Blogs Centerpoints Walker Shop

Snap-Happy: Interns’ Photo Spree Around the Walker

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What happens when you give a trio of Walker interns some new snazzy cameras and tell them to spend the day photographing? Last week, Ashley Monk, Chyna Bounds and I got to test-drive the new Pentax K-01 camera designed by Marc Newson, which just got stocked at Walker shop. After assembling the cameras, charging the batteries, and [...]

What happens when you give a trio of Walker interns some new snazzy cameras and tell them to spend the day photographing? Last week, Ashley Monk, Chyna Bounds and I got to test-drive the new Pentax K-01 camera designed by Marc Newson, which just got stocked at Walker shop. After assembling the cameras, charging the batteries, and giving the manual/cheat sheet a quick read, we were ready for adventure.
 
We soon gave up on the instructions and opted for hands-on learning – this camera is that easy to use. Below is a small sampling of what we captured around the Walker. All images were uploaded straight from the camera, unaltered. Anything that looks edited is merely an example of the awesome powers of this camera. (See more images on Flickr in the Walker’s group pool.
Our first stop was the kitchen at Gather by D’Amico, where the chefs were hustling with preparations for lunch, but kindly accommodated us shutterbugs. Even though the images here were the very first ones using the camera, it made all of that food look extra delicious! 

 

Chyna

 
Kitchen at Gather by D’Amico by Ashley
 
 
Next, we meandered outside to the new boulders sculpture by Jim Hodges, which on a bright sunny day was intensely glowing, its colored mirror surfaces bouncing off of each other.
 
Jim Hodges’ outdoor sculpture by Chyna
Jim Hodges’ outdoor sculpture by Rachel
 
Jim Hodges’ outdoor sculpture by Ashley

 

Then it was down the hill to the Sculpture Garden next – of course, the iconic Spoon Bridge has to be part of the fun.

 

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden by Rachel
 
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden by Chyna
 
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden by Ashley
 
After our outdoor fun, we headed back inside for a quick, behind-the-scenes tour of the Walker’s underground studio, used by staff photographers Cameron Wittig and Gene Pittman.  

Studio by Rachel

 
 

Studio by Chyna

 
Studio by Ashley
 Although we took photos of the same things, with the Pentax’s amazing array of modes and options, we each took a different approach and came out with some wonderful images.

Come try this camera for yourself at the Walker Shop from 5-9pm this Thursday (May 10). Use it to capture a Minneapolis spring evening and get advice and tips from Pentax pros. The first 100 test photogs receive a free memory card and cocktail, compliments of Cool Hunting.

 

Book/share: Magazines & Journals

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Welcome to the second installment of a new monthly blog feature: Book/share. In this series, Walker Shop book buyer and book enthusiast Paul Schumacher picks a group of books he has recently discovered and writes notes to me, a fellow book enthusiast, about why he has chosen them. Magazines & Journals Tucked in the back [...]

Welcome to the second installment of a new monthly blog feature: Book/share. In this series, Walker Shop book buyer and book enthusiast Paul Schumacher picks a group of books he has recently discovered and writes notes to me, a fellow book enthusiast, about why he has chosen them.

Magazines & Journals

Tucked in the back corner of the Walker Shop’s wall of books is a section for magazines, from literary journals to lo-fi zines. This month, Paul has selected five of his favorites to share with you. I’ll also just add my two cents: The Walker is the only place in Minneapolis where I have ever found my favorite art journal, Paper Monument. Want a publication you’ve only seen featured on your favorite blogs or seen once in a bookstore in New York? Try the Walker.—KF

Bad Day

More below the jump. (more…)

Book/share: 38th Street Publishers

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Welcome to the first installment of a new monthly blog feature: Book/share. In this series, Walker Shop book buyer and book enthusiast Paul Schumacher picks a group of books he has recently discovered and writes notes to me, a fellow book enthusiast, about why he has chosen them. As this feature continues, we expect our [...]

Welcome to the first installment of a new monthly blog feature: Book/share. In this series, Walker Shop book buyer and book enthusiast Paul Schumacher picks a group of books he has recently discovered and writes notes to me, a fellow book enthusiast, about why he has chosen them. As this feature continues, we expect our dialogue and the way we communicate about the books to evolve, as well as provide you a closer look into the Walker Shop’s selection. Stay tuned.—KF & PS

38th Street Publishers

Located on West 38th Street in New York City, artist Josh Smith and his friend Todd Amicon created a small press in 2008 with a simple goal of publishing affordable artist books.

Holy Crap, Rob Pruitt

This is going to be image heavy. (more…)

Sneak preview: Spring at Walker Shop

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We are just back from the New York International Gift Fair and eager to share some of our favorite finds (and the people who created them). Watch for them their arrival in the Walker Shop this spring! (In the meantime, you can shop our current stock online.)

We are just back from the New York International Gift Fair and eager to share some of our favorite finds (and the people who created them). Watch for them their arrival in the Walker Shop this spring! (In the meantime, you can shop our current stock online.)

