Anthology

Oh, I swoon each time I’m near.  Owned by two Madison sisters/artists, Anthology is very unique experience. When a newcomer firsts steps in they have a bit of a sensory overload to concur.  With beautiful thoughtful displays and a ceiling that makes me want to sing, you can find works of functional and non functional nature (all are inspirational).  This summer when I first arrived here in Madison Anthology became my haven, if I needed inspiration, supplies, gifts, or a jump start for my mood I could always count on a surge from here.  Over these past 6 months Anthology has shifted, changed, grown, and evolved.

As the holidays approach we hope that you will remember local businesses and local artists.  I know that everyone will be receiving local handmade gifts, gift cards from independent restaurants, or books and music from non-chained stores from me. While we here at State Street Gallery would love to have you stop by and look, keep in mind that Anthology is just a block away and is full of holiday gifts.

This is a lengthy interview, but full of inspiration, and hey you guys asked for more reviews and external interviews . . .  

 

Would you consider Anthology a shop/gallery/inspiration center?

Laura: I know it sounds overly ambitious, but as always…I want it all. I consider the function of Anthology to be facilitating creativity – in myself, in local artists, and in customers. As a result, we are a little of everything: we are shop, classroom, gallery, museum, art, craft. As artists ourselves, Anthology provides us with a venue to showcase our own creations and ideas. As a store that accepts work on consignment from local artists, we provide a venue for other people to share their work. Because we have so many different artists, we get an eclectic collection of products – baby onesies and bibs, necklaces and earrings, aprons, purses, etc. As a place that sells art supplies, holds workshops and acts as show n’ tell for artist works, we supply inspiration for people to (to borrow from Paper Source) “do something creative every day”. Some customers come in and purchase items immediately for themselves or as gifts; others come in to visit their favorite pieces (such as collages or altered books) or take a workshop for inspiration or new ideas to take home.

 

How do you manage the different aspects of Anthology and keep it so fresh?

Laura: Simply put, it is a matter of space. Anthology is a small store and even the slightest changes to the windows, or smallest product arrival requires scrunching and moving around in the store. Creating things ourselves and getting work from local artists means that products are constantly changing — since many things are one of a kind, you’ll never see the same thing again once it is gone, and our local artists are constantly trying new things and bringing in different creations.

 

Sachi: Laura and I really complement each other–we’ve basically divided all the responsibilities of the shop in half. Both of us have to do a little paperwork, a little cleaning, a little PR. We take turns doing window displays so neither of us gets burnt out; we each have our own list of consignment artists and wholesalers that we’ve selected for the shop. I like passing on customer comments to our consignment artists and giving suggestions for subject matter that might be well received. I think that both our consignees and customers keep things fresh–I love asking customers what projects they’re going to make with our supplies. We might assemble the raw materials but customers inspire us with the way they modify them.

 

The space has grown so very much in the time I have been in Madison, has it become something different then you had originally imagined? Or has it blossomed in the way you thought?

Laura: Since we’ve been thinking about this store for so long, the store is largely going according to plan. It took us a little time to build up our stock and increase our collection of local artist works and there are always variations on the theme but, overall, I’d say Anthology is true to its theme of creativity and is only different from my original imaginings in its scope. I think both Sachi and I are creating more, selling more, and inspiring more people than we could have imagined.

Sachi: Every once in a while I reread the business plan that I wrote and I have to laugh because small ideas have become our whole identity. I only mentioned craft parties in passing; we now host bridal showers, book groups, kids’ birthday parties, as well as community-building workshops for companies and sororities. We didn’t even mention the button maker and now people call us the Button Shop. I knew that Anthology would have to offer more than pretty things on a shelf–we would need to create a community, a place where people could play. I love providing that kind of time and space for families and friends.

 

As Artists yourselves has your personal work changed now that you spend your days in such a rich full space?

