Remembering Second Seating, One Year Later

Second Seating opened one year ago. September 24, 2009. Since it's nearly 1:00 a.m. on September 25, I've missed acknowledging the anniversary of the opening by an hour. Instead of posting on this blog at the very moment in time when Second Seating was crowded with people, I chose to spend the evening watching three episodes of Mad Man, Season 2 with Earl. Choices, choices. But, Second Seating has been on my mind of late. I guess that is what anniversaries are for. Remembering.

A year ago last Thursday evening, Second Seating opened with mariachis and speeches and was just about everything I hoped it would be. All three of my daughters were in town as were Queta and her mom and Lulu Bell.

Mixing and mingling in the crowd were the participating artists (except for Ted and Jose) and they brought their families and friends.

Funders and sponsors were there, officials, district board members, people who volunteered their time and expertise were on hand, so, so many good friends and and lots of interested folks who'd heard about the exhibition and simply 'showed up'.

So, all day Thursday and Friday as I worked on artist contracts for my new project and found myself in meeting after meeting, I wondered how to commemorate this particular anniversary. I thought about going to lunch with friends at Irma's and ordering the Second Seating Special. Would the staff at Irma's still remember what the lunch plate comprised?

I have reminisced about how beautiful it looked that first night and have thought about the many people who crowded the space. There was a certain electricity in the air, for me at least. For the run of the show, we scheduled a series of evening gatherings and field trips, hosting almost 2000 people who found their way to that metal building.

Some more things I remember? Moving Irma's canvas laundry bags over to the vintage linens table under the Clorox bottle chandelier, so those bursting laundry bags became part of the installation. I remember calling Carmella Rojas time and again to ask her to make just 'another three" and then just another 'four or five' filigreed Clorox bottles, so we'd have enough for that six foot tall chandelier.

The same music played day after day and I know some of the docents got really bored with the tapes, but I loved the songs and truly, I think I never tired of them because for me they spoke about the installation itself. I loved fiddling with the banquet table which was encrusted with bowls and jars and candles and fresh fruit and my sugar cathedrals and cazuelas filled with dried pinto beans and endless items I found at garage sales and The Guild Shop.

During the run of the exhibition, I even created a book on Blurb about this table called "Overheard at Second Seating" which was filled with word vignettes and images taken from the banquet table. I loved the light fixtures made with sections of Baker Hughes oil drilling pipes that sat on a a compressed ton of aluminum soda and beer cans.

I loved the thousands of oyster shells that I collected from Goode Seafood and then dried out behind the studio and which Alex washed and carted down to the space as we installed the show. I loved Gonzo 24/7's painted patterns on the chandelier that hung over a table encrusted with silver shell dishes and goblets and messages about the destruction of our wetlands and oyster beds (and this was before the BP oil spill).

I loved Mark Ellis' ingenuity in pulling this encrusted table visually closer to its chandelier by attaching dozens of pieces of the plastic that hold six-packs together. That was brilliant. And I loved the wall of plates because of the very scale of it, right there at the entrance.

As I write, I remember more and more. It was a terrific experience to work with so many talented people: the artists, the friends who sewed on that huge 10 x 14 foot patchwork tablecloth, the carpenters, electricians and lighting folks, the graphic designers, those that worked on the data base and invitation list, the show's docents and the several folks who kept the place swept and the wine poured. We got preparations for a party or a 'gathering' down to under half an hour.

There were so many evening 'gatherings.' I loved the gathering in partnership with Aerosol Warfare when Carolyn Casey made dozens of LED 'throwies' and as many as 100 people threw these tiny magnet lights on the wall of our metal building.

In retrospect, Second Seating was a labor of love from beginning to end. A series of creative acts by many, many people. Lots of time spent raising money. Lots of time spent 'asking.' 'Asking' became, perhaps, my most creative act.

