Art & Design Matters
In this issue...
Featured Designer, Tracy Murdock
The Highwaymen - Legends of the Road
Build Your Interior Design Business by Blogging
Decorating with Flexibility
The Glass Experience at Chicago's Science & Industry Museum
Look North Inuit Art Gallery
A Cool Sensation
ASID Joins the 2030 Challenge
Selecting a Designer
Exhibits for the Art & Design Enthusiast
ASID and Interiors & Sources Magazine Announce Bloom Awards
Round Top's High Tech Home Designer Makes New York Times
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Your Source for Art & Design Matters		 Summer 2008
Dear Art & Design Enthusiasts,
 
Our spotlight is beaming on our featured designer, Tracy Murdock of Woodland Hills, California.   She's got quite an impressive background!  Scroll down to read about her Malibu home that will soon be featured on the cover of Coastal Magazine.  Congratulations Tracy!
 
Have you heard of The Highwaymen?  No, not the musical group -  the artistic group of Floridian landscape painters (25 men and 1 women) who sold their artwork out of the trunks of their cars in the 50's and 60's.  Read all about it in this issue and view a clip from Producer/Director Jack Hambrick's PBS documentary titled, "Legends of the Road".   A story that will surely stir your emotions!
 
Whether you want to learn how to drive traffic to your website, decorate with flexibility, get tips for selecting a designer, or explore the Internet for art and design articles and exhibits - you're at the right place.  Get it here and more at our online magazine at www.ArtandDesignMatters.com. 
 
Please visit all of our participating DESIGNERS * ARTISTS * ART GALLERIES *  and  ANTIQUE SHOPS who know the importance of social Internet networking.  Ask us how you can be a part of it!
 
Our promotional efforts continue to be supported by our advertisers and our parent company Accessory Hut.   Many thanks to them all and a special thank you to Northcoast Color for their help in supporting our artist members.   And, thanks to New York's That's Nice for listing Accessory Hut  at their website and within their recent marketing literature.  Be sure to visit their subsidiary company, Nice Gift, that offers a comprehensive approach to the sourcing and management of corporate gifts for companies.  Social networking is so effective!
 
Our media kit, see link below, offers affordable advertising opportunities to businesses who service the art and design community.  Reserve your space at our website now and receive a complimentary ad within our next digital issue.  Contact Rose Scott at info@artanddesignmatters.com for details or click on the following link:  MEDIA KIT
 
Artfully yours,
 
The Art & Design Team
......a promotional services company
713-816-7400
 
Subsidiary of......
"Home Decor with Yesterday's & Today's Artists in Mind"
 
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 Tracy MurdockFeatured Designer, Tracy Murdock
Founder of Tracy Inc., headquartered in Woodland Hills and working out of her Studio Loft in Malibu CA, Tracy Murdock has been designing the interiors of LA's celebrity and business elite for over a decade.  Published in several international publications - it is because of Tracy's attention to detail, her perfectionism and her renowned sense of style that her clients continue to call her back. Tracy personally oversees every design project, down to the fresh flowers and often times, a fully stocked refrigerator!  Pictured here is an example of Tracy's outstanding creative design.
 
 
 
Tracy Murdock's Malibu Bluffs home to be featured on the cover of COASTAL LIVING Magazine   ...read more
 
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The Highwaymen - "Legends of the Road" 
 
 The Highwaymen
 
......An all new PBS documentary program that tells the story of a unique art world phenomenon that took root in the mid-20th century in the Jim Crow South. 
 
They were an unlikely group of black landscape painters that emerged from the American South in the 1950's and 60's.  Segregation locked them out of selling their works in white owned art galleries.  So, the artists took to the road to sell their paintings   .....read more
 
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Design Success UniversityBuild Your Interior Design Business by Blogging, by Gail Doby, ASID
Are you finding business more challenging this year with the Recession and your clients becoming more Internet savvy?  It is time to look at your business with a fresh perspective, and if you do, you will succeed while your competitors are wondering what to do.
 