Flight 001 travel products – one of our favorite shops in the Village is Flight 001. Now Walker Shop will have these exclusively in Minnesota! ($6 - $46)

“Teabag” porcelain mug (and other pieces) from Bailey Doesn’t Bark. ($38 mug)

Bailey Doesn’t Bark designer Re Jin Lee, or “RJ,” shares her drawings and designs on consciously produced home and life accessories.

Ever Bamboo charcoal purifiers – minimally and beautifully packaged bamboo charcoal deodorizers that are sustainable, reusable, and recyclable - Minnesota exclusive ($9.99 – 14.99)

Shine Labs sonic classic woodblock clock – This wood veneer alarm clock features two internally powered speakers for your connected portable device. LED clock features 6-cycle snooze and night economic power mode. And, by the way, Shine Labs' president Jim Henderson is great-grandson of Walker founder T.B. Walker! ($128)

“Y-Grinder” twin-chamber salt and pepper mill – from Joseph Joseph, with adjustable grind ($48)

“Orb” 3-piece mortar and pestle – from Joseph Joseph, made from non-absorbent vitrified porcelain. Base and lid can be used for crushing and grinding. ($48)

Tea infuser – Stainless steel extra-fine “brew-in-mug” tea infuser with silicone-rimmed lid. Flip the lid and it becomes a holder for infuser. ($19.99)

mt masking tape set – Set of 20 colors of narrow masking tape from Japan. ($40)

Hadas Shaham jewelry – Contemporary jewelry in sterling silver, gold, concrete, and lava, handcrafted by Tel Aviv jewelry artist Hadas Shaham. ($45 - $195)

Warhol TV

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As the Walker book buyer for the last eight years, I routinely come across unusual titles. I thought it would be interesting to blog these notable discoveries as I see them.  Typically, I’m attracted to quirky material and seek out books that just haven’t been conceived before.  During some recent scouting around for new titles [...]

As the Walker book buyer for the last eight years, I routinely come across unusual titles. I thought it would be interesting to blog these notable discoveries as I see them.  Typically, I’m attracted to quirky material and seek out books that just haven’t been conceived before.  During some recent scouting around for new titles for the shop, I came across one such incomparable volume.  Warhol TV is a magazine-like publication that documents the exhibition of the same name held last winter at La Maison Rouge in Paris.  Even with the countless exhibition catalogues and books devoted to Andy Warhol—some of which home in on just his fashion drawings, portraits of Jews, or motion pictures—there hasn’t been a book, until now, on his role with television.

As the father of artistic and social promotion, Andy Warhol used every means of communication to self-promote his reality.  Photography, film, magazine, and paintings were employed to document and showcase his surroundings and the creative social scene.  Turns out that Warhol also wasn’t shy about tapping into television, which only seems natural given its mass appeal and accessibility.  It was the ultimate contemporary tool, a perfect platform for exposing his reality.  Andy Warhol utilized all avenues of the medium from as early as 1964, when he made an imitation Soap Opera, to his guest appearance on Love Boat, in 1985. He was also an early adopter with cable, creating a program back in 1979 on the newly formed New York Cable Network, and his MTV show in 1985, Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes.

Warhol TV focuses on the artist’s involvement with television and the beautiful talent who were a part of his world.  Marc Jacobs, Tama Janowitz, Kenny Scharf, Glenn O’Brian, and Brigid Berlin are just a few who recall their encounters with Warhol and TV.  The most interesting feature in the book, besides the rare images, is Warhol’s television filmography listing episodes with such guests as Debbie Harry, Courtney Love, Steven Spielberg, Moon Zappa, Cindy Sherman and Pee Wee Herman.  I can only imagine Andy’s relaxed, subtle reaction to the energetic Pee Wee.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V69IJ962Q4g

 

Purchase Warhol TV at the Walker Shop.

Finds from the planet’s biggest gift shop

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Walker staff members Nancy Gross and Michele Tobin have been on the mother of all shopping trips in New York – including, first and foremost, several days at the New York International Gift Fair. With several thousand designers, artisans, craftspeople, etc. exhibiting their wares, this gargantuan buyers’ mart takes up not just the entire Javits [...]

Walker staff members Nancy Gross and Michele Tobin have been on the mother of all shopping trips in New York – including, first and foremost, several days at the New York International Gift Fair. With several thousand designers, artisans, craftspeople, etc. exhibiting their wares, this gargantuan buyers’ mart takes up not just the entire Javits Center, but also Piers 90, 92, & 94. Nancy just sent this update as they prepared to make their final rounds at the Fair before returning to Minneapolis tonight:

“In spite of the current state of they economy, and light attendance at the show by vendors and buyers, we have found some great new merchandise for spring and summer. Some highlights include Alessi’s adding to its already successful line of “Banana Brothers” products by Stephano Giovannoni. We loved the collection, including the placecards, corkscrews, canisters, toothpick holders, etc.

