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www.architecturaldigest.com

The Alpha Workshops is proud to be the beneficiary of the Pre-Sale Event of the Second Annual Winter Designer Fine Furniture Sale which will take place on Friday, March 8, 6 to 8pm, at The Altman Building (135 West 18^th Street, NYC).  Event attendees will have an exclusive opportunity to view and purchase items before the sale opens to the general public the following day.

Entry to the Pre-Sale event is by suggested donation of $20 which will benefit Alpha’s training and supported employment programs for HIV-positive decorative artists.  Proceeds from a silent auction featuring Elvis Presley’s Bed will also benefit Alpha.  This circular white fake-fur bed from Graceland was sold at the “Rock Greats and Legends of the Big Screen Auction” at Guernsey’s Auction House in October 2002 and is a fabulously unique piece of pop-culture memorabilia.

To RSVP to the Pre-Sale event please contact amy@whiteglovetransportation.com

The Second Annual Winter Designer Fine Furniture Sale is presented by White Glove Transportation and will take place on Saturday, March 9^th and Sunday, March 10^th from 10am to 6pm.  Over 500 pieces of fine furniture (valued at $3 million) will be on display for immediate sale with discounts of up to 75%.  Pieces from showrooms such as Andrew Martin, Profiles, Grange, TK Collections, and more will be included.  White Glove Transportation will be on hand to facilitate expedited delivery of each purchase. The event is open to both Interior Design industry professionals, as well as the general public.

White Glove Transportation Services is a full service blanket wrap logistics company that for over 25 years has serviced the Fine Furniture Design community.

For more information on the Winter Fine Furniture Designer Warehouse Sale and White Glove Transportation contact Neil Deutsch at 1-888-821-0808.

Etienne Coffinier & Ed Ku of Coffinier Ku Design, the pro-bono architects and designers of Alpha’s new home.  Their plan for the space incorporates elegance and functionality and features new classrooms and studios, along with a design office and a kitchen/meeting space.  Construction on the floor is slated to begin by April with a move-in date scheduled for early summer.  “We cannot thank Etienne and Ed enough for their incredible generosity, energy and talent.  Their commitment to this project and determination to create the best possible space for our purposes has been inspiring” states Kenneth Wampler, Executive Director of The Alpha Workshops;

Vinson & Elkins LLP has served as the pro-bono law firm of The Alpha Workshops since 2009 and their assistance with legal matters has been invaluable. V&E is a truly global firm, with 16 offices and 700 lawyers worldwide.  “As a relatively small non-profit, it is reassuring to know that the support and guidance of Vinson & Elkins is within reach at all times.  We are so grateful to Caroline Blitzer Phillips, Emily Malandra and other lawyers at the firm who have represented Alpha with such respect and integrity” says Kenneth Wampler;

David Aloia & Darvia Douglass have volunteered their time and expertise over the last 12 months to create and maintain The Alpha Workshops Archives, a physical and digital catalogue of Alpha’s work.  Every custom finish, residential renovation, art installation, wallpaper, furniture design, as well as other creative work and the designs that have been used in licenses, are now recorded with information on the individual artisan responsible for the work.  “It’s a huge and important project that recognizes individual achievement within Alpha’s collective brand” says Kenneth Wampler “David and Darvia are doing a fantastic job.  We have 18 years of Alpha expertise and experience to catalog and these archives enable us to protect and celebrate that knowledge and those makers.”

The Alpha Awards originated in 2000 as a means for The Alpha Workshops to honor and acknowledge those who have served as ambassadors to their mission of providing job training and supported employment to HIV-positive decorative artists.  To date, 42 individuals and companies have received awards including: Bloomberg; New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Kate Kelly Smith and Newell Turner of House Beautiful; Tiffany & Co.; Koroseal; Larson-Juhl; Jamie Drake; Matthew Patrick Smyth; Steelcase/Jeannie Bochette; Lifetime Television; Benjamin Moore & Co.; Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; Cindy Allen; New York Design Center; eBay; Jonathan Rose Companies; Margaret Russell; Christopher Coleman; Samuel Botero; and Mark Pollack.  Presenters have included Rosanne Cash; Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Clodagh; Mayer Rus; Rachel Kohler; and Marian McEvoy.

