Helene from Melbourne stated on Dec. 16th that “Rich people and “cultivated” people need to be educated about modern lace, and I have answered the call!
The Living Billboard Campaign for Modern Lace continued on Dec. 26th when I donned my all black attire and fastened on Lenka’s scallop pendant. My first appearance was at Le Monde (Cuisine of the Loire Valley) where my family and I stopped for lunch with what appeared to be a largely French clientele, before going to a tour of St. John the Divine. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which has been undergoing construction for over a hundred years and is two/thirds finished, has always set a standard for employing contemporary and American artists. For one thing they commissioned the Oneida of the Sybil Carter Missions to make a lace altar set. For another, there is a modern altar piece by Keith Haring which he made in Yoko Ono’s apartment while he was dying of AIDS. Unfortunately, I did not receive any real notice, nor regrettably, any ecclesiastical commissions for Lenka. On December the 29th I wore the Lambiris “Indian Dog” piece to a café on Bleecker St, adorned with modern art and had myself pictured with a modern art wall fountain. Later I strolled the streets around the galleries of Greenwich Village flaunting the pendant. Although there were no direct requests for information, I am assuming there was a large effect on the subliminal level. Then we cabbed it on over to the FiberArts International 2004 at the Museum of Art and Design. The entries, although impressive in their own way, were totally lacking in modern lace. It was an outrage! Can’t we do something about this? I walked across the street to the Museum of Modern Art to exhibit myself to the unconscionably long line of would-be museum goers. However, it did not seem that it was wise to join the line that late in the day. Later we strolled the avenues around Rockefeller Center, stopping in Fendi where my daughter tried on a $12,000 fur coat causing near heart failure in her father. While at Fendi, I sensed that the resistance of the Jet Set to modern lace was being worn down, although there was no obvious manifestation of this. We then went to Symphony Space, where despite my uttering loud remarks to my companions about modern lace, the lady in the seat next to me refused to take the bait and pretended not to notice “Indian Dog”. The following day, I wore Lenka’s work again. I was standing at the information desk of the Metropolitan Museum of Art waiting for friends when I noticed a woman, dressed entirely in black with a single silver pin, eying my pendant. I engaged her and allowed her to admire it, giving an impromptu speech about the wonders of modern lace and writing down for her Lenka’s web address. During a pre-theatre dinner at Centolire, a posh eatery near the museum, I demanded to be seated in the window, but due to the fact that it was still too early for the main dinner crowd did not have an opportunity to lecture anyone about modern lace. However, the sight of my husband photographing us led the waiter to ask, “Where are you folks from?” indicating that he was assuming we were tourists documenting our trip rather than people on a serious mission to popularize modern lace. Later, we attended La Cage au Folles, but received no inquiries. My friend Sarah opined that another theatre goer who was wearing a green rhinestone baseball cap had stolen my thunder. Yesterday, I had a dental appointment in New York. A rare dental problem has put me in the position of having to go to a very expensive Madison Avenue dentist. I recalled that on a previous appointment I had overheard another woman in the waiting room talking about having her five fur coats cleaned. So I wore Lenka’s pendant to the dentist, hoping to spark some interest. I was especially hoping the dentist, who I know to be a rich man with a taste for fine wines, would notice it. I had failed to reckon with the fact that a paper bib would be draped over the pendant during the treatment. (I should have worn the Lambiris piece.) However, while I was dealing with the dentist’s insurance specialist, she noticed and admired the piece and I was able to scribble Lenka’s website on her notepad before she could stop me. I rushed back to New Jersey and was delivering a request for interlibrary loan to the Livingston Library in my Campaign attire. The librarian who has been a strong and active ally in my lace book borrowing was very impressed with the pendant, so I got in another plug for modern lace. She expressed confidence that the campaign would be successful. Many thanks to Susan Lambiris has been kind enough to assist me in posting my photo journal of the campaign on the community webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003-date> Devon who welcomes gifts of modern lace to be exhibited and offers of sponsorship - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
