Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1162395
93 kept separate in museums, here they mingle. As interior designers, collectors, and com- missioners of haute couture, furniture, acces- sories, and decorative arts, Iris and Carl Apfel inspire us to design our own world. The instal- lation features selections from Iris Apfel's Rare Bird of Fashion collection. Her wardrobe— multiple closets of it—was recently promised to PEM, and the gallery is likely the largest display of her collection on view anywhere. Iris celebrated her 98th birthday in August and is going strong as a fashion icon, best-sell- ing author, and makeup ambassador. She also was the subject of a beloved documentary, has launched her own furniture and accessory lines, and regularly models. "In a culture where age is often used against us, the notion that your value as a human being continues for as long as you have the capacity to contribute is really important," says Lynda Hartigan, PEM's James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes deputy director and chief curator. Adds Petra Slinkard, PEM's Nancy B. Putnam curator of fashion and textiles, "To utter her name brings a smile to many a face. And for those who might look confused, a simple 'You know…the fashionable woman with the white hair and the round black glasses' usually does the trick." On the second floor, PEM's Asian Export Art collection, foremost in the world, explores cross-cultural exchange as a catalyst for creativity and celebrates the interplay of commerce and creative expression. While globalism may seem like a uniquely modern concept, this collection shows us how the complex dynamics of international relations and trade have been at work for centuries. These works of art tell tales of desire and obsession, of individuals willing to do almost anything to get what they wanted. They also reveal stories of mastery, of artists who could transform ordinary materials into extraordinary works of art. Take porcelain, for example. "There's a reason we call porcelain 'china,'" explains Karina Corrigan, PEM's H. A. Crosby Forbes curator of Asian Export Art. "Before the 1700s, Europeans couldn't produce this shockingly white, nearly translucent, and incredibly durable material. This deeply kept secret made porcelain not only a valuable commodity, but also ignited forms of industrial espionage." And porcelain is only one example. Europeans were hooked on imported silk, tea, and lacquer. But the only thing China wanted in exchange was silver. In opium, the British found an insidious alternative to silver. For the first time, PEM's Asian Export Art installation explores the devastating legacy of British and American opium smuggling into China, a human rights catastrophe that parallels today's opioid crisis in the U.S. Back on the first floor, find the home of the finest maritime art collection in the country. Framing the sea as an enduring source of opportunity as well as peril, and a force that inspires artistic creativity and innovation, the gallery celebrates ship logs, fine paintings, and pieces made by sailors. These splendid works come alive as you consider your own risk-taking adventures and engagement with the wider world. "The sea is a universal phenomenon that spans geography and time and has always inspired humans to create," says Dan CONTACT pem.org Save the Date Join PEM's newly appointed Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Director and CEO, Brian Kennedy, and Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll on Saturday, September 28, for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Tour the new wing, enjoy performances, and participate in hands-on art making opportunities throughout the day. Sunday, September 29, is a community open house. Admission is free for both events. Finamore, PEM's Russell Knight curator for Maritime Art and History. "There hasn't been anyone in human history who in some way, environmentally at least, has not been impacted by the sea." Finish your tour in East India Marine Hall, where the museum began. Charles Sandison: Figurehead 2.0 offers an immersive, dynamic projection installation inspired by PEM's vast collection of 19th-century ships' logs and sailors' journals. Experience the continuum of culture and history as the installation's algorithms respond to your movements through space and time. Join in this constellation of swirling activity, where the past catches up to our present. Top to bottom: Ostritch in the Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel exhibition. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Walter Silver; Detail of William Rush, figurehead, 19th century. Wood (pine), paint. Museum purchase. © Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Bob Packert.