AD20/21 and Boston Print Fair Resounding Success as part of First Annual Boston Design Week, March 20-30

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AD20/21 and Boston Print Fair Resounding Success as part of First Annual Boston Design Week, March 20-30

BOSTON, Massachusetts
/
April 03, 2014

Tim Montgomery and Rita Fucillo of New Venture Media, publishers of Art New England magazine, at the AD20/21 Gala.

The 7th Annual AD20/21: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries combined with The Boston Print Fair took place March 27-30, 2014, at The Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston's South End. AD20/21 features galleries specializing in modern to contemporary fine art, Mid-Century furnishings and contemporary studio furniture, jewelry, decorative arts and sculpture. The Boston Print Fair features dealers in American, European and Asian fine prints, drawings, and other works on paper. The show opened with a Gala Preview to benefit Boston Architectural College, which saw more than 650 guests and raised more than $150,000 for the college, now in its 125th anniversary year. The 2014 AD20/21 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented at the Gala to Boston preservationist Susan Park. www.AD2021.com. Next year’s show will take place March 26-29, 2015.

This year, AD20/21 and the Boston Print Fair was the culmination of The First Annual Boston Design Week, also produced by Fusco & Four. Boston Design Week, held March 20-30, was a 10-day citywide design festival, featuring over 80 events across greater Boston. More than a dozen events sold out completely, and those with higher capacity saw large crowds. Events highlighted design of all kinds including architecture, urban design, interior design, fashion, graphic design, and studio design such as furniture, decorative arts, jewelry and more. See all of the details at www.BostonDesignWeek.com or www.facebook.com/bostondesignweek Next year’s Boston Design Week will take place March 19-29, 2015.

Master Printer Jim Stroud of Center Street Studio and his son Ryder demonstrate how an etching is made on a 2,000 pound press at The Boston Print Fair, part of the AD20/21 show.

“AD20/21 had already become a crucible for all kinds of design, and a crossroads for the design and creative industries of the city,” comments co-producer Tony Fusco. “Boston Design Week expanded on the concept, and achieved its goal to foster increased public awareness and appreciation of all aspects of design. Boston Design Week helped build critical mass to attract new audiences and sophisticated Boston collectors to the shows. In spite of inclement weather, the gate at AD20/21 was up by some 10% this year.”

Sales in many categories were strong: New exhibitors Kino Guérin, a sculptural furniture maker from Quebec; contemporary artist Katie Balas (OH); and George Jacobs Self-Taught Art (RI), specializing in Outsider Art all saw sales at the show. Mid-Century Modern dealers Knollwood Antiques (MA) and Glen Leroux Antiques (CT) saw multiple sales of furnishings. Knollwood Antiques restocked their booth halfway through the show when a Beacon Hill couple purchased a complete set of furnishings, and owner Richard Lavigne reported that his strongest sales were to interior designers for their clients.

Contemporary print publishers did extremely well with satisfying sales for Oehme Graphics (CO), Stewart & Stewart (MI), and Center Street Studio (MA), whose owner and master printer Jim Stroud transported a 2000-pound printing press of the show and did demonstrations throughout the weekend, pulling impressions of an etching by artist George Whitman. Sales of contemporary fine art by Lawrence Fine Art (NY) and Renjeau Galleries (MA) were very strong, and fine art pottery by Caren Fine (NY) was also a contender.

Gary Decad of Favreau Design, holding Hubble; Steven Favreau of Favreau Design San Francisco and Boston, and Robert Four Co-Producer of AD20/21 and Boston Design Week at the AD20/21 Gala.

Chicago’s Century Guild featured their outstanding selection of rare Viennese Secessionist works and had multiple high-figure sales. Adam Adelson of Adelson Galleries Boston sold a stunning and rare Bugatti desk and chair to a buyer from London.

The Cyclorama provides the ideal venue for this exciting show. Built in 1884 to house an enormous panorama painting (a "cyclorama") of the Battle of Gettysburg, the large circular rotunda and adjacent salons encourage visitors to both linger and wander throughout the show. The historic structure is the heart of the Boston Center for the Arts complex, which boasts four theatres, a gallery, the Boston Ballet School, 50 artist studios and other facilities. There are more than a dozen "hot" restaurants and nightspots within a five-minute walk.

The Cyclorama is also the location for Fusco & Four's annual Ellis Boston Antiques Show taking place October 23-26, 2014, and the 18th Annual Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS), which will take place November 13-16. For more information on all three shows, visit www.BostonArtFairs.com.

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