Hello world!
DEDICATION
“Why have any stories if you don’t tell them to others?”
—Isabel Allende, excerpted from her NPR “This I Believe” essay]
We moved into our 1873 pre-Victorian Gothic farmhouse, the 3rd oldest residence in Oregon, in 1988, a month before my son Jesse’s 3rd birthday. Jesse started Montessori School, husband Gerry went into full renovation mode while still working at Eclectic Institute, and I continued as Creative Director at Meier & Frank, “Oregon’s Premier Department Store.”
I left M&F after five years and opened my own design business. The original parlor of the house was my office/studio. It was a light-filled room with 10 ½’ foot ceilings, a bay window where our upright piano stood among plants, original random-width wood floors and plaster floret around the hanging light fixture, and charm.
An agency in town referred a client to me. At the arranged time, three middle aged women, all very pleasant looking and nicely dressed, arrived on my porch. I showed them into my office and we stood around while the shortest of the group explained their project: the Handweavers Guild of America, based in Georgia, was going to hold their bi-annual international conference of weavers in Portland in 1996. Convergence 96 needed an “identity” including a logo, some ads, and some print materials. Could I do it? I said of course, we arranged an official Start Work meeting, and they took off. I was left thinking “Ah, a little ‘happy hands at home’ project for some housewives who like to knit.” I was an idiot. A fortunate idiot.
The next few years of work on that project were among the most satisfying of my life. The logo and “few print materials” turned into dozens of print materials. The logo was emblazoned on everything from buttons to a rug that was hand woven at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts; collateral materials that included stunning tote bags, silver and enamel pins that were presented as gifts to the board; a web presence that included animation with a voice over by Grammy winning singer Valerie Day of Nu Shooz:
two films, and opening ceremonies which included a dancer from the Oregon Ballet Theater, a rap artist and musicians. At its end, I came out to take a bow as 2,300 people stood, and confetti and streamers exploded from the ceiling. As I walked off stage in my sparkling red dress with my face covered in tears my 11 year old son reached out to me with a glow I had never seen before – his pride and thrill self-evident. It was a moment beyond words.
And the person who made all this possible was the shortest of that original trio of visitors, Widney Moore. Widney turned out to be a force, a visionary, a world class weaver, a great beauty, an art collector and art promoter with exquisite taste, a person who had never completed college but ended up managing projects and businesses worth millions of dollars. She birthed three sons who are scions of business, architecture and technology; is the stalwart and beloved wife of an executive of an international tech company; a doting grandmother.
She resurrected a museum in Salem, Oregon that had been neglected for years and turned it into a place of historic interest, a weaving center – which was its original purpose – and a tourist destination that boosted the economy of the state’s capital. She asked me to create their brand and promotional materials, and the product line for their gift shop, as well as the visitor center’s introductory film. She started running at the age of 40, then ran numerous marathons; and started playing piano at 60 and ended up studying with famous teachers around the world. My physical opposite, Widney is just about my identical twin in terms of birthdays and sensibilities, and one of the best friends and champions I have ever had.
Widney opened a wearable art shop in Portland, The Widney Moore Gallery, where she showcased the finest hand made work from around the world. She had me design her identity and work with her on store design. One of her fiber artists, Chunghie Lee, whose work is in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Museum of Art and Design in New York, had me design her identity and website. Widney referred me to one of her friends, Dorothy Lemelson of the Lemelson Foundation, who had me design her personal stationery. I believe the finest work I have ever done I have done with Widney and/or because of Widney.
One year, for some occasion or another, Widney presented me with a gift from a popular store of contemporary jewelry and crafts in Portland, Twist. I opened the box with great anticipation because Widney, as stated, has exquisite taste. Inside was a slender wooden bar pin, about 1/4” x 2”, absolutely plain wood with a plain pin back. It was, at first glance, a surprisingly simple choice. I held it close and saw that etched into the wood
was the following: “It was the way she used words.”
It was the way she used words.
After all the designing she had commissioned me to do, after all the art and stunning visuals we had created together, it turned out that what Widney held in highest regard was my way with words. My ability to write.
It is to her that I dedicate this blog.