Gallery in Palo Alto, CA marks myartspace.com as one of only a few social art sites to have a physical presence in the form of a brick & mortar gallery– as well as the only online art community to have a physical gallery presence in the heart of Silicon Valley. The NYAXE Gallery places myartspace.com members art within reach of some of the most powerful– and wealthy– professionals in the United States.
Veronica's Hair One by Viviane Vives
Catherine McCormack-Skiba, Founder and CEO of myartspace, notes “It’s very exciting to energize the creative spirit in Silicon Valley with world-class contemporary art. The blend of the technology innovation center of the world, and compelling art is very inspiring” (…)
How about them apples, eh? I wasn’t expecting this, not in a million years. I had forgotten all about it! They wrote that they might also have some small prints at the exhibit. I hope they pick some of mine… their email said:
Congratulations! Our jury panel has selected your work as part of the NYAXE Gallery Spring Exhibition. You should be very proud — the breadth and depth of submissions was significant, and your work really stood out.
We are proud to be in this fine book and I’m particularly happy that my pictures are getting published all over the place. I’m enjoying photography more and more, as I have been mentioning in this blog. I’m preparing an exhibition… I’ll post about it soon.
Conserving energy is important to Neal, thus the SIPs serve as a thermal umbrella and air is encouraged to circulate through the building from end to end. The Farleys plan to add a large, low-velocity fan to improve the air circulation. When ambient air breezes through the home, the Farleys and their guests are truly in touch with the natural world.”
In a climate like this, air-conditioning seems indispensable, but to cool the entire structure artificially would be inefficient and costly. Neal devised a solution by building a 540-square-foot box nested within the superstructure, which contains the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, as the only air-conditioned space in the building. The two-story plywood envelope has sliding walls on all sides that can be closed to keep cool temperatures in or left open to the fluctuations of the natural ventilation throughout the building.”
mj neal architects - blublog 