 
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Decorating with Flexibility
by Beverly Ferguson, ASID Allied Member
 
The current trend for open floor plans is as fresh and exhilarating today as it was twenty or so years ago when homes began to be built in this fashion.  Even owners of older traditional, compartmentalized homes have embraced the idea of flowing spaces by knocking down and/or moving walls.  Initially the homeowner is thrilled with the concept of spaciousness, but when the task of decorating and furnishing comes due, the reality can present some practical decorating challenges.
......read more
 
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The Glass Experience
Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago
Photo Credits: Alice Krueser
 
Don't miss this spectacular exhibit through September 1, 2008. 
 
Pictured below is Dale Chihuly's "Macchia Forest".
Dale ChihulyCalled the most magical of all materials.  Life's experiences inspired Tacoma native, Dale Chihuly.  His intense use of color and reform organic shapes may have been influenced by his mother's dramatic garden or through his stint as a commercial fisherman in Alaska.  He was first introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington.  After graduating, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country which was led by Harvey Littleton, father of the studio glass movement.  Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work at the Venini factory in Venice, Italy.  Here, he observed the team approach of blowing glass -  typical to the way he works today.  Since co-founding the Pilc huck Glass School in 1971, Chihuly had lead the avant garde in the development of glass art.  Although his work is ground breaking on many levels, he relies on the traditional tools of the trade.  For centuries, people have been fascinated with glass.  "Glass is the most magical of all materials that transmit light in a special way"......Dale Chihuly.  The word "macchia" is an Italian word that means "spotted".
 
Pictured below is a photo of glass blower, Annette Sheppard of The Corning Museum of Glass, demonstrating the art of glass blowing.
Annette Sheppard
 
Pictured below is Lino Tagliapietra's Marumea blown glass creations.   A dazzling wall installation presents a grouping of simple abstracted shapes showcasing radiating colors that glow from behind areas of frosted and clear glass.
 Lino Tagliapietra
Lino Tagliapietra, a Venetian Glass Maestro, is one of the world's most eminent living glass artists.  He was born in 1934 on the island of the centuries-old center for Venetian glassmaking, Murano.  At the age of eleven, he was apprenticed to the glass studio of the internationally known Muranese master, Archimede Seguso, and achieved the rank of maestro by age twenty-one.  He later worked as master glassblower and designer at other glass studios, including Galliano Ferro, Venini, La Murrina, and Effetre International.
 
Pictured below is a floor reflection of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's light screen designs.
 
Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright -  the greatest American architect of all times, according to the American Institute of Architecture in 1991.  He grew up in rural Wisconsin and learned to appreciate nature at an early age.  As an architect, he preached the beauty of natural materials and insisted that buildings grow naturally from their surroundings.  Unlike the structured homes from the Victorian era, his buildings offered openness through his extensive use of clear windows and included nature as part of the overall environment.  Wright's originated Prairie school architecture is characterized by long, low buildings with shallow sloping roofs, short chimneys and terraces constructed with un-finished materia ls.  As part of his vision he designed interiors, decorative art, graphic art, and household furnishings.  Wright's many famous buildings include Robie House in Chicago, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, The Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, and The Guggenheim Museum in New York City.  The "Magic of Light Screens" exhibit is surely a sight to see.
 
Pictured below is an artisan, from the Botti Studio of Architectural Arts, in the process of restoring a part of the Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass dome for the Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center. 
 
Botti Studio of Architectural Arts
The Chicago Cultural Center's most notable features are its spectacular stained-glass domes.  The 38-foot dome in the Preston Bradley Hall at the south end of the building is the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome, valued at an estimated $35 million.  Twenty people from the Botti Studio of Architectural Arts, for six months, will be restoring this masterpiece - 241 windows, 30,000 plus pieces.
 
Pictured below are Baccarat crystal chandeliers on display at the entrance of the "Glass Experience" exhibition at the Science & Industry Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
 
Baccarat Chandeliers
In 1824 Baccarat was the first French crystal works to begin manufacturing fine light fixtures.  These magnificent crystal chandeliers are now illuminating royal palaces, dramatic theatres, opulent cathedrals, as well as impressive private mansions around the world.
 
