January 8, 1999
Greetings Accumulators!
What a mess! Yesterday, it snowed here in NYC. We had about three inches,
followed by sleet and freezing rain, followed by rain and fog. Yuck!
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF WHAT'S JOHN BRUNO UP TO THESE DAYS?
John Bruno, The Wild Italian Guy, is now a columnist for New York City's
Antiques News. His column, named "What's It Worth?", appears monthly in
the paper, and also on the paper's website. It's very well written, and
funny too - just like John. You can reach his column by following this link:
Bruno.
John is also a very active and successful show promoter here in the
Northeastern U.S. I'll be posting his show schedule here from time to
time, so stay tuned.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE AN OVER-ACTIVE FANTASY LIFE DEPARTMENT
The Joseph Helman Gallery in New York City is presenting a show by the
artist Charles Simonds. Simonds' work consists of little "civilizations",
which he creates for "the little people". These are architectural
structures composed of tiny clay bricks, made from natural clay he digs in
New Jersey. But Simonds didn't always make these mini fantasy cultures for
display on pedestals. No, he started out by building little villages onto
his own body. Then, since I imagine he was finding it a little difficult
to do things like his laundry or eating out with friends (not to mention
the inevitable fashion problems), he began building his imaginary
landscapes on building ledges and the edges of their roofs. No people
person, he made them so that if anyone attempted to retrieve and haul them
home, they would fall apart, depriving both individual and community of his
work. If you're finding all this as fascinating as I am, you can see the
exhibit, along with Simonds' latest work, his fantasy plant forms, at the
Helman Gallery through February 20. The gallery is at 20 West 57th Street,
in New York City.
WHY I HOPE I NEVER HAVE TO REPORT A CRIME TO THE NORTH HAMPTON POLICE
In North Hampton, NH the police have announced that they're seeking help in
solving a crime. They THINK the theft occurred in August, 1998, but they
can't find the stolen article anywhere. What's missing? Oh - just a red
phone booth and five eight-foot-tall antique street lamps, stolen from the
Royal Windsor Restaurant. In case you wouldn't find anything memorable
about five eight-foot-tall street lamps if you saw them, they want you to
know that one of them had a clock in it. They also think a man named Stan
may have the items. Now, that's hard evidence! They're asking anyone with
information to contact Detective Michael Maddocks at (603)964-8621. And
when you call, please refrain from laughing.
MORE HELPFUL HINTS
You may have seen this one on "Personal FX": If you collect old beer and
soda cans, you know that the ones with no dents are the most expensive.
Well, you can buy the cheaper dented ones, fill them with dried peas, add
water and wait. As the peas absorb the water, they swell, pushing out the
dents from the inside.
So, Accumulators, it looks as if we may be housebound this weekend. The
weather is preventing our contractor from putting a new roof on the country
house, it's a mess outside, and there's nowhere great to go . We might
just take a ride up to Papermania in Hartford, CT.... Happy Hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 1999 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #68
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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