22 minute read
60 YEARS OF SKI & BE SEEN
On View At
Heather Gaudio Fine Art
November 20th, 2021– January 8th, 2022
Light, transparency and reflection will take your breath away this month at Heather Gaudio Fine Art in downtown New Canaan. “Ann Gardner: Expanding the Perception of Light,” the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery, will feature a range of works expressing her life-long exploration of light, color, pattern, and volume. After experimenting with different materials and processes, Gardner’s artistic enquiry landed her with the one material that has become her signature medium: glass. Known to be one of the most ancient man-made materials, glass allows Gardner to not only stretch the boundaries of its physical properties, but it also gives her the “honesty,” as she puts it, to express that which interests her.
Gardner’s sculptural works are presented in a range of formats, shapes, and scales. The artist hand-cuts colored glass into tiny mosaic pieces and assembles them onto steel armature structures. These come in a variety of forms, such as curved geometric shapes, tubular ovals, waved panels, star bursts or round compositions created in a series. Their volumes protrude into space and recede into themselves, thereby allowing for additional flickering of light, color, and reflection to take place. Some of the sculptures are mounted onto walls while others are free-standing or suspended from the ceiling.
The artist is also known for creating large-scale, sitespecific installations that not only bring attention to the works themselves but also to the environments they occupy. Understanding the physical space, who uses it and for what purpose informs her decisions on design and visual outcome. Gardner uses glass in a very precise way, understanding that its very nature is ageless, and the works will transcend time. These larger scale commissions can be presented in the form of sculptures or mosaic murals. Cognizant of the physical space and light that surround them, Gardner mindfully and carefully selects the materials and palette that is best suited for each setting. The spaces become activated with reflections, transparency, and light. The spectrum of Gardner’s palette is broad, with colors ranging from soft golds, silvers and blues to dynamic reds, bright greens, and yellows.
The exhibition at Heather Gaudio Fine Art will feature new mosaic wall-mounted sculptural works that emphasize pattern, reflection, shifting light and color. Also showcased, are a new series of hand-blown glass orbs that are less structured than her mosaic work. For Gardner, this new glass orb series poses a different way to think about the material. She wanted to relate to the glass as a material that “holds a breath.” As she states, “this is really the only process where one can create a thin barrier between what is inside and what is outside.” Gardner directs the molten glass as the orbs get inflated with air, deliberately keeping the shapes off center. Typically, the objective of blown glass is to keep it centered and controlled, creating as perfect concentric circles as possible. Her intention is freer which allows her to create wonderfully organic shapes.
The innately beautiful bubbles in soft blues, greys and gold can hang from the ceiling or can be free-standing. They direct the viewer’s attention to transparency and the light beyond their physical edges. Arranged in clusters, their clarity becomes more nuanced when they overlap each other. This series of orbs was showcased at the Boise Art Museum in Idaho last year to great critical acclaim.
Also featured in the exhibition at the gallery is a new work on paper Gardner created in 2020 when working with glass in the studio was not available to her. Gardner took to walking around Lake Washington during those months and she became interested in the translucency and glow of light on the watery surface. She translated this experience into a two-dimensional expression by applying watercolor on silver-leaf paper. The metallic surface rendered the depth and luminous effect she was seeking, and then creased the paper to evoke the texture of water. This multi-sheet work is arranged in a grid and can be extended to a larger scale if so desired.
Gardner has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has been featured in many solo and group shows around the country. In addition to her large-scale public and corporate commissions, her work is included in the collections of the National Museum of American Art, the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Corning Museum of Glass, to name a few.
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
BY Elise Walters
Because “all the world’s a stage”, the prospect of putting a house on the market is a daunting experience for most, downright panic inducing for many. Every realtor will tell you, ‘It’s not personal, it’s business’, but who wants the strangers combing through your home, critiquing that yellow bathroom tile you meant to update but didn’t have the time, or if we’re being honest, the cash? The whispers of ‘What were they thinking?’ about those chairs gifted by your wellmeaning mother-in-law. The fact is, when you open your door to what feels like endless showings and open houses, you open the door to public scrutiny. And most important, your decorating may make it so the buyer can’t envision their own picture and walk away as just another ‘no thank you’. Enter ‘stage right’, Susan Tracy of House Whisperers. Susan has been ‘staging’, the practice of bringing in furniture and décor from rugs and artwork to bed linen and cutlery, to enhance a home’s attractiveness to buyers, for over 20 years. From grand estates to fixer-uppers, Susan has staged thousands of homes in Fairfield and Westchester Counties and knows first-hand the power staging has in simplifying and expediting the buying and selling process.