Lead crystal's refractory qualities enhance the light - be it candlelight or electric light.  Pendants, drops, spears, prisms and spires are the elegant forms designed to create movement, and to capture and reflect the magic of light. 
 
Click here to find museum exhibits in your area......
 
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 Look North Art Gallery
 
Look North Gallery in New York City is dedicated to promoting excellence in Inuit Art by providing a unique forum for the presentation and sale of high-quality art that is respectful and beneficial to both artist and collector. The gallery offers a carefully selected range of authentic contemporary sculptures and prints from world-renowned artists as well as emerging talents. Look North Gallery also represents the Polar photography of world-renowned fine arts photographer Rena Bass Forman. The Gallery works closely with The American Museum of Natural History and Al Gore's 'The Climate Project' in utilizing art to create an awareness regarding the effects of climate change in the Arctic.
 
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 Corner FridgeA Cool Sensation
 
When it comes to keeping a family's food in the peak of condition longer, there's nothing to beat the capacity of the Corner Fridge. There's 1300 litres of usable storage space in a Corner Fridge and yet it only takes up one square metre of floor space.
 
We are all being urged to eat a healthier diet and a good deal of publicity is being used to promote the idea of "five a day", five portions of fresh fruit or veg, per person per day. But where do you store your fresh food? A standard refrigerator struggles to find space as it is.  And many homes struggle to find space for a larger refrigerator.....read more
 
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ASID Joins the 2030 Challenge
Society makes commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in built environment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 4, 2008) - The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) joins the growing list of organizations, cities, counties and states that have committed to the 2030 Challenge, the aggressive campaign to dramatically reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions within the building sector by the year 2030.....read more
 
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Selecting a Designer
American Society of Interior Designers
 
When you're ready to select a designer to work with on your project, the number of individuals and firms to choose from can be daunting. How do you know if you've chosen a professional designer?  In general, you want a designer with the following characteristics:

    * Is accredited as an interior designer  (If required in your state, be sure the designer is licensed.)
    * Has experience in the type of project you are doing
    * Has demonstrated creativity, talent and resourcefulness
    * Is attentive, responsive and communicates well
    * Has a record of reliability and good work habits.

One way to ensure you are working with a professional interior designer is if he or she is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers.  ASID m ember designers must meet the profession's education and experience requirements, as well as adhere to a strict code of ethics and professional conduct.  The ASID appellation after a designer's name indicates that he or she is an accredited designer who has passed rigorous professional scrutiny and testing.
 
 
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Museum ExhibitsExhibits for the Art & Design Enthusiast
(confirm dates before traveling)
 
                                            
August Sander:  People of the Twentieth Century - May 6 - September 14, 2008 at the Getty Center - Los Angeles, California
 
Georgia O'Keefe and Ansel Adams:  Natural Affinities - May 23, 2008 - September 7, 2008 at the Georgia O'Keefe Museum - Santa Fe, New Mexico
 
Dreamland:  Architectural Experiments since the 1970's - July 23 - October 27, 2008 at New York's Museum of Modern Art
 
 
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ASID and Interiors & Sources Magazine Announce Bloom Awards - Entry deadline for the brand new sustainable commercial design awards - September 15, 2008
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 30, 2008) - The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) in partnership with Interiors & Sources magazine announce the inaugural year of the Bloom Awards and is calling for entries by Sept. 15, 2008. An award dedicated to recognizing the achievements of sustainable products in interior commercial design, the new program will choose a product winner in five different categories: furniture, flooring, textiles, lighting and innovative materials. ..........read more

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ROUND TOP's High Tech Home Designer Makes New York Times
 
Most big ideas don't start in a rocking chair, but this one did - and the result wound up as a major story in The New York Times recently. The idea, hatched in 1992 on the front porch of an historic restoration in Round Top, Texas, has grown into a new approach to creating living spaces and includes a web-based implementation tool called Truehome® ......read more
 
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