Just thinking about Second Seating makes me long for another and yet another space where folks can gather and ponder and feel as if they are somewhere special, spaces that are light filled, a bit romantic, a lot nostalgic and certainly dream-making. Second Seating was all of that for me.

Thanks to every single person who made Second Seating a real place in time. Thanks to every person who crossed that threshold into a special space in time.

Perhaps at long last, after seeing these images again, I'll get to that last big task on my Second Seating 'still to do' list. That task is to finish the 'unfinished book' called "The Making of Second Seating." Begun in early 2010 with great enthusiasm, it bogged down because of problems moving 'selected photos' online to Blurb. My entire iPhoto collection of images was inadvertently moved onto Blurb and their 'Help' got back to me saying, "Once on, on forever." How easy it was for me to lose heart at the thought of beginning all over again, especially since I really like the parts of the book already laid out.

Then, of course, I got taken up with this new project called 'lead artist on the architectural team for the Houston Permitting Center and Green Building Resource Center" that feels almost full time.

However, I feel inspired seeing Second Seating images again. "The Making of Second Seating" just made it back on my list of things to do.

Life is so full.

Three Weeks From Tonight

It's just after 10:00 p.m. and I expect that in three weeks time, we'll all still be at Irma's with a margarita in hand and the opening reception of Second Seating will be over. Folks will have seen Gonzo247's incredible table and chairs (see the detail above), they'll have been amazed at all the work they didn't expect, the throwies will have been tossed at dusk, the mariachis will have sung, speeches made, if there are any, and the parking lot emptied of guests.
Except those of us who are still there. The artists, best friends and family. That number will include my three daughters from the Pacific Northwest and Lulu Bell, my youngest grandchild. I am excited and we still have three more weeks in which to work. I am seeing time as long, extended, 'still have,' instead of fretting that we 'only have' three weeks. Three weeks is a quite a lot of time and things are moving forward with each day.
Invitations will are not back from the printer and won't be until the day after Labor Day so folks won't get them until 5 or so days after that. But I am trusting in the universe on this one. It'll work as it should.Here's today. The alarm woke me at 5:30 and it was hard to get out of bed and head for Fiesta once again for more boxes. Didn't get there until after 6:00 a.m. and this time the boxes weren't broken down so I made two trips from Fiesta to home. It was nearly daylight when I finished. Truck drivers were unloading new boxes filled with cereal and soap and their motors are left running, so it's noisy. Inside it's bright and everyone is wide awake. The supervisor helped me down the ramp with a dollie loaded with boxes. I think I have enough corrugated boxes now to assemble a table top, that is unless I totally screw up trying to channel Rauschenberg.
At 8:30 I met Bobby Schlitzberger at Spectrum Metals and he and his grandson got the 1000 pound bale of compressed cans on their truck which has a small crane on the back for manuvering heavy loads.
Bobby can move anything safely and with humor. He tells his staff that the granite they usually move is 15 million years old and it's been waiting a long time to fall on someone, so there's a lot of care taken in transporting and laying things gently on the ground. The bale of cans is now in place. Thank you, Spectrum Metals Recycling for loaning this tremendous hulk of cans and thank you, Schlitzberger & Daughters Monument Co. for getting it on site. Once again, I am reminded, as if I ever forget, that Second Seating wouldn't be happening without the help and generosity of dozens of people each making individual 'yes' decisions. After the bale was in place I went to the studio on Harrisburg and emptied the car of boxes and newspapers. Alex and I are going to pack things on Friday a.m. and move all the tables and a couple of chandeliers into the space. We may even get to the oyster shells which have been in a natural cleaning process for over a month now behind my house. We'll need a wheelbarrow and a shovel. The more stuff that makes it way into the gallery space, the better.
The shelving for Wall of Plates has been rescheduled once again. Now we'll assemble it on Labor Day and I'll paint it all next week. I'll be spending the better part of my days there from now on. This is not a show where you move things in and arrange them on walls. There are parts of this exhibition that will be created in the moment.
Electricians have ordered a few connectors for the track lights and so they'll be back next week to finish up. All in all, the space looks as if something is going to happen there.
This afternoon, Modelle and I went over the details for the opening reception, making note of all the loose ends that need to be gathered up and put on the 'done' list. There are dozens of things that need to move over to the 'done' column.
At 5:00 I went to see how Gonzo247 is doing with his table and chairs. They just get better and better. See this series of photos.I've spent the evening listening to bits of opera arias while sewing on the Bayou, Bay, Beach chandelier. Lots of hand sewing. Why didn't I see this coming? It's been another good day, even though the arias brought on a touch of evening melancholy.

