Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel

Every once in a while, you come upon something that takes your breath away. Yesterday, it happened to me when I rounded the corner in a park and there in front of me was the most amazing structure. I couldn't wait to get closer and inspect every inch, becuase immediately I knew this was a one-of-a-kind experience. It was the Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel in Airlie Park, Wilmington, NC.

The bottle chapel is a seven-sided open air chapel built to honor folk artist Minnie Evans who died in 1987 leaving an amazing and mystical treasure of paintings and drawings. The chapel was the work of artist VirginiaWright-Frierson, who was there to tell her story and the story of this incredible building.

The chapel is built with wire, concrete and hundreds of bottles. Most of the bottles are still whole. You see the bottom of the bottle on the outside and the neck of the bottle on the inside. When the wind blows, the bottles sing! The artist incorporated Minnie Evans love of symmetry, nature, eyes, butterflies, rainbows, angels, trees and so much more. It is an incredible stucture, with a huge metal tree growing inside and countless details evoking Minnie Evans and her art.

Minnie was a large black woman who was employed at Airlie Gardens (where the Bottle Chapel is now located). She worked in a tiny, tiny ticket hut, where she sold admission tickets and painted. Cold in winter, blistering in the summer heat, and painting every day. Today her paintings sell for $10,000, $20,000 and more, but then Minnie often gave them away to visitors, although many were known to refuse them (their loss for sure!)

I don't know what was more moving, the story of this incredible folk artist or the story of building the chapel which was done as a labor of love. But it was an incredible afternoon and I would hope anyone who visits Wilmington, NC get to Airlie Gardens. I hear at night, when it is illuminated, the Bottle Chapel is truly magical, but I found it so in the middle of the day.

Alexis Bittar Trunk Show! This Week!

You are cordially invited, so come join the fun.

Friday, April 16 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Maddi's Gallery

1530 East Boulevard, Charlotte

Sasha Peck is coming from the Alexis Bittar studio with lots of unique goodies for us. Many of you may remember Sasha when she visited us a few years ago. She has a wonderful eye and knows what really works for her customers.

And the news: Alexis has been nominated by the Council of Fashion Designers of America as the 2010 Accessory Designer of the Year! This is the Academy Awards for fashion and Alexis is nominated along with Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler. The award ceremoly is at Lincoln Center on June 7th. Congratulations, Alexis.

So come see this wonderful trunk show. It's the collection that earned Alexis his nomination and it's has so many beautiful pieces. We'll see you Friday afternoon!

Why We Love Folk Art

In the eight or so years we have been collecting art for Maddi's, nothing has given us as much enjoyment as buying folk art. Not that we don't love beautiful fine craft and jewelry and the artists who create them.

But there is something so authentic and genuine about folk art that it is hard to describe. While few artists are truly wealthy, many folk artists are truly poor. The term "outsider" applies to many of them. And in the short time we have been buying and collecting folk art, many of our favorites are no longer with us.

Both Mose T and Jimmy Lee Sudduth, both Alabama natives are gone. We had the pleasure of meeting Jimmy at the Kentuck Art Festival in Northport, Alabama many years ago. At that event he was visiting royalty, arriving in an old, low car with huge fins, followed by a van holding all his paintings. When the back of the van opened, collectors rushed to pick up...anything. You could trade it around later. I think we bought about six paintings and made the check payable to the festival, because Jimmy didn't have a bank account. Nor could he read or write. His work was rough and graphic, made with old house paint, mud and cola. But his paintings were great and he played the harmonica and he was King of Kentuck.

Meet the Metal Artists: Christine and Lori

We were in Philadelphia about a week ago, slushing around in a few feet of snow, attending the Buyers' Market of American Craft. This is always an important show for Maddi's as we place orders that carry us right through the year.

One of the most daunting areas of the show is jewelry. First, it is all wonderful. The artists' booths are beautifully designed and the lighting is great. And there is so much to choose! Pricey gold and diamonds? Or silver and sea glass? This is when we wish our budget was simply unlimited!

One booth we really enjoy is shared by two metal-clay artists, Christine Steel and Lori di Magno. These gals are both part of an Etsy team and their jewelry is lovely, reasonably priced and very fun, too.

Christine hails from the sunny city of Los Angeles. Her work is very refined and even delicate. Lori is a Massachusetts gal and her work is a bit more robust and ornate. They are pioneers in the metal-clay category, a medium which lends itself to so many styles and interpretations.

The Buyers' Market also sponsored a "Design Challenge" contest, where any artist or buyer could make a small display using specific art items that had been chosen by the committee. The contest went on for several days, but in the end, Lori had won it all! Everyone knows she has a great design eye.

Now when you stop in and see their work, you'll know the talented women who created it.

P.S. They'll do custom orders, too!

They're not very big, but they are gorgeous! They're the tiny polymer clay works of art by Billie Tannen and her husband Bob Nielson. A new order just arrived and we couldn't wait to open the box. We are just in awe of this meticulous work, as are many of our customers who have seen their work at Barneys, NY and Gumps, San Francisco.

Just in time for Valentine's there are hearts, hearts, hearts. Pin one on your jacket for an immediate lift. And all sorts of petite treasure boxes. And last but not least, two special piggy banks. These are the best Billie Beads piggies we've ever seen. One is a pink princess and very bejeweled, but the other sports marvelously checkered feet, oh, my!

In a world where big and mass-produced rule, it's just wonderful to marvel at these small and hand-made treasures. Billie's work is so charming and delightful, it just makes a person ooh, aah and smile. You can see more at maddisgallery.com or come in and see them in person. But don't wait too long, Billie's work never stays around long.

It's not May. Heck, it isn't even warm out. But it IS time to think about the Carolina Folk Art Festival presented by Maddi's Gallery. Our "Call for Artists" is out and the material should be posted on our web-site in a few days. So here are the basics:

The Festival is held at Birkdale Village in Huntersville. Artists set up right along the Village Green in the center of the main street. Most spaces are on the grass and at least 10' x 10', nestled between the trees and lightposts so you do have room to spread out.

The official hours are Saturday May 15 from 10 to 6 and Sunday, May 16 from 11 to 6. Again this year we are planning an Artist Breakfast compliments of Maddi's Southern Bistro before we open on Sunday. If you come in Friday afternoon and set-up it is fine with us if you open for sales.

There is an early-bird booth fee of $195 until February 28 and then after March 1, the fee is $250. There is no jury fee and Maddi's takes no commission. We always have a great group of artists and a lot of fun, so let us know if you are interested as soon as possible. E-mail us at info@maddisgallery.com or call 704-332-0007.

This year's logo contest was won by Georgia folk artist, Bailey Jack. She's won a free booth and $500 in cold, hard cash. Come see her and her very fun work at the Festival. Congratulations, Bailey Jack!

Happy 2010!

Now that's a very familiar picture...oh, my...it's Maddi's! What fun to see our Charlotte gallery on the cover of the new issue of Niche Magazine. And the story by Asheville writer Marla Hardee Miller is great, too. Oh, and did we mention the pictures by Charlotte photographer Michael LoBiondo?

Actually, it is a thrill, but we want to thank everyone who has supported Maddi's and helped make this happen. We are lucky to have a wonderful family and staff working at Maddi's every day. Certainly we are fortunate to sell unique, creative and well-made products by artists we love meeting. And our customers, many of whom said, they knew all along Maddi's was the top gallery, well, they have seen us grow from a peanut-size gallery and cheered us all the way. Thanks, this is a wonderful honor and a lot of fun. And now back to earning the title!