Hi Everyone!
I’ve been neglecting my blog for a very long time and I’m sorry! I’ve been building and promoting my online store (www.michalgolan.com). Over the past 7 years, there has been a “mass extinction” of galleries carrying handmade and American made products. Many of the stores that used to carry my work for years are no longer in business, and many of the ones that are still open are struggling. When this trend started, I thought that if was a result of the economic down turn, but now I believe it’s a permanent trend. Millennials, and other age groups as well, are increasingly shopping online. I decided to put a lot of energy into creating a wonderful website to showcase and sell my work. It was a long and interesting journey and I couldn’t have done it with out the help of my daughter, Ariel, and my graphic designers, Raphael and Carla. They are all much younger than me and having a millennial perspective was an enormous help. I’m so glad I had their partnership and insights.
I am very happy to report that even though retail stores are having a hard time, there is still a market out there for high quality American made jewelry, gifts and Judaica. Our website is doing well and we are able to sell to fans all over the world. We have shipped jewelry to customers in Germany, France, Russia, England and Japan, to name a few! Having an online store has allowed me to find new fans all over the world without ever leaving my studio. So, that is what I have been up to! And of course still designing, creating and working on both my jewelry and my ceramic art work. Below is one of my new Spring collections, Aurora.
This weekend I went to some awesome events. Every year in the beginning of March, New York hosts a series of art fairs. I try and go every year. On Friday night, my friend Eduardo (the designer at www.watchcraft.com) invited my husband and I to a “Trumpomania Exhibit” opening. The show included artists from all over the world, and all the pieces were focused on Donald Trump. The majority of art was mocking our new president. Here are some highlights:
On Saturday, I went to a gallery in Chelsea. I loved the show! There was a very poignant political piece using fabric sculptures that looked like Klu Klux Klan members in motion. The artist is Paul Chan
From there, I continued on to the Paper Art Fair at Pier 36 where I saw the following pieces:
And finally to the independent Art Fair and the Spring Break Art Fair. There was such a cool installation! I followed the artist on instagram (@_jason_peters_)
Another cool installation consisted of a large pile of clothes on the floor. When you look at it from a certain angle the face of a woman emerges, it was wonderful. The artist is Noah Scalin.
I love NYC! Full of liberal and creative people. I am going to Budapest in a few weeks. I’ll post all about it when I am back in mid-April.