My New Favorite Words

What exactly are my new favorite words?

'Made possible in part by a grant from the City of Houston
through the Houston Arts Alliance.'

I'm loving those words. Now I can use them when I talk about Second Seating. Late this afternoon my cell phone rang when I was right in the middle of a nice long shower. For whatever reason, I emerged from the shower with wet hair and much dripping on the floor. And with wet hair and much dripping, I received a call with the news that the grant application submitted on my behalf by Neighborhood Centers, Inc. had just been approved for funding. On this very day.
I am really happy about this funding. And I am breathing deeply, one breath after another. I'm enjoying every one of these deep breaths. The estimates of expenses for production that I poured over weeks ago? Now, I can pay for them all. Not that Second Seating was ever in danger of not opening on September 24, exactly one month from this evening, by the way. But funds would have been tight and I'd have thought twice about postage for any extra invites that needed to be mailed. I might have fretted if the paint color I chose needed to be covered over with a better shade of green. The exhibition's signage will be classy now. The electrician's fee to make the place ready for a dozen incredible chandeliers doesn't seem as scary as it did earlier this morning.
This particular funding didn't come out of thin air. I had lots of folks championing Second Seating. Folks went out on a limb to support this endeavor. Not one person really knows what to expect. And yet, they do know some things. They know the tenacity and salesmanship I bring to bear on a project. They know I am both responsible and creative. They know I'll pull it off and surprise them. And the folks who supported this particular funding understand that Second Seating is about inclusion and collaboration, the most important things to know.
One never, ever, does anything alone. At least, not in my experience. People see that common goal, jump on it and play a part. Second Seating has eight participating artists and quite a mix they are, each one talented and contributing something unique to the whole. We're all telling our stories about community and the visual narratives are what makes Second Seating.
So, my thanks to each of you who supported this special opportunity funding and who believe that Second Seating is truly 'a one-time offbeat arts destination in downtown Houston' as the most recent press release states.Second Seating is just blocks from the George R. Brown Convention Center where, in October, 55,000 quilters will wend their way through miles of quilts. These visitors to Houston not only get to see Second Seating, should they choose to take a break from those miles of quilts, but they also get to eat a Second Seating Lunch Special at Irma's, winner of a 2008 James Beard American Classics Award.
This is a lot about marketing. Special opportunity? You bet. What a combination. And today, Houston Arts Alliance joined the list of underwriters of Second Seating. At last.

Saturday. Oh, and Dean Foods

Well, I had a morning of shopping, for Second Seating, of course. Began the morning by picking up another tub of oyster shells (They are still smelling up the back of my car. I must get out there and deal with them.). Then dashed over to Michael's for more embroidery floss, so I can stitch together pieces of another wall hanging. Stopped by Bering's for some free coffee and plate holders for all these plates I've been writing on and baking.
Then I couldn't help myself. I stopped by the Guild Shop and found ever more plates to write on as well as another old metal top-of-the-stove coffee pot and a tray with hand painted roses.

