September: MMAM Shoppe
Featured Products
By Carrie Frederich, MMAM Enterprise Manager
There’s a vast world of a seemingly endless selection of products out there to select for our little corner of the world at the MMAM Shoppe. We want to invite our guests to take a piece of their museum experience home with them. For some, that might be an art print from one of the artists featured in our galleries. For others, it could be a MMAM postcard to share their experience with a faraway friend, or one of the cute (and soft!) stuffed animal creatures we have strewn about the shelves. It can be quite the selection process!
Speaking of selection processes… Choosing products for the MMAM Shoppe can be exciting and daunting! There are so many amazing artists, writers, makers, and suppliers out there that it makes that selection process very difficult. I am searching for items that are directly related or parallel to our mission of creating meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water, but also looking just outside that box and connecting to our vision and values by choosing products that spark wonder, speak to sustainability, and allow us to connect with artistic and creative expression both within our walls and beyond.
This month, I would like to highlight two new products in our store that I’m particularly excited about. I think they are both new, fresh takes from two different perspectives in the art world and I hope you enjoy them!
First is a new book from nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer Rick Rubin. He has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty and Johnny Cash, to Slayer, Adele and the Beastie Boys and has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time and the most successful producer in any genre by Rolling Stone. What a career! I was surprised to come across his book The Creative Act: A Way of Being.
“I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.”
The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime’s work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments—and lifetimes—of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.
The other product highlight for this month is handmade ceramic painting supplies from Busy Hands Studio in Michigan. Sophie and Chase design and hand-craft these quality ceramic supplies that are not only elegant, but also functional and sustainable! We are carrying their ceramic water rinse cup that features a handy rest-spot for your paintbrush as well as a ceramic paint palette. Different from mugs - no longer confuse your water cup with your coffee or tea!
Each product is sculpted in regionally sourced clay that has a naturally rich hazelnut brown color. The glaze on the palette’s surface is a glossy white, which makes it waterproof, dishwasher & food safe, and the perfect surface for mixing colors and washing off with ease.
I hope you enjoy these two new products from Rick Rubin and Busy Hands Studio. May they spark wonder, creativity, and artistic expression in all who get to take one home!
