The End Is Nigh! Nigh Means Next Sunday!

So what if you're one of those people who haven't yet come to see Rachel Beach: Towers and Portals. Well, first of all, we forgive you. But we also think you should be planning to visit us on April 12th for the spectacular Closing Night Party from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Rachel's coming! Don't you want to meet Rachel? And she'll be ing desserts from Uncle John's!

Okay, well, if that isn't enough, what if we tell you about the New Artist Silent Auction that will be happening the same night? Aha, now you're listening. Well, while Rachel shows off her work upstairs, our downstairs will be full of some up-and-coming types that we find very promising. Last time was so much fun, so we can't wait to do it again! Want a sneak peek?



Simone Meltesen is our first new find this month. We're very pleased to have her, especially in her own words:

As you can see from the video, she's someone that knows her art. Simone was born in San Francisco, and is a graduate of Hampshire College. Her move to Brooklyn changed her focus to smaller sized works, because she no longer had the room to paint!



Simone's pinhole photos are a document of her small sculptures, as well as her travels. Her research on girlhood in America and on the Feminist Art Movement of the 1970s, particularly on “craft" art, culminated her senior thesis show, “The Needle She,” which saw the genesis of her world of feral girls.



In her thesis show, the girls had been static, the backgrounds simple and monochromatic. The new incarnation sees the girls active, the landscapes lush and vibrant.



Currently Simone is working on a project called “What Every Girl Should Know,” where she interviews and photographs other young female artists in their studios, with the aim of starting a blog that is accessible to adolescent girls who are interested in art. We're very much looking forward to having her with us!

Our second new artist is Jsun Lalibertè.



Jsun is a UCF graduate with a BFA in Ceramics and Painting. His imagery is a model of nature, a look at a brief and intimate moment in the lives of fictitious plants, with delicate gestures and minute brushstrokes mirroring their intricacy. Watch our blog for more of Jsun's images later!

and as blogged about previously our third new artist is Katie Mangiardi.

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Katie Mangiardi, who's intimate, historically-influenced paintings draw from the textile patterns that adorn figures classical works of art. Lace and tapestry play across her canvases in twisting forms that are at once demure and haunting. Mangiardi holds degrees from RISD, Vassar, and the Glasgow School of the Arts.

Remember, all this is coming April 12th as part of the Towers & Portals Closing Night party from 6:30pm - 8:00pm! If you haven't yet seen the show, you've got one more chance! Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry! We'll see you here!

The Only Thing Better Than Being Talked About Is... Hmm... Let Us Think...

Okay, we give up. There's nothing better. We love being talked about!



If you came in to see Towers & Portals, this weekend, you might have noticed that we were all very happy. But you probably didn't ask why. That's so like you. Thankfully, we're not shy about tooting our own horn.

In this case, "horn" means "Interview Magazine". Steve Pulimood from Interview decided to devote a few minutes to an interview with the lovely Rachel Beach. Head on over and take a look! She even reveals her favorite color.



We've been very fortunate this month, and we've had all sorts of wonderful press from bloggers and magazines. Don't you think you should come see what's making them all decide to write about Rachel's work? Remember, Towers & Portals has been extended through April 12th to allow for maximum visitation. It's very much worth the trip.



Also keep in mind that, coming up on April 12th, we'll be holding a very special Closing Night Blowout. This celebration will feature a New Artist's Silent Auction, desserts from Uncle John's, and an appearance by Rachel Beach herself! And who knows, there might even be a little preview of our next show, Allison Edge: Crystal Days. So save the date, because when we post full details, you're gonna want to be free. Trust us, we know how to blow it out.

Talking in a Circle with Heart as Arena and a sneak peak

Brent Burket author of the more then fantastic blog Heart as Arena says,"One of the best things that happens when a gallery dinner is actually held in the gallery is that the art gets destabilized, for better or worse." about Rachel Beach's dinner Knives and glasses last Friday. Check out the rest of the post and then read the post he wrote about Allison Edge's upcoming show of new paintings opening up on April 18th
Also, please enjoy the above sneak preview of Mrs. Beach's show Towers and Portals but don't miss it. It will be up until April 12th 2009!
You can also check out Rachel's work at the 92nd Street Y Tribeca where she will be showing with fellow Like the Spice artist Nicole Stager this month.

Chow Down Before The One You Serve

People said, "Like the Spice, how could you try have a dinner with all that assorted sculpture in the way?" We said, "You mean all that WONDERFUL assorted sculpture, don't you?" and then we laid the tables like this:



Our Artist's Dinner for the fabulous Rachel Beach was the absolute best way to spend a Friday night. The eggplant was excellent, the salmon sublime, and the beets were... would you hate us if we said they were unbeatable?



Rachel's dinner was also like a Who's Who of the Like the Spice artist community. At this table, starting from the back right corner, we saw Colette Robbins, Jenny Morgan and Allison Edge. And across the table we found Olympia from Oly's Musings, Brent from Heart As Arena and Micah Ganske, Colette's husband.



And at the next table, we found Ross Racine! It's always a lot of fun when our artists make it easy for us to take their photos. Plus artists make for great dinner conversation.