“When a home is staged, it broadens marketability,” says Susan. “We provide a canvas that is appealing to buyers from all walks of life. By removing clutter, items that may feel overly personal, and taste specific furniture, we broaden the home’s appeal.” Susan taps into her extensive collection of furnishings from leading home designers including Ralph Lauren, Restoration Hardware, Holly Hunt, Christian Liaigre, Mitchell Gold, Baker, Knoll, Design Within Reach, and more, to customize each home. The idea is to
according to Susan. And in the process, she eliminates the guesswork and stress so many homeowners face. The proof is in the numbers.
ACCORDING TO A 2021 PROFILE OF HOME STAGING BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® RESEARCH GROUP:
82% 53% 23%
of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home of seller’s agents saw a decrease in time staged homes were on the market vs non staged homes of seller’s agents reported an increase of one to five percent of the dollar value of the home once staged, and 15% of seller’s agents saw an increase in dollar value of between six and ten percent
In a separate survey of 13,000 staged homes by the Real Estate Staging Association, it was reported that homes that were staged pre-listing averaged 23 days on the market compared to non-staged homes which averaged 143 days on the market.
Hannelore Kaplan - and her team Hannelore & Co. at William Raveis Real Estate - is one of the top producing real estate agents in Fairfield County. Hannelore recommends staging to many of her clients, as it comes with a positive return on investment. Hannelore says, “Contrary to what people think, staging doesn’t have to break the bank, and you don’t have to do the whole house. You can cherry-pick the focal parts of the home where people see themselves spending the most time – the family room, kitchen, living room, office and master bedroom, for example. Staging can range in price depending on what’s required and at first blush, spending something like $15,000 on furniture you can’t keep may seem wasteful. But if that means you can increase the asking price by 10%, or get 6% over ask, on a 2 or 3 million dollar home, you are walking away with a significant profit. Put in that context, staging can often be a no-brainer.”
AFTER
BEFORE AFTER
And dollars and cents aside, staging can really be an emotional relief to homeowners who are eager to sell, but don’t know where to begin. Some sellers are crippled when faced with packing up the physical belongings that carry emotional weight. Having a third party enter the scene, like The House Whisperers, with a seasoned perspective on what’s appealing to buyers, simplifies the path forward. A professional stager can have key rooms or an entire house packed up and replaced with fresh furniture in a matter of days.
BEFORE
AFTER
WHILE STAGING IS NOT ALWAYS NEEDED, HERE ARE THE TOP 3 REASONS A HOME MAY REQUIRE IT:
1.
TASTE SPECIFICITY OR CLUTTER
Buyers want to visualize themselves living in a home. This can be made difficult by personal mementos everywhere or décor and furniture specific to a particular time period. For example, a home may be an ‘antique’ and filled with antique furniture top to bottom, but because of the way the house is furnished - and not because of when it was built - buyers may not engage, as they assume the house is not updated enough or can’t envision the modern style they desire.
2.
FLAWS
Not every house can be showcase worthy. And when there are obviously outdated elements like kitchens and baths, sometimes these houses need an edge to get noticed. Photography of staged rooms is eye-catching and drawsin buyers. A buyer may be willing to overlook some of the outdated surfaces if they experience some ‘wow’ factor - via staging - in a main living space.
First impressions are critical, and some sellers can’t afford to have their homes languish on the market. When buyers need to put their best foot forward and fast, staging is the answer. This also makes the showing and the moving process easier for the sellers. With most of their belongings, other than some essentials, packed-up and in storage, preparation for showings is a breeze and everything is ready to go to the next home.
3.
TIMING / A NEED TO SELL
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THE TSENG DYNASTY
BY Michael Kaplan
Photography: Julia Dags / Photography of residence: Carlos Marques
The Tsengs are not your typical New Canaanites... though they’ve been residents for a decade. They’re a Taiwanese American family who still seem very old world. Three generations, living together in one - albeit 19,000 square foot - house. They interact with each other and with the outside world with a kind of calm and quiet, respect and dignity, and reserve and mutual regard that’s reminiscent of Asian traditions and generations past. They are a little awkwardly formal. Their hobby is philanthropy, supporting museums and various educational causes. Their residence is only one of a half-dozen homes in New Canaan that they presently own, and now they’re listing it for sale as they continue to trade and invest in New Canaan real estate. As a constant, they are committed to the broad and most altruistic mission of educating people about people, with a particular focus on the benefits of free trade, multiculturalism and education.
