tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143370012009-06-13T04:12:53.833ZThis weblog presents running commentary by New York-based artist Allison Smith that archives the research and development of a touring art project called "Notion Nanny."Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-27496401386611563092009-06-13T04:07:00.004Z2009-06-13T04:12:53.840Z

It has been many moons since I last posted to this blog. To see what I have been working on recently, please visit my studio website by clicking here.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-30804314388866855692007-06-21T16:07:00.001Z2007-06-21T16:11:23.983Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny One of the most inspiring projects I came across during my time in California was that of Berkeley-based artist and former U.S. Marine Ehren Tool, who has made thousands of ceramic cups depicting images and scenes of war. I've copied below a riveting article on Tool from UC Berkeley News."From jarhead to bowl maker: Grad student Ehren Tool's art of

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-56652936573386570842007-06-20T14:57:00.001Z2007-06-21T17:53:48.984Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny On the Day of Demonstrations, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with a dear old friend from art school Adriane Bovone, who brought some beautiful quilts she had made. One utilized fabric overages from a neighborhood upholsterer. The other was comprised of muslins used by her Western-clinical-herbalist partner to strain finished tincture out of

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-23812779136875680892007-06-20T14:53:00.001Z2007-06-21T17:14:24.159Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny Bridget Barnhart (right) demonstrated how to make cheese. A recent graduate of California College of Art, her recent projects include working with home cheese makers and fancy chicken breeders. As stated on her website at www.bridgetbarnhart.com, "The project was a response to a current movement in slow food and localism in agriculture which many

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-47851430235376864572007-06-20T14:52:00.001Z2007-06-21T17:03:54.960Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny A frequent participant in international anarchist art fairs, Paul Barron brought a selection of prints and a large woodblock he is currently working on.Find out more about Paul at www.paulbarron.org.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-38196474897977004282007-06-20T14:00:00.001Z2007-06-21T16:58:34.297Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny Karie Reinertson demonstrated how to self-style clothing with personalized appliques and embroidery. Curator Liz Thomas got her jacket embellished with a forest of calico trees.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-6031060160215886612007-06-20T13:59:00.001Z2007-06-21T16:56:13.342Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny Jeremy Thompson brought a tabletop letterpress to demonstrate printing with a political message. Using antique type and red and blue ink, he made a series of prints and plackards with slogans about war and global warming.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-43143841479746178752007-06-20T13:56:00.001Z2007-06-21T16:22:00.070Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny San Francisco-based artist Travis Meinolf brought his own floor loom all the way to Berkeley for the Day of Demonstrations in order to show us a selection of beautiful woven blankets and overshot woven textiles using early American patterns in unconventional colors.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-35082354252614678862007-06-20T13:52:00.001Z2007-06-21T16:17:11.735Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny Rachel Beth Egenfoefer brought an array of projects considering the relationship between the body and technology, including a knitted laptop cozy with connected wrist mits.In a 2005 artist statement, Rachel states:"Textiles share obvious historical connections to technology, its object oriented process serving as the blueprint for the immaterial

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-75708758697310734122007-06-20T13:21:00.001Z2007-06-21T16:00:34.958Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny Diane Winters came to the Day of Demonstrations to show visitors how to make Arts and Crafts Movement-inspired ceramic tiles using her own custom-made press molds.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-68940824479132341082007-06-20T13:19:00.003Z2007-06-21T15:24:07.768Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny Lacey Jane Roberts recently graduated from California College of Art with an MFA in Textiles and an MA in Visual Criticism. On the heels of their decision to drop the "Craft" from their name, Lacey created a guerilla installation on the façade of the building replacing her own knitted version of the word. Her recent ambitious and strikingly

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-2706065072052117212007-06-20T13:19:00.001Z2007-06-21T15:13:20.790Z

demo Originally uploaded by notionnanny Michele Pred participated in the Day of Demos by showing visitors how to knit discarded cell phone chargers into baskets. A Berkeley-based artist, Pred creates sculptures out objects that would otherwise end of in a landfill, as well as post-9/11 confiscated items from airport security checkpoints: scissors, pocketknives, and clippers, for example.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-89083289691167564772007-06-19T21:03:00.001Z2007-06-19T21:03:10.715Z

New Objects Originally uploaded by notionnanny Here are some objects recently added to the Notion Nanny traveling exhibition: a letterpress tag featuring the Notion Nanny peddler's cry made with Macy Chadwick, a stained galss surrender flag made with Ted Ellison, a battleship ceramic tile made with Diane Winters, a global warming plackard made by Jeremy Thompson, and a ceramic mug with

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-37805802659028456152007-06-19T20:35:00.001Z2007-06-19T20:35:24.458Z