Monday evening, we were invited to a special dinner event hosted by Alessi. We enjoyed connecting with our colleagues from Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (Mark and Maxine) and our Alessi rep, Diane O’Donnel. And for the pasta course, the chef demonstrated Alessi’s ingenious “Pasta Pot”: a crock-pot-like appliance designed by chef Alain Ducasse and designer Patrick Jouin, which allows vegetables, pasta and sauce to cook together and go straight to your table.

One of our favorite companies, Kid-O toys (mentioned in our last blog post), introduced a new, well-designed wooden memory game and also an interactive depth perception toy. Look for them in the Walker Shop in June.

Some other fun things we found were a Ipod speaker with a Lego-like look, a roll of packing tape with Shepard Fairey-inspired graphics, real “Wee Plants” the size of a fingernail that grow in a glass vial, and specialized lenses for your camera phone that create special effects (wide angle, kaleidoscope,etc.).


A fresh color trend we found was citrine yellow combined with grey – a look that we’ve incorporated into our spring assortment of Chilewich placemats. Turns out that Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Day outfit was right on trend!”

eavesdrop 05.05.08

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqfdIeUl_r4[/youtube] The Walker unrolled its first Jewelry Artists Mart, in the Skyline Room, at Free First Saturday.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqfdIeUl_r4[/youtube]

The Walker unrolled its first Jewelry Artists Mart, in the Skyline Room, at Free First Saturday.

Tyvek jackets and bags in the Walker Shop

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The Walker Shop always has unique and interesting merchandise, and often has special items related to current exhibitions. For Worlds Away, Walker shop Director Nancy Gross came across some clothing that makes use of Tyvek, a common building wrapping material. Since the exhibition deals with sprawl and construction, and the same time there is a [...]

Tyvek Jacket by mauThe Walker Shop always has unique and interesting merchandise, and often has special items related to current exhibitions. For Worlds Away, Walker shop Director Nancy Gross came across some clothing that makes use of Tyvek, a common building wrapping material. Since the exhibition deals with sprawl and construction, and the same time there is a focus on re-use and green design these days, the work is an obvious fit. I asked the designer, Marian Schoettle (a.k.a. mau) to write a bit about the Tyvek jacket and Tyvek bag:

My name is Marian Schoettle and my work has recently been included in the store – clothing and bags out of Yyvek a featherweight non-woven material with the label post industrial folk wear by mau. It looks like paper but it’s not so perishable. The material is made by Dupont and it is known primarily as a house insulating material and the material of post office envelopes. (tough, right?) It is comprised of 25%recycled HDPE 2 and is recyclable.

This work is part of a twofold project. The work at the Walker consists of modern featherweight clothing and bags (none weighing more that 500 grams) that challenge some of our ideas about suitability’. The Walker has white jackets, coats and bags that are made with hard structure tyvek. They also have jackets that are actually made from house insulating tyvek (with the advertising writing all cut up). Ironically the house insulating material is not as abrasion resistant as the hard structure tyvek, I guess because it’s supposed to be covered over with vinyl siding!

The other part of post industrial folk wear is a global psycho-geography project in which volunteers create interactive scenarios while walking around cities, wearing my jackets (drawing or writing on them). Under the auspices of Chashama and the New York Foundation for the Arts this project will occur in NYC May 18 – 24, 2008.

Tyvek Bag by mauIn the past I’ve collaborated with the weather to create storm dresses, devised sound and image installations in abandoned monasteries in Eastern Europe, built tepee space modules in the National Building Museum in Washington, designed performance clothing and art wear, as well as taught in art and design academies in Western Europe.

This collection is sewn in the New York City garment district, the tyvek material is made in the USA, and the surplus materials are gathered from local computer, snowboard and automotive industries. All cutting room scraps are recycled via DuPont’s in-house recycling.

Art, commerce and the vanishing line between them

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Lee Rosenbaum, author of CultureGrrl, blogs about spotting a Richard Prince “joke bag,” sold and marketed under the Louis Vuitton tag, at her neighborhood mall. Rosenbaum wonders “whether a Vuitton boutique may be added to the Guggenheim-organized Richard Prince show that opened Saturday at the Walker.” A quick answer to Rosenbaum’s query comes with a [...]

Lee Rosenbaum, author of CultureGrrl, blogs about spotting a Richard Prince “joke bag,” sold and marketed under the Louis Vuitton tag, at her neighborhood mall. Rosenbaum wonders “whether a Vuitton boutique may be added to the Guggenheim-organized Richard Prince show that opened Saturday at the Walker.”

A quick answer to Rosenbaum’s query comes with a stroll to the Walker shop, where a table of products timed to the Prince exhibition is stocked with dozens of posters, postcards, DVDs of films Prince selected as personally inspiring, and stacks of handsome, shrink-wrapped exhibition catalogues. Alas, no handbags.

“It’s a very high-end line and a very specific distribution. It’s not something (Vuitton) would just sell to anyone, anywhere,” says Nancy Gross, director of merchandising and facility rental at the Walker. “Will I look into it? Maybe.”