944

You Can Now Add Curator to the Renaissance Man’s Resume

 

 

Todd Oldham has been wowing the world in some form or another for twenty years now. His signature collection of clothes earned him the Council of Fashion Designers Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent back in ‘91, and his signature line of perfumes can still be found everywhere adventurous scents are sold. In ’95, Oldham partnered with Warner Brothers and created his own look for The Dark Knight, all the while hosting a five-minute segment on MTV’s House of Style he craftily called “Todd Time.”

A decade ago Oldham came to South Beach and transformed The Tiffany into the The Hotel, which is now being expanded to include a beach-front annex above the old New Café. And it was that same year that he served as mentor on Bravo’s breakthrough reality show, Top Design. Over the years there have been pairings with Escada, Target, La-Z-Boy and Old Navy, as well as Durkan, for whom Oldham created flooring which fell under the name T.O.D.D. (Todd Oldham Designs Durkan, naturally).

In 2001, Oldham got with San Francisco’s Ammo Books and released Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life, a devoutly created monograph that freed the American Modernist’s wildlife from the confines of kid’s books and placed it in the hearts and minds of everyone. And since then he and Ammo have produced a slew of wowful titles, including the series “Place Space,” which takes the reader everywhere from the real-life Bedrock City (a desert oasis where Fred and Wilma will never die) to the home of John Waters (a veritable shrine to sleaze). Oldham’s latest creation, Kid Made Modern, a sequel to his slightly more adult Hand Made Modern, gives children everywhere a mind-up on the design game and provides a platform for budding talents everywhere.

Now Oldham is in with our beloved Wolfsonian for a show entitled “New Voices. New Works,” a site-specific installation running coincident with Art Basel which combines the works of Megan Whitmarsh, Wayne White, and Brock Shorno. To launch the event, the four artists have each designed their own limited-edition welcome mats, which can be bought at The Wolf and will serve to support further adventure in curating.

944 got with the Renaissance man on the eve of Art Basel and asked him to tell us all about it; this is what he said:

John Hood: Everybody wants to know what's the big idea behind the welcome mats?

Oldham: Oh, the welcome mats. Well, the whole idea behind this presentation for Art Basel was sort of a re-celebration of the Wolfsonian. I think that it’s one of the most amazing peculiar places I've ever been. Being a repository for exceptional objects makes it very unique in the museum world. I had the great pleasure of attending many of the Art Basel presentations in the past. One thing I wanted to do this year was trying to comment on the Wolfsonian itself, instead of trying to bring in a new idea. I asked Wayne White, Megan Whitmarsh and Brock Shorno to somehow comment, whatever that means to them, on the Wolfsonian. In the case of Wayne White, he's doing these absolutely massive banners that are going to clad the exterior of the building. There are eleven of them. One of them is 90 feet long, so they're really big. Using his very interesting take on the world, that will be on the exterior. And Megan Whitmarsh, in a sort of an homage to the permanent collection which is in-house on the fifth floor, has re-rendered some of the most famous objects from the Wolfsonian in her very sweet soft sculpture way. Those are the original objects, which will be removed, and Megan's objects will be replaced.

JH: That's cool.

Oldham: Yeah. So since the permanent collection has been there for so many years, I think people really have a good sense about it. It will be really fun to show a new version of it. Brock Shorno has made eight site-specific new works that will debuted at Art Basel that will include some of the objects. Those are just brilliant. I'm so excited about those pieces. He really did an amazing job.

JH: So the welcome mat's are kind of a welcoming to the “New Noices, New Works” show, to raise money for the Wolfsonian and bring everybody in and discover all these guys and girls. Do you have some stuff of your own?

Oldham: I've got to curate it. I got to be the one that moved it around. I did design a welcome mat. All the three guest artists and myself did welcome mats. Mohawk/Durkan was so kind to underwrite the whole project, so that 100% of the proceeds go to the museum.

JH: How did you actually get involved with the Wolfsonian to begin with?

Oldham: I've been a fan for years. I have helped run Art Basel presentations before. I actually DJ'd at a party. This was about three years ago. So that was fun. I've always been a fan. I've known Micky Wolfson and Kathy Leff for many years. I'm a genuine fan of the place.

JH: It's a really fabulous institution. What other Miami institutions are you fond of?

Oldham: Well, is Pizza Rustica an institution? I think so.

JH: It certainly is. Pino has been around forever.

Oldham: That's a really good place. My favorite thing about Miami is the beach though.

JH: Do you spend a lot of time on the beach when you come down?

Oldham: Yeah, whenever I can. Monday through Friday is heaven on the beach.

