Publisher's Letter

MAIDENFORM"

INTIMATE APPAREL

BOG N E R

"THE SWEATSHIRT SHOP"

~ANNE KLEIN

~~ FACTORY STORES

HOME FASHIONS OUTLET

CANNON SHEETS, TOWELS & MORE he image of a family burning a piano, piece by piece, to keep warm (see our story on page 43) reminds me of a story Ilearned recently about artist Michael Waterman while Iwas visiting his garret studio at the top of Congress Square. The year was 1988, and, thanks to Juris Ubans, gallery director at USM, the USM gallery was doing a retrospective of Michael's work. "When it came time to print the poster for the retrospective," Michael says, "I realized that the printer was going to get more money than anybody connected with the show, which was a benefit for USM. "I was not emotionally bothered but saw a chC1llenge.Isaid to Juris: 'Jeez, no slight on the printer, but maybe we could save money and do something exciting at the same time.'"

The problem was, by this time, 200 posters were needed around town, right away.

So Michael looked over at Juris and said, "How about if Imake them?" "Two-hundred? You don't have a printing press!" "How about ifI make 200 originals?"

So-Picasso-like-in 24 hours, Michael painted 200 original 24" x 36" watercol-. ors which, unknown to the city, were tacked up like posters eveI)where. Money was saved, but from the beginning money was a secondary issue. "Iwanted to see if Icould make each one different and carry a different emotional message," Michael says, showing me 30 of the originals he recovered. "I didn't get much sleep. These weren't· reckless vignettes, but rather completely realized individual images."

He flips through them. They are profoundly, heart-breakingly different. "How long they remained up as posters Idon't know. Some collectors with a good eye recognized them as originals and began taking them down, but by then they'd already served their purpose." Others were sold to benefit USM. "I wouldn't have burned the piano," Michael admits when he hears the story of our Stroudwater Christmas house. "Aerobics. A lot of aerobics would have supplanted the need to burn the Piano.,,~ ~

.iiiI.~"We bake 'embest"

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