Chris, the 79 year old patriarch of the Tseng family, is a small man of giant stature. He’s soft-spoken and respectful, even to the point of being demure; seems to be still thinking in Mandarin and coming up with the words to express himself in English, and; has the smile of a man who’s starting to look back - and who’s happy about what he’s done. ...But his gentle demeanor conceals a man who is still sharp as a tack, charming, strong, and most probably the smartest and most worldly guy in the room...and his life story is remarkable!... Studying business administration, Chris was first in his class at Tamkang University in Taipei. While serving mandatory military service during the period of the Vietnam War, he was assigned to the airborne unit as a paratrooper, participated in 47 jumps, and received valedictorian recognition. He started his career in Taiwan as a manufacturer and exporter of door handles and locksets and other hardware in a category of goods known as ‘security systems’. He was among the first expats from Asia traversing the Pacific to build up cross-border trade between the U.S. and Asia. In the late 1970s, he moved to California, leaving the family behind in Taiwan, to start what would become Ampac, which he would grow into being a major supplier to FEMA, big box retailers and other large corporations.
In 1984, Chris sent for his family: his wife Iris, and his two children, Steven and Alice, who immigrated to the U.S. and moved into Palos Verdes Estates, California. However gilded the experience must have been, Steven remembers, “I was 10. We didn’t speak a word of English and my father sent us to public school and expected us not just to fit right in, but to be the best! We used to joke that we were learning sign language, because the first words we learned were STOP, DON’T WALK, WATCH YOUR STEP, and McDONALDS. It wasn’t easy, but we worked really hard to learn English, assimilate, and focued on our school work. I was one of only two Asian kids in my elementary school, and although we were always made to feel welcomed and I had friends in school, we never really fit in or felt like part of the ‘IN’ group. Throughout middle and high school, I tried to be nice and quiet and patient, and basically stay out of the limelight.”
Steven went on to Dartmouth, and the Tuck Business School at Dartmouth for his MBA, and remains devoted to his alma mater. He sits on the Boards of Tuck and the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth, and the Tsengs have: established a scholarship for the study of Asian culture and art, and; provided significant support to the Hood Museum’s Bernstein Center for Object Study, where they donated the Tseng Family Study Gallery in 2019, donated a Study Room at Bryne Hall at Dartmouth and; most recently, renovated a classroom in Tuck Hall, which will be completed and dedicated next year. The Hood Museum is well known for its collection of Native American art and has a
Not pictured: Alice Tseng, Steven’s sister, is a Professor of Art & Architecture at Boston University. She has written and lectured extensively specializing on the art and architecture of Japan, including on transnational and transcultural connections between Japan and EuroAmerica. After getting her PhD at Harvard and studying at Tokyo University, she’s received fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, National Gallery of Art, and J. Paul Getty Foundation, among others.
Native American Art Curator, Jami Powell, who is one of only a couple Native Americans in such a capacity in the U.S. When the Tsengs learned that the Hood was looking for a piece by Cara Romero, the Tsengs acquired it and lent it to the Hood. Steven explains, “Dartmouth is a special place - even though, much to my surprise, it started with a swim test and a weeklong hike for Freshman Orientation. At Dartmouth I was encouraged and inspired to learn art, history and culture as an econ major. At Dartmouth, education is paramount and learning is honored. I learned so much from my professors and fellow classmates, and feel that education is the key to our understanding of each other. I studied abroad in Japan, was a member of a fraternity, was tapped to join a senior society, and had college buddies who remain close friends, but still I was one of only a few Asians in my class. Before I went to Dartmouth I was sheltered and used to stick to the people I knew, but at Dartmouth I was forced to interact with people outside of my circle. I lived in a triple in the dorm, with one roommate from Montana and another from New Haven.” Steven started his career in DC with a three year stint right out of college at Price Waterhouse. That’s when he and Anne (nee Wan) met. “The host at a cocktail party was trying to introduce us and Steven was oblivious. But when we got to talk, I was attracted immediately, and apparently the feeling was mutual. I was born in Texas and grew up in New Jersey and Chicago, and was an Econ Major at the University of Chicago, where my grandfather studied as a chemical engineer. We were both working in DC when we met, so when Steven took an assignment in Tokyo, I deferred my admission to Sloane at MIT, and we went,” Anne recalls. “And, to convince her to join me in Japan, I proposed at the Capitol Mall,” Steven adds proudly. They lived in Boston while Steven was at Tuck and Anne was at Sloane, and then moved to New York when Steven interned at Goldman and Anne at Morgan Stanley.
Steven takes up the narrative: “We were married in the summer of 2001. I had been recruited to join KPMG. I was supposed to be on a flight to Helsinki on 9/11, and Anne had joined Merrill and was working in the World Financial Center that day. After working apart for a year, we decided to move together to Finland, where I became the Head of Financial Advisory Services for KPMG, and Anne got a job at the Helsinki School of Economics. I was the youngest person to make equity partner at KPMG, but in Finland I was the only Asian and one of very few non-Finns in the company. When I joined the Board of KPMG Finland, my Chairman changed the official language from Finnish to English to accommodate me. Then in 2005, we moved to Shanghai, as I was tasked to build a practice for KPMG in China and became KPMG’s Regional Managing Partner for the Asia Pacific for Global Transfer Pricing Services. In Shanghai, Anne started working for PayPal, and she’s been in the fintech space ever since - presently NOV/DEC 2021 with Stripe.”
