Plush, Vinyl, and Clay

these are the little guys i put together for the handmade toy show at the Kismet Gallery in Troy, NY. Sorry about the blur, but I was in a hurry to snap a photo and wrap them up since they're due in NY asap!

Here's some more info on the show from the Kismet Gallery :


Plush, Vinyl, and Clay
International Collection of Handcrafted Designer Toys


With the holiday season quickly approaching, multinational corporations are gearing up to push on the American public their next “must have holiday toy”-- which will be another mass produced, sweatshop made piece of junk. In fact, 75% of all toys sold in America this holiday season will have been manufactured in sweatshops somewhere in China. Furthermore, they might possibly contain lead paint. In stark contrast to these multinational toy makers, designer toy artists from around the globe will be handcrafting one of a kind and limited edition collectible works of art.

This holiday season, we at Kismet Gallery are looking to do our part to combat the spread of these mass produced sweat shop made monstrosities. On November 30, 2007 Kismet Gallery in Troy, N.Y. will have an opening for Plush, Vinyl, and Clay at which we will showcase work from designer toy artists from around the globe.

Kismet, located at 71 Fourth St. in Troy, NY (telephone 518-272-1918) was established in June 2006, and operates as an artist-owned gallery and studio space. Showcased in Kismet’s 3,500-square-foot gallery are the works of over 150 local, national and international artists and artisans. Kismet’s philosophy is to bring fine art to the masses without being pretentious, showcasing work that is both enjoyable and affordable. In 2007, Kismet was voted the Best Art Gallery in New York’s Capital Region. On the last Friday of every month, we have an opening and reception at the gallery in conjunction with an art walk in downtown Troy. These opening nights are consistently attended by up to a thousand people.

Kismet Gallery is a new breed of bottom-up retail enterprises, where we pride ourselves on doing things differently. Unlike other retailers, we never sell anything made in a sweatshop—just one-of-a-kind handcrafted items which are sustainable and manufactured by our family, friends, and neighbors in our community. At Kismet, we stand for principles over profit; idealism over hype; values over image; and mutual aid over competition. Unlike retailers at the mall, for every dollar spent here at least 60 cents goes back into our community to pay our artists; the rest goes to keep the gallery open.

As owners, we see ourselves primarily as activists fighting back against the corporate takeover which is running roughshod over our communities. We view the corporate flagpoles dominating our streets and the city outskirts as being representative of conquest, not community. Our once-bustling downtowns have been left derelict, once-plentiful resources have been pillaged, and once promised jobs have been axed in favor of sweatshop labor. The time is now to kick the corporations to the curb and to reclaim our communities.