The place was packed with art lovers. There was a great energy all around the gallery. Being around so many fantastic sculptures really made everyone hungry and excited. And you know what comes when you're hungry and excited, don't you? That's right...



Dancing!



When that magical moment had ended, Rachel got up to speak about her work. By creating her portals and towers, Rachel inspires a world to exist that sometimes hadn't existed before. Her sculptures force a new perspective from each angle, making a piece that comes to take your hand and lead, rather than a piece that just stands shyly by the punchbowl. Oh, sorry, we're still thinking about all the dancing.



Rachel's Towers & Portals is still here at the gallery, now until April 12th! If you haven't been here yet...



...look what you're missing! You'll believe a sculpture can fly! Or at least hover.



But the dinner wasn't quite over yet. Allison Edge gave up her seat at the cool table to tell us a little about her upcoming show. Her work is a combination of real experiences and that strange imagined world of adolescence just before the arrival of MTV. In Allison's pieces, Polaroid cameras are still a cool Christmas gift and the family trip is just an excuse to hide behind your portable cassette player. Allison's show is coming up on April 18th, and we couldn't be more excited. In fact, we're thinking this is a great excuse... for more dancing!



If you missed out this month, get ready for next time. Our next dinner will be April 24th. Watch this space!

Y? Because We Like U.

Guess who's taking over the 92nd Street Y in Tribeca? Okay, you can stop thinking now, because the answer is US! Like the Spice is visiting the 92nd Street Y starting March 19th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. We'll be featuring Rachel Beach, currently charming us with her solo show Towers & Portals, and our old friend Nicole Stager, who charmed us last October with her solo show Synasthesia.

We're really looking forward to visiting the 92nd Street Y, and we want you to come enjoy it! Visit us there on Thursday, March 19th, from 6-8pm. If you can't make it, the show will be running for a while, but the opening is just one night only! So come celebrate with Rachel and Nicole!

We Got Almost As Much Press As "Watchmen"

Hey, the Internet knows what it wants! And very clearly, it wants to talk about us. Who are we to stop it? Here's a little recap of all the people who fed our vanity lately. We love you like Matthew Barney loves Vaseline.

The esteemed Hrag Vartanian visited us at Bridge Art Fair and scored a fantastic interview with the force of adorable nature that is Marisa Sage. You can't miss it. You absolutely can't. Just be aware that the same article also covers "Queer Batman" and you may find some of the specific images not safe for work, so save it for when you're back in your cave. Unless your boss is Bruce Wayne or something.

Two Coats of Paint threw us a mention as a highlight of the weekend WGA Event. It was a great night for us, so we hope they had a fun visit!

Of course, if you weren't aware, Artmostfierce had a nice interview with Marisa as well. It's worth checking out, we think. And that's a good lead in to telling you that Marisa's radio interview with WNYU is coming up! We think it is tonight, Wednesday, March 11th, at 7:30pm, but we're not totally sure. The best plan is to just listen constantly until you hear her voice. Just like life.

Finally, we had a visit from Manna From Brooklyn, and we're very happy they liked the show. Always a treat to meet a new blogger!

Remember, Towers & Portals is here for a while yet, so there's plenty of time to visit and then talk about your visit and then visit again.

Like A Bridge Over Troubled Waters, We Had To Lay Us Down

But now we're awake, sort of, and ready to talk about how much fun we had at the Bridge Art Fair last weekend.



Being out amongst our peers is always great, because LtS is all about seeing and being seen. We decided to show off a little by bringing some of our favorite pieces.



Over on this wall, we were rocking Ross, Rachel, Dean and Nicole. It's okay to covet our wall. We understand. Take a closer look.



Ross's digital drawings are always a big hit at the art fairs. You can probably figure out why. Check out his other work too!



Rachel Beach's "Rabbit Hole" got us a lot of attention. And, in case attention is something you haven't been paying, Rachel's solo show, Towers & Portals, is here at the gallery right now. You really need to make time to see it. You know you do.



Making up that arrow-like shape were the cubes of Nicole Stager. We can't get enough of Nicole. She'll also have work on display at the Tribeca 92nd Street Y, starting March 19th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. If you'd like to see those fantastic little cubes in person, stop in.



There was a different feeling on the other side of the space, but it was no less wonderful, as you can plainly see.





The work of Dean Goelz is really so much better in person, but these photos will give you a rough idea. Dean's been with us for a while now, and we've blogged about him before, so we won't go into too much detail here. Besides, we think the quality of his work can speak for itself.



Another artist we can say that about is Jenny Morgan. Jenny's just finshed a very successful solo show. In fact, we often found ourselves wishing for a bigger gallery, so we could keep her show up forever!



Jenny's collaborations with David Mramor are up to her usual high standards. We noticed this particular piece catching more than a few eyes. Not even counting the staff.



Our lovely and talented assistants (you can decide for yourself which is which) worked so hard keeping the booth together. So many, many people passed through! It was great to see our friends new and old, and we're already looking forward to next year. Thanks to everybody who came out! Oh, wait, you want to know more about that flamingo painting?



Allison Edge will be our next solo show here at Like the Spice. Her new stuff is so new that we don't even have images ready. So keep an eye on our web page. We're pretty sure that once you can see it, you're gonna love it.