Magic Gardens of Philly

Barcelona can have their Gaudi, Philadelphia has Zagar!  Isaiah Zagar is a mosaic artist with a single-minded obsession - covering every surface with his ceramic tile and glass designs.  Zagar began tiling the grounds and walls of the property next to his studio in 1994.  Several tunnels, grottoes, and years later, we have the Magic Gardens, a fantastical mosaic jungle of art.

The Magic Gardens open up to a courtyard of ceramic tiles, recycled bottles, plates and bicycle wheels, leading into a terraced area where dining and music events are held.  Inside one can walk down to the caverns where surreal sculptures and tableaux rise up to surprise you.

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Summer in San Francisco

This summer the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design is hosting a transformational exhibit, in which four California artists will be creating installations that are "intended as encompassing experiences." It's a large-scale exhibit and, the museum promises, will bring a visual transformation to the museum.

You can see the artists at work creating their installations through June 8, and then the exhibit will remain up until September 18.

For more, visit http://www.sfmcd.org/exhibt_current.htm

Artists and Designers At Work

Making art is one of those jobs that for the most part goes unseen---we see the results in museums and galleries, but it's rare that we get to actually see the artist at work, never mind to be able to ask questions about everything from process to production.

But the Museum of Art and Design has an artist-in-residence program that's designed to bring the artist and craftsperson into direct contact with the public.

We stopped in recently to check out the open studios there, and found Sarah Ambramson creating her enameled earrings, pendants, and brooches, each of which is like a tiny sculpture. Since September, 2009, Abramson has been one of  about six artists in residence at the museum.

If you want to see her at work and ask about her process, you better act fast: Thursday, June 3 is her last day there. Abramson says it's been  a great experience working with the museum. "It gives me an opportunity to explain the different stages of my process and to get feedback from strangers on my work---and that's completely refreshing," she said.

For more on the Museum of Art and Design, visit: http://www.madmuseum.org/

For more on Abramson's innovative creations, see: http://www.sarahabramson.us/

Why Design Now?

There is one museum in the USA devoted solely to contemporary and historic design: the Cooper-Hewitt in New York City, and this week marks the opening of this year's National Design Triennial exhibit, which was created to seek out the very best and most innovative in contemporary design.

The exhibit includes design ideas from the worlds of architecture, landscape, and fashion that were introduced between 2006 and 2009.

For more information, visit the Cooper-Hewitt site at http://www.cooperhewitt.org/EXHIBITIONS/triennial/why-design-now.asp

From the site's description of the header image: The bioWAVE, developed by Australia-based BioPower Systems, is a new device that harnesses the power of ocean waves and converts it into smart grid–connected electricity.

Meet the Jewelry Designer

In her earliest childhood days, Nina Nguyen was fascinated by her uncle's goldsmithing work in his casting foundry in Vietnam. Today, she designs her own jewlery line in Florida, using semiprevcious stones, and creates elegant, artistic pieces, like that shown here. The pieces are then produced by skilled artisans in the Nina Nguyen Design Women's Co-Operative in the rural village of Kontum, Vietnam

She'll be speaking at the Asia Society in New York on May 5, 1-4 pm., 725 Park Avenue. Admission is free. Check the Asia Society site for more.

http://www.asiasociety.org/events-calendar/asian-american-designer-event-nina-nguyen-jewelry