Remember those two French style chairs that I forgot to purchase in a timely way for the Bayou, Bay, Beach tableau, when I first saw them months ago at Corporate Outfitters? Of course, they were sold when I finally returned for them, and so I've spent time this week looking for replacements. Here's a potential replacement. I am sure the right ones will turn up if they are truly necessary.
In the meantime, I stopped at Reeve's Antiques this afternoon, and lo and behold, at the end of a long corridor of furniture stood a small French sort of chair with needle point sunflowers. Well, that chair was a must have at any price. Sunflowers have been the management district's icon ever since we published the East End Strategic Vision and we had that big luncheon at UH to introduce 'our vision and goals' in September 2006. Does this sound like I still take ownership of projects and programs of the Greater East End District, even though I haven't drawn a salary in two years? Can't help it.

So now I have a delicate and comfortable little chair covered with sunflowers. Of course, it's going into Second Seating. Though probably not in the Bayou, Bay, Beach tableau. I am still looking for tattered little French chairs. The sunflower chair is, by the way, an American chair from the Northeast. Perhaps from the 1920s?
This afternoon, I invited a friend over just to see and listen to all the things that are happening to make this show a reality. I simply needed to reiterate all the tasks undertaken of late.
This past week has been a somewhat lost one as far as I am concerned. July is supposed to be about getting the facility itself ready. I was supposed to hear about the permitting process and I was supposed to get a bid for installing some sheet rock in the space.
Irma has to clear the place out, the roof needs repair and I need to get a crew in to clean and power wash before the sheetrock work and the final electrical work must be installed for the chandeliers.
So, all that being said, I need to take a Tylenol or two aspirin and get myself on the walk that I didn't take this morning and then on to some collage work out in the studio. First, a detour to the trunk of the car with a colander and a pot so I can get those oyster shells laid out in back to be cleaned and bleached by natural means.
By the way, I read an article today written by Ari LeVaux about Dean Foods, the company that owns the Oak Farm Dairy plant here in the East End. I'd wanted to make an Oak Farm Dairy milk carton chandelier because this plant processes all the milk used by the Houston Independent School District and the Cy Fair District. It's a major East End plant. But now, I think that perhaps it's a good thing that Dean Foods is not sponsoring a chandelier for Second Seating. LeVaux talks about Dean Foods taking over Silk, originally an organic soy milk product made with American organic soy beans. Dean Foods proceeded to dump American organic farmers in favor of buying cheaper Chinese soy beans for Silk. Another example of an organic food business being taken over by agribusiness and then, simply not supported, even when it's clear that Americans are willing to pay more for 'real' organic foodstuffs.
I quote from the article, "When mega corporation Dean Foods acquired Silk soy milk the prospects looked good for American organic soy farmers. Silk had always been committed to supporting domestic organic farmers, and with the new might of Dean Foods behind it, Silk would likely grow. Silk did grow, but it also dropped its commitment to domestic soy.
"Multiple Midwestern farmers and farmers cooperatives in the heart of American soy country were told by Silk they had to match the rock-bottom cost of Chinese organic soybeans -- a price they simply could not meet. Organic agriculture is labor-intensive, and China's edge comes largely from its abundance of cheap labor...
"Dean Foods had the opportunity to push organic and sustainable agriculture to incredible heights of production by working with North American farmers and traders to get more land in organic production," says Merle Kramer, a marketer for the Midwestern Organic Farmers Cooperative, based in Michigan. "But what they did was pit cheap foreign soybeans against the U.S. organic farmer, taking away any attraction for conventional farmers to make the move into sustainable agriculture."
"Silk bought Chinese soybeans for years, building a commanding share of the soy milk market, before substantially decreasing its support of organic agriculture altogether.
"Few Silk products are certified organic anymore, and some are processed with hexane, a neurotoxin. The use of hexane poses risks to workers in the plants and possibly the consumers of the product and is listed as an air pollutant by EPA. In Illinois alone, 5 million pounds of hexane are released into the environment by food processors Bunge, Cargill and Arthur Daniels Midland."So, I guess I will stop looking for vintage milk pitchers and just let that milk carton project fade away. I'll get on with the feral parrot pinata chandeliers instead. For whatever it's worth.