Demorama Originally uploaded by notionnanny It was a beautiful sunny day on May 20th when we held the Notion Nanny Day of Demonstrations on the terrace of the Berkeley Art Museum. Some of the "traditional" crafts represented include knitting, quilting, overshot weaving and applique, ceramic tile making and wheel-thrown pottery, stained glass, woodcut relief printing, letterpress, cheese

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-90698190026919213652007-06-19T20:34:00.000Z2007-06-19T20:49:13.284Z

Day of Demonstrations Originally uploaded by notionnanny Notion Nanny Day of DemonstrationsMay 20, 11 am to 3 pmThis open forum is related to Allison Smith's Notion Nanny exhibition, part of the Berkeley Art Museum's MATRIX series of exhibitions. Originally enacted in Britain, Notion Nanny is a collaborative social project in which Allison Smith takes on the role of an itinerant

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-29855915071809302152007-06-18T13:50:00.001Z2007-06-19T20:19:34.923Z

Theodore Ellison Originally uploaded by notionnanny Ted Ellison handcrafts leaded glass into period-inspired architectural windows and lighting, influenced by the Arts & Crafts tradition. He works with homeowners, architects and designers to create one-of-a-kind original designs with great attention to detail. As stated on his website at www.theodoreellison.com, "Through good design and

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-59057867205855512592007-06-18T13:43:00.001Z2007-06-19T19:54:01.638Z

Surrender Flag Originally uploaded by notionnanny The last step was to rub some acid into the metal, creating a patina that turned all of the leading to a warm dark black and unified the edges with the tassled rope.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-36112750776183350672007-06-18T13:42:00.001Z2007-06-19T19:51:26.562Z

Ted Affixing the Rope Originally uploaded by notionnanny Ted and I decided the surrender flag needed some sort of flourish. Ted had a great idea for how to make a twisted copper rope using the chuck of a drill to hold three strands of wire, clamping them in a vice grip, and letting the drill go. After some troubleshooting, Ted machined a little cap for a tassel, and we soldered the rope

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-44671610657171701212007-06-18T13:40:00.001Z2007-06-19T19:44:08.697Z

Soldered Together Originally uploaded by notionnanny Afterwards, I brushed the edges with flux and Ted taught me how to solder the pieces together. I remember watching my dad solder things in his workshop in the basement, and had always want to learn how to do it. It's really fun to watch the liquid metal cling and flow across the edges as it binds the glass together.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-80171048413836371572007-06-18T13:39:00.001Z2007-06-19T19:45:24.807Z

Preparing the Edges Originally uploaded by notionnanny After cutting the pieces using a band saw rigged up with a diamond blade and flowing water, I covered and trimmed the edges with copper foil tape and leading.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-33187136008739522292007-06-18T13:38:00.001Z2007-06-19T12:26:12.191Z

Rippled Glass Originally uploaded by notionnanny On the morning I was scheduled to go over to Ted's studio to make something, I woke up in a funk. I decided to make a stained glass flag signalling my desire to surrender. Ted had the perfect glass for the job: a rippled translucent white. I chose a faceted jewel-like element for the finial, which was salvaged from some antique glass

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-88097421037362608022007-06-18T13:37:00.001Z2007-06-19T12:20:44.760Z

Glass Palette Originally uploaded by notionnanny When brainstorming for ideas of what to make in stained glass, Ted let me look through lots of bins of odd bits and pieces of glass. I particularly liked some scraps of glass that he had etched with a Bauhaus design. We looked through lots of books in Ted's library, including a rare set of German catalogs on the history of stained glass.

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-32155798001281864872007-06-18T13:35:00.001Z2007-06-19T12:15:26.432Z

Stained Glass Originally uploaded by notionnanny Ted Ellison buys his glass directly from manufacturers and local distributors that import hundreds of varieties of glass from all over the country and Europe. He is constantly looking for unusual and unique glass to create his own original palette. In his studio there are literally thousands of piece of glass to choose from. This is one of

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-83510142554027273082007-06-18T13:30:00.000Z2007-06-19T12:09:14.515Z

Conversations Originally uploaded by notionnanny Macy Chadwick's company is called In Cahoots Press, because she likes to collaborate. In her artist book entitled The Conversation, she "tackles the challenges of verbal communication through layers of colorful shapes that reach in from the edges of the pages like two people leaning towards each other in intimate dialogue. Lines of poetry

Notion Nannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15678825767015877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14337001.post-2413262028627345472007-06-18T13:28:00.001Z2007-06-19T11:51:42.271Z

Macy Chadwick Originally uploaded by notionnanny Macy Chadwick earned her MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and has taught at the Academy of Art University, Colorado College, Oregon College of Art and Craft, the New York Center for Book Arts, and in her own studio. She worked as studio assistant to Julie Chen at Flying Fish Press in Berkeley for

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