Laura: Well, you should see my apartment. In many ways, this space is just an extension of what I was already living. I think I am mostly continuing along the path that I was on, as far as my artwork is concerned. It is stimulating to be in this space everyday, to interact with artists and customers, and for my sister and I to bounce ideas off each other. The main thing that has changed is the need for greater time management. I am having to make a lot more things to restock what has sold in the store and much of the day is filled with doing creative things. More intense, thought-requiring work has to be done at home at night, when there is less energy than there used to be for creating after a day of button bracelets and collage pack assembly.

Sachi: It’s impossible for me to do my tag drawings at work–I still need to set aside a whole day or week of evenings to draw at home. But I’m having fun hand sewing at the shop (mostly onesies with various designs), and I’m really enjoying the button bracelets. The irony is that I only draw in pencil and yet my bracelets are all grouped by color so I spend a lot of time poring over piles of paper looking for reds and yellows, for example. I think it has freed me considerably. And I never thought I’d have so much fun scouring thrift stores for vintage cookbooks.

I’m glad I also found a way to turn my drawings into wearable art (epoxy necklaces featuring prints of my drawings–bird’s nests, shells, acorns). I like making artwork accessible and part of the everyday.

 

Where do you each pull inspiration from?

Laura: My work is mostly about playing with color. In my quilts, I’m really just combining as many different fabrics as I can; in my collages as well, I just work with colors – I might pick a loose theme, but the process of creating is mostly about playing and trying different things. That is one of the reasons I’ve so enjoyed my recent forays into altered books — it’s all about playing.

Sachi: with my tag portraits I am literally filling an order from a customer who wants me to draw a sailboat, a pair of running shoes, etc. Still, I have to be “in the flow” when I do these drawings–I’ve been known to draw a dog three different ways for three nights in a row. And this is on a tiny 1″ tag! I definitely know when I got it right or I need to start over. When I draw on my own I’m inspired by natural forms (nests, seed pods), ornate stonework and different cultures. I did a series based on Mexican milagros that included symbols of beginnings and endings (a fetus, a skull, angel wings from an early American gravestone).

 

 

 

 

 

I would love to hear about a few of your favorites. . .items you carry, books you have read, places to eat, movies to see, albums to hear, artists in town?

Laura’s favs: at the store: sweet Story Pictures that pair text with photos, Kelli Hoppman prints, the craft book collection, washi/hand marbled/Italian papers… oh, who am I kidding? It’s our store, it’s ALL favorites!; authors: Brian Andreas, Neil Gaiman; artists who have influenced me: Kaffe Fassett, Teesha Moore, DJ Pettit via Susie Carlson, Claudine Hellmuth, Juliana Coles, the country of Japan, children’s book illustrators, the scrapbooking industry which has come up with or re-purposed more things than you could imagine (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it — anyone who makes tiny vellum envelopes widely available is a fav in my book); artful things to do: Valley Ridge Arts Studio workshops; places to eat: Lombardino’s, Asia Express, Sa Bai Thong, Eldorado Grill, Shish Cafe, Villa Dolce, David Bacco Chocolates, and I can’t wait to take my little niece to Ella’s Deli. As for music… I think I’d go with 105.5– they are usually the first with any new favs.

Sachi: Well, it feels like Christmas morning every time Naomi drops off more storybook bracelets and picture frames; I love poring over Emily Kircher’s bottle cap magnets and necklaces as well. I get really excited when the following shipments arrive: cute Japanese folders and stickers, miniature food replicas from Japan, and vintage soda pop/beer bottle cap beads that I then make into necklaces.

I have a 14-month old so for now I can only deal in hypotheticals: if I could go out I’d order the grilled cheese sandwich with fries at the Old Fashioned; I’d check out grad student work in the review show on campus, I’d see the latest Bond flick and I’d read the entire Sunday New York Times.

 

Find out more about what is new at Anthology’s Blog. . . http://anthology.typepad.com/