HarryBertoia Foundation Updates
July 2015
If you keep tabs on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr you may be aware of some of our news, but there is something satisfying about seeing it all in one place. We’ve been busy! Eleanor Davis is our social media director, and she keeps you all informed and entertained. Thanks, Eleanor!
Our director Celia Bertoia has been on the road quite a bit this year, celebrating the 100th year after Harry Bertoia’s birth in 1915, as well as autographing her newly released book, The Life and Work of Harry Bertoia; the Man, the Artist, the Visionary.
In January, lectures at Florida State University in Tallahassee and the Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF) in Sarasota, Florida were both big hits.
(Celia with SAF out for dinner in January)
March found her at the opening of Bent, Cast and Forged, a Bertoia jewelry exhibition running through November at Cranbrook Art Museum in Michigan. Cranbrook was Harry’s alma mater, so it was a special reunion.
March 13, 2015
by Celia Bertoia Cranbrook Art Academy was the basis of all that came afterwards, the root foundation of Harry’s later career. Read more about Cranbrook, how Harry began making jewelry, his time at Knoll, and more from the HarryBertoia Foundation on medium.com
Knoll, the international furniture company who produces the Bertoia chairs, has stepped up to sponsor Celia for numerous engagements. With the release of the book at the end of April, Knoll invited Celia to speak at both their Santa Monica and San Diego outlets.
Sharing a labor of love.Read about the Bertoia weld, Harry’s birthday cakes, Point Loma, and much more in this immersive story from the HarryBertoia Foundation on medium.com
Not much later, in mid-May, Knoll of Manhattan had Celia speak at their breakfast event which coincided with the ICFF convention in New York City.
May 2015Join Celia on her journey, from the Halal Guys food trucks to Knoll Manhattan, to Lost City Arts, and beyond. Courtesy of the HarryBertoia Foundation on medium.com
Hans and Florence Knoll had a special and warm relationship with Harry Bertoia, and those good feelings have carried on to this generation. Celia and Knoll representatives help each other, benefiting designers as well as Bertoia fans through the sharing of all the information, background and personal anecdotes Celia presents at her lectures.
Book signings around Bethlehem and Allentown, Pennsylvania, attracted folks from Harry’s hometown area.
Harry lived just 20 miles from Allentown from 1952 to 1978, the majority of his career, and he enjoyed the lush green hills and dairy farms of the locale. The “willow,” “pine tree,” and “bush” sculptures of his later years all had their inception in what’s called the Butter Belt of Pennsylvania.
The homestead where Harry, Brigitta, and their children Lesta, Val, and Celia, had picnics and stargazing sessions is now the home of Val Bertoia and the Sonambient Barn concert hall.
The Kickstarter campaign successfully brought in about $20,000 for equipment to transfer the reel to reel tapes of Sonambient music to electronic format. The process has begun, but with close to 400 tapes it will take some time.
Important Records postponed the release of the 11 album box set of CDs until September to make sure it is the highest quality possible.
Folks have been clamoring in anticipation of the re-issued music of Harry’s tonal sculptures, and indeed it will be ready in time for Christmas. Pre-order here.
Dwell magazine gave the foundation good coverage of the upcoming set — thank you Dwell!
In the foundation’s hometown of Bozeman, Montana, watch for a few fun Bertoia happenings:
A 7 foot sounding sculpture sits in the foyer of Pearson Design Group’s sleek modern building on North Broadway. Anyone can touch it gently, and it is exciting to walk around their extremely energy efficient and attractive office.
(The same sculpture is seen below during the Bertoia exhibition at Montana State University in 2014)
Coming on August 22nd at 2:00 pm, Celia will be on hand in the Barnes & Noble book store at the Gallatin Mall on West Main Street for discussion and signing of the biographical book of her father.
Celia is always open to suggestions of groups or places to do lectures (local or otherwise), and she is reachable through the website, HarryBertoia.org.
There are several important projects under way in the back office of the foundation. One we can reveal is the start of the Catalogue Raisonné for Harry Bertoia.
This is an exciting but overwhelming multi-year task of recording all of the artworks of Harry Bertoia in an accessible, researchable format.
Work on the jewelry documentation has been generously taken on by an energetic couple Aaron Saxton and Maria Armada. Aaron and Maria own History Never Repeats, a mid-century modern store in South Charleston, West Virginia. Celia met them via email regarding authentications, then in person at Cranbrook (to which they drove 6 hours to meet her!)
If you have Bertoia jewelry you would like added to our data, contact them at aaron.e.saxton@gmail.com.
In previous posts we have written about 20th century jewelry designer's who's work has as been described as wearable art or sculpture…modernarmada.wordpress.com
If you have cataloging skills that you’d like to share with the foundation, we welcome volunteers. Although several other important projects are shaping up, it is too early to disclose details. Stay tuned and get involved!
For more in-depth ramblings by Celia on recent events, see the foundation’s Medium page.
The supply of the Centennial Table Tonal limited edition reproduction is dwindling, so if you have a hankering to purchase a sounding sculpture, do it soon on the HarryBertoia Foundation website. We foresee running out of the 100 tonal sculptures by next spring.
We love to hear from our fans and supporters. Tell us your Bertoia stories! Watch out, we may post the best ones on social media!
