Craft

Fur, Feathers, Bugs and Butterflies at MAD

Filed under: Events, Art

If the Museum of Arts and Design's new show had a soundtrack, it would be Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." As Jovi says and MAD's show tells, "Every day it seems we're wastin' away." Yet in the fascinating "Dead or Alive" show at MAD nothing -not fur, feathers, bones, insects, shell - goes to waste. In fact, 37 international artists whose work is on view have transformed once-living material into "lively" sculpture and installations.

Rather than morbid, the work is mysterious, highly personal, and each in its own way comments on the human condition and the transcendence of life, whether man or beast. One of the most remarkable installations is Keith W. Bentley's Cauda Equina,
made up of 1.4 million hand-knotted horse hairs mounted on fabric and applied to a horse mannequin. The result is a shaggy pony that resembles a huge sheep dog in mourning. Bentley is a self-trained artist who is passionate about animals. On learning that more than 250 horses were going to be slaughtered in processing plants, the artist obtained all the hair from the horses' manes and tails. He twisted and hand-knotted them, a painstaking process that took 12 years. He then created what is, in effect, a horse-hair blanket that he placed over the pony form to create the spooky installation. The idea of covering the pony's head with a flowing veil of horse hair evokes the Victorian custom of mourning when women covered their faces with a veil.

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Tags: art installation, craft, damien hirst, design, museum of art and design, Museum of Arts and Design, new york city, new york museum, shen shaomin

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How to Have a Stress Free Thanksgiving, Dine Out

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Holiday Guides

What is the best way to have a Thanksgiving spread that turns out looking like the glossy photographs in your favorite foodie magazine? I'm sure some readers are expecting a list, organizational techniques or special tips on how to create the perfect meal when you are working full time.

It seems that a better idea is to not slave over the stove, but take you and your family to the nearest upscale restaurant for the special meal. Eat, drink and relax, the turkey will be cooked to perfection. Handing the responsibility for a beautifully cooked Thanksgiving feast over to someone else might even make spending the day with your annoying cousins just that much more bearable.

Another bonus of not preparing your own Thanksgiving meal at home is that often the menu includes items for those at the table who really don't like turkey. It may be considered heresy, but there are many who, out of hunger, force down what is often a dry uninspired main course because that is the only option. There is often at least one vegetarian at every table who sits glumly while the rest of the guests are feasting.

For example, at Ken Aretsky's Patroon in New York City, pictured above, executive chef Bill Peet presents a family-style menu in the warm dining room of this midtown restaurant. In addition to the traditional free range turkey with all the old fashioned fixings (mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted Brussel sprouts and giblet gravy) you will find chateaubriand as well as Scottish salmon for the vegetarians in your group. The restaurant will charge $85 per adult and $45 per child for the meal. Whether you live in the tri-sate region, are in the area visiting family or to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade I can't think of a better way to make you meal truly stress free.

For those of you who live around the country and are watching the parade or the games on t.v., there are great Thanksgiving menu options at the Craft and Craftsteak restaurants, run by the award winning chef Tom Colicchio, located in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. (New York too!) The restaurants offer holiday prix fixe menus - everything is served family style, except the choice of main course.

Leave the turkey in the freezer, save it for a random winter weekend, and eat out!

Tags: cooking, Craft, Craftsteak, food and drink, FoodAndDrink, Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, MacysThanksgivingDayParade, Patroon Restaurant, PatroonRestaurant, stress reduction, StressReduction, Thanksgiving, turkey

Tom Colicchio's Tuesday Dinners

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

New Yorkers and those visiting the city might want to leave their Tuesdays free for a unique dining opportunity. "Top Chef" star and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio is opening a new small restaurant inside the private dining room of his Craft restaurant at 47 E. 19th St. His TOM: Tuesday Dinner will open on October 14 and will seat just 32 and be open only every other Tuesday. The important part is that Colicchio himself will do the cooking in the open kitchen. He has said that he is doing this for fun and to get himself back in the kitchen. Like many other celebrity chefs he has found himself busy overseeing his chain of restaurants, putting out books and doing a variety of personal appearances. He has cleared his schedule for a year to make sure he will be there to cook. The tasting menu will start at $150 and go as high as $250 per person for a seven to eight course meal. You can call for reservations at 212-400-6495.

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Tags: craft, new york, NewYork, restaurant, tom colicchio, TomColicchio

Panier Perc�: Embroider Yourself a Bowl

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

When you think embroidery you're probably not also thinking dishes, but the Panier Percé by Guillaume Delvigne & Ionna Vautrin is just that: a bowl you embroider yourself. It's a kit that includes a naked white glazed porcelain bowl and a set of embroidery materials/instructions of your choice. Not only is an embroidered bowl like this fairly unique to have around, but how often do you get the chance to make a project out of and create your own designer item? 136,00 €

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Tags: bowl, craft, crafts, diy, do it yourself, DoItYourself, embroider, embroidery, kitchen