Archive Document: New Views Old Pews – Auction Catalog

Hideaki Ariizumi — Jigsaw Chair or Pewzzle, set of four

The beginning emotion/desire was to cut up the heavy, long, monster PEW. This piece offers the owner to have a choice either long, connected form, as PEWs are, or separated, small pieces, in a jigsaw puzzle fashion. Four sections were cut with jigsaw from one PEW, each supported with legs of different alphabet letters N, M, H and K.

Artist’s Website:

www.ariizumiberry.com

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

To see the image in greater detail, drag to your desktop and expand.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $1600 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: The artist has waived their portion of any commission from the sale of this work.

Hideaki Ariizumi — Reitvelt – From the “Made of PEW variations” group

The “Made of PEW variations” group was sketched to give completely different images of the PEW, while still using the seat & back of the original. This piece is a transformation to a chair based on Reitvelt’s Red and Blue Chair.

Artist’s Website: www.ariizumiberry.com

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

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The artist has suggested the retail value of each of these works to be: $800 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: The artist has waived their portion of any commission from the sale of this work.

Hideaki Ariizumi — Lounge Chair – From the “Made of PEW variations” group

The “Made of PEW variations” group was sketched to give completely different images of the PEW, while still using the seat & back of the original. This piece is a transformation to a PEW-cut to a lounge armchair. Hugged with an arm, seat and back of PEW is transformed as an intimacy of home lounge seating.

Artist’s Website: www.ariizumiberry.com

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

(To see the image in greater detail, drag to your desktop and expand.)

The artist has suggested the retail value of each of these works to be: $800 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: The artist has waived their portion of any commission from the sale of this work.

Hideaki Ariizumi — Stool – From the “Made of PEW Deformation” group

This group plays with the form of sideboard by distorting, elongating, widening, compressing. On this piece, the sideboard lifts and supports a white painted PEW-cut seat & back on top, to be a high stool.

Artist’s Website: www.ariizumiberry.com

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

(To see the image in greater detail, drag to your desktop and expand.)

The artist has suggested the retail value of each of these works to be: $800 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: The artist has waived their portion of any commission from the sale of this work.

Brad Ascalon & Will Paulson — Perspective (Jacob’s Ladder)

Jacob’s Ladder is symbolic of the connection between Heaven and Earth, between humanity and God. It can be argued that in a more direct manner, the church pew functions in the very same way. In transforming an old church pew into something contextually relevant and meaningful, no object seemed more fitting than a ladder stretching to the heavens. While a ladder to the heavens is of course not achievable, we used a forced perspective, mathematically calculated, to create that illusion of the infinite.

Perspective was made entirely from the centuries old chestnut of the original Southold Methodist church pews, each piece milled, handcrafted and fastened to form the fourteen foot tall ladder. The traditional Japanese technique Shou Sugi Ban, which calls for a torch to burn the surface of the wood, gives the object its final blackened appearance.

Artist’s website: www.bradascalon.com

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The artists have suggested the retail value of this work to be: $20,000 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: A reserve price has been set for this work.

Glynis Berry — . . . a pew chair with nesting stools beneath.

This pew chair collapses the original long pew into a nested configuration, providing flexibility in use and space taken. The pews do not have any straight edges. Only the pew was used, so legs are bent, back curved, and seats irregular. While refinished, the original dents, holes, patent stamp, and carved initials are still present and evidence of a long life. The gum under the seat was removed.

Artist’s Website: https://www.ariizumiberry.com

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The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $800- This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: The artist has waived their portion of any commission from the sale of this work.

Scott Bluedorn — Portal

Portal can either be freestanding by attached cables, or can lean against a wall. Its designed to be an outdoor piece and function like a gate,
or decorative garden statuary – it also has a working “Koto” harp element on the left and “gong” on the right. They can be played gently.

This work has been coated with a water sealer so that it may placed outdoors. Periodic resealing of wooden outdoor furniture is recommended.

Artist’s website: www.scottbluedorn.com

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The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $5000 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Christian Demchak — Reincarnation

When I discovered this project, I envisioned a new life for the pew as a working desk. As an architecture student, I appreciate the need for adaptive reuse in society and breathing new life into historic structures. I reimagined the ornate church pew into a functional workspace.

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

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The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $2500 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Garance — Sit Down and Relax!

Artist’s Statement: My paintings are stories. They are meaningfull to all who can appreciate the beauty and simplicity of signs, colors and forms.

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(Artist’s website: www.garancestudio.com/garance)

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $ To Come – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Jay Hodges — Sit with Me

In 2023, NPR reported on an “loneliness epidemic” and that people of all ages were spending less time with others than two decades ago. Social connection apps are abundant on the technology that has helped isolate so many of us. The Sit with Me pew encourages spontaneous in-person interactions. The phrase is painted in an inviting light blue, spaced on the seat so someone can sit between the phrases. Cursive lettering evokes a more personal written communication that pre-dates email and social media. The phrase serves as an invitation to join others and engage in a conversation, to have a human-to-human interaction on an object that is culturally associated with fellowship.