JH: So you must be excited now that The Hotel is actually going to be facing the waterfront.

Oldham: (laughing): You can actually see right off the windows into the water.

JH: Will the expansion be finished in time for Basel?

Oldham: It's just about finished. It won't be open for Basel, but it's going to be very near.

JH: For Christmas, perhaps?

Oldham: I think so.

JH: Is it called something else or is it just more Hotel?

Oldham: It's just more Hotel. The reason is it was called the “Tiffany” for many years until we redid it, and “Tiffany Co.” took umbrage despite that fact that it's been named that for 80 years. It's no longer the “Tiffany” despite the “Tiffany” sign. It's protected by landmark. It is just another addition. It's one of the newest beach fronts we've seen in a while.

JH: Speaking of moves. I understand you moved your New York Office from SoHo down to Lower Manhattan. You're right by the Calatrava Station, right or what's going to be?

Oldham: It's going to be amazing that place. What a treat to get to watch it being built every day.

JH: It must be insane. The engineering. I have one of his books. I marvel every time I open even one page of it.

Oldham: It's astonishing. What a gift he is to make beautiful, public-functioning places that are so exquisite like that.

JH: Do you know when it's going to be finished?

Oldham: I don't. It's probably many years from now. Right now, it looks like kid's Tonka truck land over there. You can't quite tell what's going on. I'm sure they'll start lifting sand.

JH: Your new office is apparently loaded with a library full of books? Would you say you're obsessed with books?

Oldham: I would, yes. I think you could say that in a healthy way. I'm very passionate about them. They thrill me and I'm happy to be part of protecting them as well.

JH: You have the new Kid Made Modern and you have a whole series with Ammo. What's behind the Kid Made Modern. Do you have like the Eames, Calder and Marimekko and all this stuff?

Oldham: I wanted to try to inspire passion and interest in kids. Unfortunately, I see a bad trend in design where everything is torn out of a magazine and duplicated, so I wanted to try to demystify the creative process so that kids could be inspired by somebody without copying them. There's kind of that. Then, there are primers we call “All About.” Teach them about color mixing, felt, paintbrushes. So it's a little art nerdy, but if you're interested it will be very interesting.

JH: That's cool. I really dig Ammo Books. I reviewed Zoe Strauss' America last year.

Oldham: Oh. Zoe is great.

JH: It's a really good book, and a really good fit for you. How did you guys find each other, you and Ammo?

Oldham: Well, I met Steve Christ who is the head of Ammo, when he was working with Judith Regan. I did a book with Judith called Handmade Modern. It was an adult precursor to Kid Made Modern. We hit it off really well. He was also from Taschen. They decided to make the most beautiful art books in the world and open their company, and we hit it off. I just turned in my 8th book with him.

JH: I know there are four in the “Place Space” series. Do you have more coming out in that series?

Oldham: Yeah, there will be more. We think it will be at the end of 2010. We've got a few other things slotted in front of it.

JH: Any titles you want to mention?

Oldham: The next one out will be this book on Joan Jett which is really exciting. I think she's brilliant. That will be out very soon in April.

JH: Okay, you did Target, La-Z-boy, Old Navy. Is there any big brand makeovers – What's the next big brand makeover? Do you have one in mind?

Oldham: No I don't. Honestly, right now I am very disinterested in that. I'm just focusing on other things.

JH: Art stuff.

Oldham: I just don't know about reaching that far anymore. I never say never, but right now it's pretty much off my radar.

JH: What about clothing? Is that off your radar now too?

Oldham: There's something interesting brewing with that, but I just want whatever I'm going to do, in any medium, these days to be civilized and my version of it. I'm not really into participating in any of the normal systems. I'd rather forge my own ways.

JH: Speaking of not participating. What's with the John Muir beard?

Oldham: Oh, John Muir. (laughing) That's a nice thing to say. I love John Muir. Well, you know the John Muir was a side effect of no longer shaving. Last December, I just decided I'm done. I'm not doing it anymore, so I didn't.

JH: So, it's not an homage to John Muir or anyone like that?

Oldham: It isn't but I'll take your lovely thought about it. I'm very, very fond of John Muir.

JH: Me too and you know what, I think that's a good way to end this quick Q&A. Thank you so much Todd Oldham for taking the time out to speak with 944.

Oldham: My pleasure. Thank you for your great comments.

New Voices, New Works

Now Showing

The Wolfsonian-FIU

1001 Washington Avenue

Miami Beach, Florida 33139

305.535.2622

www.wolfsonian.org/