Keith Johnson, Anthropologie’s art & antiques buyer and host of the Sundance Channel series Man Shops Globe, will celebrate the art & design community in New Orleans with a gallery exhibition Beyond the Quarter.
Debuting January 19th at the New York City Rockefeller Center location, the show will feature designs by nine New Orleans-based artists & designers selected by Johnson.
Kaki Foley's chairs, provided by Anthropologie, are painted with gold metal leaf. The mixed media light fixture is crafted from paper and feathers and embellished with antique crystals, and the tea stained mirror is finished with antique lace.
Pasty Grace created a series of mixed media collages picturing birds and wildlife endangered by the recent BP Oil Spill. The birds were made from shards of Saudi, British, and American currency stained with oil from tar balls collected along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Ashley Longshore created a one-of-a-kind wingchair using a vintage kilim rug as her canvas. She hand-painted it with a design reminiscent of the iron work prevalent in New Orleans. The rug was then used as upholstery fabric for the chair. Alexa Pulitzer created a settee upholstered with Belgian linen and hand-embroidered with “Laisser les Bon Temps Rouler” or “Let the good times roll”. Gretchen Howard created a hand-painted vintage suitcase embellished with fragments of paintings ruined in Hurricane Katrina. Helene Florence designed an upholstered chair embellished with a vintage obi, flowers constructed of vintage Japanese kimono fabric, Louisiana oyster shells and vintage jewelry. Rebecca Rebouché's painting entitled “Front Porch Storm” captures the feeling of sitting on her grandmother’s front porch in the country at night watching dramatic thunderstorms. Finding them thrilling and magical, the artist wanted to convey the exciting energy of watching it rain, sleeping through the thunder and dreaming of swans and sailboats braving similar weather.
"We are committed to New Orleans’ art and design community and are continually introducing new collections and fresh talent for future projects," said a company representative. The New Orleans store location showcases a unique assortment of work by city natives including pillows by Jill Dupré, a tufted rug by Shelley Hese and latte bowls painted by Ashley Longshore. The product range extends to accessories with jewelry and belts crafted by Helene Florence, Katherine Dejarnette Babin, Kerry Fitts, Nancy Rett and Suzannah Murray. In addition a work by painter Rebecca Rebouché is a permanent feature of the store design.
The exhibition will be on view at Anthropologie at 50 Rockefeller Plaza from January 19th – March 21st. Prices range from $880 - $5,800. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday 10 am – 8 pm and Sunday 11 am – 7 pm.