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This work has been coated with a water sealer so that it may placed outdoors. Periodic resealing of wooden outdoor furniture is recommended.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $500 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Larissa Killough — I’M HERE FOR YOU

In 2023, six out of ten firearm deaths were by suicide. The I’M HERE FOR YOU pew will serve as a memorial to those lost to suicide by any means with an underlying focus on gun violence, the primary method among the three most at-risk groups: veterans, Black youth, and the elderly. Holes drilled through the back of the pew will be connected with a continuous piece of fabric to spell out “I’M HERE FOR YOU.” The drilled apertures will evoke bullet holes and the connecting thread – the shared loss of suicide survivors. The pew will also serve as a place to grieve and reflect on the factors that enable this escalating tragedy.

The I’M HERE FOR YOU pew is in collaboration with the Sit with Me pew to encourage better mental health through interacting with others.

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This work has been coated with a water sealer so that it may placed outdoors. Periodic resealing of wooden outdoor furniture is recommended.

Artist’s website: https://www.larissakilloughartist.com

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $500 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Joyce Orrigo — Grounded

The two sides of the pew are removed, decorated with mosaic tiles and placed symmetrically opposed to suggest wings. The use of mosaic, along with the designs and colors gleaned from symbolism found in major religions, a nod to the original purpose of the pews – providing a place to contemplate a better world. CAST does the work of providing a better world.

(To see the image in greater detail, drag to your desktop and expand.)

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $750 to $1000 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: The artist has waived their portion of any commission from the sale of this work.

Will Paulson — Eclipse

Description: It terms of the story behind them, they are experiments using just the backs of the Pews. The backs were cut into stripes and glued together to form blocks. They were then turned with different multi axis points to create more of a dramatic effect and to reveal the different layers hidden inside.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $ 2500 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Will Paulson — Upright Turning 1 (Short Cone)

Each cone will be auctioned as an individual work.

Description: It terms of the story behind them, they are experiments using just the backs of the Pews. The backs were cut into stripes and glued together to form blocks. They were then turned with different multi axis points to create more of a dramatic effect and to reveal the different layers hidden inside.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $ 200 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Will Paulson — Upright Turning 2 (Medium Cone)

Each cone will be auctioned as an individual work.

Description: It terms of the story behind them, they are experiments using just the backs of the Pews. The backs were cut into stripes and glued together to form blocks. They were then turned with different multi axis points to create more of a dramatic effect and to reveal the different layers hidden inside.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $ 200 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Will Paulson — Upright Turning 3 (Tall Cone)

Each cone will be auctioned as an individual work.

Description: It terms of the story behind them, they are experiments using just the backs of the Pews. The backs were cut into stripes and glued together to form blocks. They were then turned with different multi axis points to create more of a dramatic effect and to reveal the different layers hidden inside.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $ 200 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Will Paulson — Bowl

Description: It terms of the story behind them, they are experiments using just the backs of the Pews. The backs were cut into stripes and glued together to form blocks. They were then turned with different multi axis points to create more of a dramatic effect and to reveal the different layers hidden inside.

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $ 400 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Verona Peralba — Daily Sitting

Using paint and color as spiritual channeling.

It is in moments of solitude where I find my biggest challenges and breakthroughs.

You are invited to sit daily, close your eyes and have a moment with yourself.

To find the divine within you.

To be grateful

to breathe.

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

Artist’s website: https://www.veronapenalba.com

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The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $800 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Adam Straus — Spirit Released From the Pew or Resurrection

It was an interesting process. I ended up enjoying it. The pew sat in my driveway for several weeks and had many different ideas about what to do with it, none of which ended up being done. I have very limited woodworking tools, so I simply started sawing it up with my old fashioned manual hand saw and maybe something would happen. I thought, what the hell? The first thing that came to me, is I could make a box out of it, maybe burn the rest of the pieces and put the ashes and coal pieces into the box as if it’s a casket. Then I attached the poles so the box could be carried like a coffin. I then cut the entire pew into relatively small pieces which surprisingly fit into the box. It was amazing how much smaller it had become. The figurative element grew out of the need for a vertical with the rest of the pew pieces being left in the box.

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

Artist’s website: https://www.adamstraus.net

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The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $1200- This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Allan Wexler — Flat Pack Pew

I printed 48 images of the pew. I consciously forced myself to see the images as lines, colors,
and shapes on a page rather than representations of a functional object. With pencil, knife,
paper, and glue I dissected, wrinkled, sliced, cut, and collaged the images. Following these
transformations, I looked at each from a different perspective and annotated each proposing
functional/sculptural reconstructions of a pew.

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

Artist’s website: https://www.allanwexlerstudio.com

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Courtesy Jane Lombard Gallery

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $20,000 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: A reserve price has been set for this work.

Allan Wexler — Negative – Positive

I printed 48 images of the pew. I consciously forced myself to see the images as lines, colors,
and shapes on a page rather than representations of a functional object. With pencil, knife,
paper, and glue I dissected, wrinkled, sliced, cut, and collaged the images. Following these
transformations, I looked at each from a different perspective and annotated each proposing
functional/sculptural reconstructions of a pew.

This solution riffs on the concept of Spolia which is defined as architectural fragments taken out of their original context and reused in a different context.

This work is not weather proofed and is recommended for indoor display only.

Artist’s website: https://www.allanwexlerstudio.com

(To see the image in greater detail, drag to your desktop and expand.)

Courtesy Jane Lombard Gallery

The artist has suggested the retail value of this work to be: $20,000 – This is not an auction estimate. Beginning bids start below this amount.

Please Note: A reserve price has been set for this work.