Art Journal of Heidi Alamanda: Tara McPherson's Cotton Candy Machine

I've been seeing news about Tara McPherson's new art boutique circulating on facebook, starting around a month ago. Then Angie Mason mentioned it to me last time I met her at Last Rites Gallery. DH and I thought it would be great to check out the new store, since the opening would be on Saturday, which was perfect time for us. I personally like it on Saturday because it doesn't disrupt my daily schedule in creating art. While it never feels like work since I'm doing something that I really love, it's very important to me to have self discipline. Anyway, Saturday's opening is great because it's day that I give myself a day off. We also have never visited Brooklyn, so it's even better.

Tara transformed her storefront studio into a gallery/boutique called Cotton Candy Machine. The new boutique will specialize in art prints, rock posters, tshirts, books, and a variety of merchandise including stickers, toys, buttons and more. The grand opening featured its first group exhibition "Tiny Trifecta" curated by Tara McPherson and Sean Leonard. It consisted of 100 artists, with each artist contributed tiny artworks priced at $100.

We arrived at Brooklyn at bit early, so we could eat somewhere first. We stopped by at Pierogi and Like the Spice galleries for a quick look on our walk to the restaurant. People at both galleries are friendly and helpful. Marisa Sage, the owner of Like the Spice, also has this blog where she posts some updates from the gallery. We hope to return there again for a longer visit next time we are in Brooklyn.

Then we walked over to Don Pancho Mexican restaurant for a big late lunch. DH got a molé burrito. It was one chubby gigantic burrito. I completely forgot to take photo of the chubby burrito as I was so hungry myself.

Feeling happy, energized and well-fed, we walked back to Cotton Candy Machine. As we approached the shop, we immediately spotted a long line down the block. We walked closer to the store and we could see that the space wasn't packed inside, so we were a bit confused since we thought the opening would be open for the public at 7PM. Fortunately, we met up with Esao Andrews and his cute dog Soybean (^_^). He told us that those people were waiting to purchase the artwork, and that moment only participating artists were allowed to be in the gallery. DH decided to take photos from outside the store while I was waiting there. I got a chance to meet some cool people while waiting *waving at Angie Mason and Melissa Heid*. Tara McPherson let us in around 8PM. The art boutique was cute and cozy. All the artworks hung on the left wall side of the store. They did stencil on one wall for displaying the artworks and painted huge rainbow and clouds on the other side using Tara's distinctive color palettes. You can find a lot of Tara McPherson's products like housewares, stationery, prints, stickers, t-shirts, and more in the store. I saw some art books like Travis Louie's and Mark Ryden's also available at the store.

By the time we were inside the store, it was already really packed. I recognized most of the artwork but not all since I didn't have a chance to take a look at each artwork closely. The display wall was next to the cash register where the store staff would call the buyers with their assigned numbers. Those buyers would wander around the wall to choose the artwork, while the staff checked the list to find whether that piece was still available or not. Other viewers also circled around the display wall either to snap some photos or observing their favorite pieces. If we lived nearby, we would definitely return there again to have a better look of them.

During that event, I finally got a chance to talk to Tara McPherson in the middle of the crowd. I also met other participating artists like Martin Wittfooth, Eric White, Esao Andrews, Angie Mason and Arabella Proffer. Arabella and I have been friends both on twitter and facebook, so I was glad to finally see her that night. It was honestly difficult to spot anyone in that crowd, so I was happy to spot her:) I also met another facebook and twitter friend, Edith Lebeau. It was great to talk to you all!

If you want to visit Tara's new art boutique and the group show, here's the info

Cotton Candy Machine
Store hours: Tuesday through Sunday from Noon to 8pm.
235 South 1st Street (between Roebling and Havemeyer)
Brooklyn, NYC 11211
718.387.3844

The group show runs until May 1st, 2011. I have the feeling that all pieces are already sold out, but you can always call the store to see if they still have some available.

Some photos from the event...
(all photos by David F. Luecke, © Alamanda Art. Original works © their respective creators. All rights reserved.)