Full Stop

August 24, 2015 by Amy Freeman

Ever fashioned a house, castle, or fort from a humongous box? Remember how it challenged you to create and inhabit an imaginary world, a paracosm?

Full Stop is that: a fully realized paracosm in 3-D that you don’t even have to build nor buy a ticket to enter.

Imagine a to-scale artist’s studio made of ordinary cardboard, complete with stove, a work sink, and even a separate toilet. And then, imagine stocking that studio with a full complement of tools, cans, ladders, tables, art supplies, art books, papers—even a slide projector for your art slides. But to keep things interesting, imagine all of this made solely with cardboard, black paint, wood, and hot glue.

Someone, a gifted someone named Tom Burckhardt, has done exactly that. From the exterior to the interior walls, everything visible is made of cardboard. Visitors are allowed to walk inside, and experience the penultimate cardboard fantasy, allowing their inner child to wander in and wonder. At the center of this mythical artist’s studio, a (cardboard) blank canvas awaits on an (cardboard) easel. (More about that canvas in a sec.)

If there is one art installation for everybody, this might be it: Full Stop, by artist Tom Burckhardt. It is guaranteed to make you stop, gawk, and smile. Hit the Weatherspoon Art Museum (open every day but Mondays) before the exhibition leaves October 21 for the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. And enter Burckhardt’s imagination.

My engineer husband walked in the studio door (cardboard) and said, “Hunh! This is cool!” He admired the cardboard floor; the cardboard pipes snaking up the wall and in the toilet with the lid up and a plunger at the ready; he admired the cardboard turpentine and tubes of paint, the brushes inside the sink. The ladder and tools against the wall; a turntable. The goose neck lamp and clutter on the desk. The shelves filled with paper art books. A chair, stool, and radiators. The walls lined with sketches, portraits and snippets. Windows with smeary views of NYC. The potbellied stove and a gas stove, complete with a lidded pot and espresso maker.

In fact, he grinned broadly at all details large and small, lingering long over an oil can. For an engineer, an oil can is a thing of beauty.

My teenage niece declared it better than Disney. (High praise from her.) Then, stopped fully herself before a slide carousel, she asked “What is that?” A Kodak slide required explanation.

Yes, there is definitely an archival quality to this studio, which emulates famous artists’ studios like Jasper Johns, de Kooning, and Pollack. (Burckhardt’s photographer father, Rudy Burckhardt, shot their studios for ARTnews.)

And that haunting blank canvas that dominates the studio? How else to impel the viewer to ponder the artistic process that begins with nothing and sometimes ends there? A journal with entries by the artist leaves no doubt: making art is lonely and consuming.

But Burckhardt’s Full Stop is assessable and intriguing. He understood, perhaps best of all, that down to the last paint stroke and fold of paper, design matters.—CA

It all started with an Instagram post

August 17, 2015 by Amy Freeman

After exploring the mountain bike trails of Lake Crabtree outside of Raleigh we made the call to head back towards High Point for a late afternoon lunch. As usual, we were dirty, sweaty, hungry, and very, very thirsty! A cold beer is always the best recovery drink.

Scrolling through Instagram I noticed a post from my friend Leigh. The photo was from the tasting room of New River Farmhouse Ales located in Saxapahaw. Boy did those frosty beers make my mouth water. But--where the heck is Saxapahaw? We quickly googled, loaded up maps and headed off to find our friends. Little did we know that we would stumble upon, a quaint rural community where a lofty vision has paid off.

The restored Saxapahaw Rivermill, which is nestled on the banks of the Haw River is the perfect anchor for what was already a charming community built around organic farming and sustainable living and a short drive to Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Durham.

We found our friends who were shocked beyond belief that we would be in Saxapahaw! We confessed that we had seen the Instagram post and this was not a random meeting. We quickly trotted off to New River Farmhouse Ales tasting room and we were not disappointed. New River Farmhouse Ales prides itself on Belgian style brewed beer with a country twist, using fresh local ingredients lending the brew a distinct character.