Returning Stateside, and after almost ten years back with PwC, as Global Value Chain Transformation Leader and then Head of the Asia Business Center, based in New York, Steven, 48, is now the Principal Economist of the international law firm of Baker McKenzie. This is interesting not just because the position and what Steven deals with, and does, is fascinating in and of itself, but also because Steven is a leading executive at one of the world’s leading law firms - and yet he is not a lawyer; and though he was previously an equity Partner at KPMG and PwC, two of the world’s leading accounting and advisory firms - neither is he an accountant. Steven is able to get a room full of the smartest and most experienced lawyers, accountants and advisors to work seamlessly together!
About originally becoming New Canaanites, Steven recalls: “We were considering moving to the U.S. after our son Ethan was born in L.A. in 2007, and so we needed to find the best place to live. I figured...Jeff Immelt, the head of GE, and a Dartmouth grad, lives in New Canaan...and there’s a high concentration of Dartmouth alums living in New Canaan....and Dennis Nally, the then Global Chairman of PwC lived in New Canaan...and there’s a high concentration of CEOs in New Canaan. This was the highest level of endorsement for New Canaan for me. In 2012, when we came to visit, it really reminded me of Hanover, New Hampshire, where I went to college. And it seemed like a rare location so close to New York City, yet where you could have property and live in a bucolic setting. Our criteria included great schools and a growing community, where folks believe in raising their family,
Tseng matriarch, Iris, is an elegant woman who has weaker eyesight as she ages and lives at the side of Chris, her husband of 50 years. She’s still a part of every meeting, dedication and mission the Tsengs host or attend, and it’s clear she still ‘sees’ more than most, and is still the quiet advisor in Chris’ ear.
and that will continue to attract new families in the future. New Canaan has parks and schools and services that will continue to attract new families in the future. Anne serves on the Board of the Library, and the Library is one of the Town resources that makes New Canaan so special. It was a great choice and we’re very happy here. We liked it here so much and felt so comfortable that we convinced my parents to move here and move-in with us. Ethan is in ninth grade at New Canaan High. He has tons of friends. He plays a little lacrosse and tennis, and has plenty of opportunities here. And this area only became more valuable because of how livable it was, even during the pandemic.”
But as for why the Tsengs have accumulated and now own a half-dozen houses in New Canaan, Steven, half-serious and half with a smile acknowledging the incredulity of such excess, explains, “Well, real estate is a kind of a passion for the whole family. When we were living in Shanghai, Anne and I made our first investments in three properties and we made out well. It has to be quality and has to be something you’re willing to live in and to raise a family. When we came to New Canaan we couldn’t decide which side of town to live in, and bought a nice East School home near East Elementary School. Then we bought a home on Oenoke because we liked the tennis court. Then we saw a home on Ferris Hill that had an awesome master bedroom, like something from MTV Cribs, and I just had to buy it. And then I just thought the house on Smith Ridge is a good investment with an over the top home theater, and….”
The Tseng’s current residence is at 76 Turtle Back Lane West...and they just listed it FOR SALE for eight million dollars. “We’ll probably buy two more homes in New Canaan before we sell this one, or we could move back into Oenoke or Smith Ridge,” Steven laughs. “New Canaan residential real estate is a good investment. This house has been a fun project for us, and I’m proud to have restored the condition of the home and added to the grandeur of the property. But this house is really right for a younger and maybe a bigger family, who have their own special vision for the home, and who want to take advantage of all the opportunities a property of this size has to offer.” The home was originally designed by Harvey Lee Kaufman, who was the lead architect in the design of the Windows on the World restaurant that was on top of the World Trade Center. After the Tsengs purchased the house, they acquired an adjacent lot to assemble what is now the 12 acre parcel surrounding the home. They modernized the landscaping to give the property even more of the feel of a grand estate. Then the Tsengs undertook a two-year renovation to get the property to the stunning condition it is in today. The enormous amount of work done focused on replacing and updating the electric, water, HVAC, light control, security and other smart home systems - while preserving the iconic design of the house.
Inside, amidst impeccable furnishings, the house is like the ‘Tseng Museum’. There’s the collection of masterpieces that Chris painted when he was a teenager that mimic traditional ancient water colors - but Chris’s are done in ink and others in pencil! There’s Steven’s collection of over 400 original military miniatures, by master modellers such as Francois Verlinden and Le Cimier, depicting legions of the Napoleonic army. And the French cuirass that was battleworn at Waterloo! And, of course, full scaled epoxy resin models of a baby Indian rhinoceros, and adult White, Black, Sumatran and Javan Rhinos, that are replicas from displays in natural history museums in Europe.
