One Company, Dozens Of Fine Artists

By Shannon Hicks

Taunton Press opened its Main Street South headquarters last weekend for Art Expo 2003, the second annual presentation of fine arts and crafts by staff members of the publishing company. For four hours on October 25, the public was invited to see a wide array of work, and to sample some refreshments by the company’s head chef, in the company’s main lobby and courtyard.

Dozens of visitors of all ages were treated to a display of photography, paintings in myriad media, clothing, woodwork, and more. The show offered 99 works representing 44 artists. The show was accompanied by a catalog of exhibitors. Each artist was allowed space for a brief, but well-written and often humorous, look at the background of the artists and their pieces.

This year’s Art Expo had a new element: artist demonstrations. In addition to the works that were on view all afternoon, staff members from five of the company’s magazines offered ongoing demonstrations, while another booth had been set up so that the public could take a look at Taunton’s newest magazine, Inspired House.

Matha Holmberg, the publisher of Fine Cooking magazine, and Ellen Williams Kracht, the magazine’s marketing manager, offered chocolate truffles and taste tests of different varieties of chocolate. Nearby, Threads art director Karen Meyer and associate art director Linda Boston were showing two methods of sewing. Ms Meyer spent the afternoon working on a classic sewing machine, while Ms Boston joined and finished seams on a serger.

Out in the courtyard visitors first encountered the Fine Gardening tent, staffed by executive editor Todd Meier, assistant editor Steve Aitken, art director Stephanie Fagan and editorial assistant Deana Tierney. Guests watched decorating demonstrations and were invited to try their hand at using acrylic paints on terra-cotta pots. This booth was especially popular with the youngest visitors.

Matt Berger, an assistant editor of Fine Woodworking, spent the afternoon working on a lathe, while Andy Engel, the executive editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine, worked in an adjacent tent on a small set of stairs. All of the editors spent time talking with visitors, answering questions about their trade or specifically about their projects they had in front of them.

Taunton Press Executive Chef Michael Louchen kept the afternoon’s guests happy with a curry and fruit spread and a trio of cheese varieties to eat alone or on crackers, small bowls of butternut squash risotto, apple cider and iced tea, and cake.

“The focus is on the art show,” Mr Louchen said, “but we wanted to offer food and demonstrations of us preparing some of it.” The risotto was being constantly made in small batches. “All of this shows off the different talents of the people we have working here,” he said while looking over the show, not just his kitchen staff.

Kathryn Simonds, a marketing manager at Taunton Press, was also pleased at the talents of her co-workers.

“It was a lot of fun setting the show up Friday night,” she said. “We just kept amazing each other. There were a lot of comments like ‘You did that?! Wow!’”