There are lots of gems at the Rivermill including the Saxapahaw General Store known for it's gourmet food and specialty items and has been featured in the New York Times and Gourmet magazine. If that's not enough there is the Left Bank Butchery, Cup 22 Coffee House, The Eddy Pub, and the Haw River Ballroom.

The back side of the Rivermill has been converted to loft condominiums. We called the listing agent and made a trip back to Saxapahaw the following Saturday to tour the lofts and enjoy the Saxapahaw Farmers Market and Music Series later in the day.

The lofts offered a modern surprise within the reinterpreted mill structure. The two level dwellings offer an open and flexible plan while keeping many of the structural elements of the original rustic building. The model is finished with well appointed amenities and finishes.

After being wowed by the lofts we ate a quick bite at Eddy's Pub where simple food is amplified by local ingredients. We grabbed a growler from New River farmhouse and headed across the street to the Saxapahaw Farmers Market and Music Series. The stage is positioned at the bottom of the hill which serves as a natural bowl for an amphitheatre. The music series runs every Saturday from May till the end of August usually bringing hundreds of people. The event is free, however, there is the iconic swan that is passed around for donations. The crowd is diverse and the music was delightful.

If you looking for a fun excursion I would highly recommend Saxapahaw. With the Haw River as your playground and the Saxapahaw Rivermill providing a great place to spend an afternoon with great food, beverages, checking out some cool crafts, and listening to great music. Contented, refreshed, our appetites and senses sated, Saxapahaw's scene delivers on all counts...because they get it...design matters. --AF

A Tale of Two City Hotels

August 05, 2015 by Amy Freeman

21C- The Counting House Restaurant and Bar

21C- Vault Lounge

Crafted cocktails...oh yeah!

The Durham Hotel and Rooftop Bar

21C- Lobby

The Durham Hotel and Restaurant

On the way to a vibrant downtown scene, Durham will soon be the hub to multiple independent hotels. Our jaunt to the Bull City included the discovery of two different but surprisingly complementary concepts: The 21C and The Durham.

The 21C hotel, 111 N. Corcoran St., brings art to the forefront, literally by merging art gallery and hotel. The museum - hotel is the third iteration of the 21c brand and has taken on the task of bringing unexpected high quality contemporary art into public light with seven site specific and various rotating exhibitions.

The 125 room renovated Art Deco building was originally the bank and department store of John Sprunt Hill designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon Associates (of Empire State Building fame). The recent designers at Deborah Berke used architectural restraint in the elevator lobby leaving green marble walls, silver leafed ceilings and terrazzo floors in place while playing on the unpredictable quality of the art itself in the design of the mezzanine level toilets. The design team grouped transparent toilet rooms as if on exhibit. With a flick of a switch the glass panels become obscure to the bystander.

We meandered through the art exhibit and ventured down to the basement level which was once the bank and department store vault, now a unique lounge. After having a perfectly crafted cocktail at the bar we headed over to the Counting House Restaurant for delightful meal.

A second bank building, the former Home Savings Bank re-purposed as The Durham, swings to a different vibe. The Durham, a whimsical mid-century modern hotel, 315 East Chapel Hill Street, by the 315 Hotel Group and the design team at Commune makes me itchy for a dirty martini and a skinny tie. A 54-room full service hotel with a snazzy hotel rooftop bar that provide dramatic views of the city to go along with a cool scene of its own will include music, cocktails and movies (in homage to the old Center Theater formerly of the site?).

It that's not enough the mod vibe has enticed Andrea Reusing, the James Beard award winning chef of Chapel Hill's Lantern to set up shop in the 1960 style two story steel and glass curtain-wall lobby space.

Downtown Durham supporters including the Durham City Council have made the commitment to improving the city core but more importantly making good design an integral component of recreating Durham's downtown as an art and cultural destination. Both hotels were provided extensive incentives.

Intuitively you feel a sense of excitement; you order a martini and before the ice melts you realize that you have discovered a fresh new scene ...design matters. --PF