Lots Accomplished

Such a good day yesterday. Let me count the ways.

1. Found another underwriter for Second Seating who is passionate about recycling and cleaning up our bayous.
2. Approached an East End glass company and asked if they'd contribute a heavy glass table top for a sculptural table base that will mirror the steel arches on Post Oak Blvd. They said yes.
3. Drafted a follow-up email to the president of a Texas foundation and yes, she said, my proposal is on their May agenda. I am happy indeed. That ended fundraising for the day and I took myself to the studio.
4. Spent time there in the studio assembling fabrics that need to be cut into bias strips for a hoola-hooped shape chandelier that will also be encrusted with crystals and roses and a few birds. Parrots? Blue birds? I don't yet know. The frame is already made and and hangs from the frame that my garage door rolls up and down on. Hope it doesn't bend it with its weight.
5. Spent more quality time in the studio mixing and matching photos for a series of collages. Helps to work on many at once.
6.Bought some simple plates at Fiesta and some tubes of gilt paint at Texas Art Supply for making patterns on these plates which are intended for the table described above.

Today's not so bad either. Had the good or bad fortune to awake at 4:00 a.m. and so I reviewed the drafts of a generic press release, project overview and calendar listing that Kathy Easterly helped me with a couple of weeks ago and they are about ready to go into packets and on to www.mmhansen.com as soon as Cole and Daniel finish their part of getting a new page ready for uploading.
Laurie and I have scheduled another photo shoot for this Friday at my studio space on Harrisburg so we'll have several press prints for download and for the packets.
After Pilates I slipped into The Guild Shop and found a tray, a coffee pot, rooster salt and pepper shakers and a decorative plate - all for the banquet table. Enough already.
This afternoon I'll work on another application and get into the studio to take another look at yesterday's collages See if they're up to the mark.
The day is hot, almost 90 degrees, but breezy and flowers are blooming.

Clorox Chandelier 'In Design and Construction'

'Second Seating' has so many facets - and such a growing list of partners. Monday evening was the second of three weeks of classes at Houston Community College Southeast where students are working on 'Second Seating.' Amazingly and all together, we are creating that Clorox bottle chandelier.

I think most of the students are having a good time. We've developed design parameters, but within those constraints they are free to design almost any kind of pattern for their own Clorox bottle.

They'll continue on next week and as they finish, we will begin to starting the bottles on a series of rolled white tablecloths. Then it will be time to hang them from a metal structure where the effect will be somewhat like a May Pole. Does anyone know about May Poles anymore? Then there's that mirrored rotating ball that will be affixed in the center so it will project sparkle absolutely everywhere.

Laurie Perez came to Monday's class and photographed the students. By the way, she is 'Second Seating's official photographer and she will document this installation from this moment until the tables and chandeliers are installed at Irma's and we've in the middle of the September 24 opening. Laurie is a really good photographer - she finds expressions and details that make a narrative. She is the perfect choice for documenting 'Second Seating.'

June Woest invited me to join two sections of her Art Appreciation classes this semester so her students can have hands-on experience in making design decisions, working together as a team and seeing how their work on a large project contributes to the whole.

During the first of the three weeks of classes, I talked about 'Second Seating' as a concept. I shared where ideas come from, how one raises funds to make an exhibition possible, the ways a show is promoted and how the artist or artists create art. Told them that making art is a visual process and decisions are being made minute by minute.

Some decisions are good, some get scraped. I think that they will begin to see once they are into their filigree pattern how 'more' can be better, how a clear pattern is stronger than a 'little of this and a little of that.' We'll be learning about these Clorox bottle patterns together.


The second class meets from 11:00 - 12:30 today. I bought a dozen more knives so everyone will start off with their own knife. The pairing of students so that they shared a knife and a hole punch did not work so well because everyone needs to begin with a knife.