The Alpha Awards are regularly attended by over 350 prominent individuals from the field of interior design.  Individual tickets cost $175 and sponsorships from $500 to $50,000 are available.  Since 2005, the Awards have been held at The Prince George Ballroom which features decorative painting and ornamental molding work completed by Alpha’s artists.  Sponsorships can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/333291, by downloading the sponsorship form or by contacting Barbara Thomson at 212-594-7320 or Barbara@alphaworkshops.org

The New York Design Center (NYDC) and The Alpha Workshops are pleased to present this year’s Masquerade Ball, a re-creation of Truman Capote’s famous 1966 Black & White Ball, to benefit The Alpha Workshops Studio School. On October 25, the design industry will gather in their most glamorous black and white attire for a cocktail party reminiscent of the legendary evening at the Plaza. For the past six years, the Masquerade Ball has raised over $500,000 for The Alpha Workshops Studio School, the only school in the nation that trains creative individuals living with HIV in the decorative arts field. The goal for 2012 is to raise $100,000. The lead sponsor of the event is Benjamin Moore & Co. Tickets are $125 in advance, and $150 at the door, with all proceeds directly benefiting The Alpha Workshops Studio School, and can be purchased at http://nydcmasqueradeball.brownpapertickets.com/

This year’s Black & White theme will pay homage to the pinnacle of New York City social history in the 1960’s. The event, which promises glamour and sophistication, will feature hand-painted masks, lanterns and décor courtesy of The Alpha Workshops Studio School students. Beginning at 6pm, philanthropically-minded designers, architects, manufacturers and enthusiasts will channel the legends of yesteryear for a night of elegance.

“The Masquerade Ball is a rare opportunity for the design industry to join together for an evening and raise much needed funds for The Alpha Workshops, a charitable organization rooted in design. This year more than ever, we appreciate the generous contributions from our friends in the design community who continue to support the event,” said Jim Druckman, President of the New York Design Center. “The NYDC takes great pride in once again hosting this extraordinary fundraiser and bringing everyone together for a fabulous celebration.”

The 7th Annual Masquerade Ball promises to be an unforgettable throwback to 1966 that will support the future of The Alpha Workshops.

from 1stdibs.com

Oddly enough, I learned that theatrical design was an actual job from “The Red Shoes”–the only movie I know of with a set designer talking about things with little models. I started designing scenery in high school, and majored in it in college. After I moved to New York, I worked Off- and Off-Off Broadway, and did some movies. Then I got into television. For 12 years I worked full-time often from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., five days a week—on a daily network soap opera. After I got sick, I left because I was having trouble with stress and the incredibly long hours.

A few years later, I was looking for something to do. The Actors Fund had a brochure about Alpha, and I applied. As I went through the classes, I noticed Alpha had a line of wallpaper but nobody really to produce them full-time. I took it upon myself to learn every single paper. Ken was impressed enough that he said, “Why don’t you take on the department?”

I’ve been here since 2002, and the manager of the wallpaper department since 2003. My management technique is different from many people. I’m more of a caretaker. I know it sometimes takes a little bit more care to get people to understand things, so I try to be more nurturing. We’re sympathetic here to a lot of things. We understand the health issues. But that can sometimes cause problems in the workplace, too, because we have more illness than a lot of companies do. And we still have deadlines to meet.

Working at Alpha and designing much of our wallpaper line has brought out parts of me that I didn’t necessarily know were there. It means so much to me that my designs are in homes. Some have been in Architectural Digest and The New York Times.  They may be up for a long time, and some archaeologist some day might find them. That’s different from a set design, which doesn’t last.

I teach here also. And I think getting people to learn to see is opening something in people that exists but may not necessarily occur to them. I am proud of how some students have accomplished things over time—people who’ve had a very hard life, and no artistic background, and now do a really good job producing beautiful wallpaper that’s admired by our clients. The most important thing I say to student is: “You can do it if you practice enough. Just keep doing it.” That gets tedious to some, but sometimes, when they’ve done it enough, they see they’ve accomplished exactly what you’ve asked—and that it’s beautiful.

I think if you have the opportunity, the desire, and the interest to do something different—to make pretty things and to know that they’ll be part of someone’s life—Alpha is a nice place to be to learn that. It can be life changing. But I think more of that is in the revelation and understanding that you’re capable of this, that it’s somewhere in you buried deep. Alpha is a place where you can find certain aspects of that. It may not work for everybody, but it works for a lot of people.

I have a New York State credential, what’s called a CASAC. I ran two State programs: one for New York State, OASAS, which is a substance use prevention program, and one for the AIDS Institute, which is a testing program. I was also trained to certify other testing counselors.  I resigned in 2006 to take care of my mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. While she was still in treatment—she’s in full remission now—I started to think about what I was going to do next. I had renewed my CASAC but I didn’t want to go back in the field. I remember going through some old books and running into the Alpha literature. I applied, and was lucky enough to get a scholarship. I recently became 51. This is the first time in my life that I’m helping me as opposed to helping someone else.

As I understand, they have a theory here that it’s all about the process, that growth is incremental. You don’t see it as it’s happening because you’re all caught up in whether you’re mixing this paint right and so forth.  During the portfolio review, you actually get to see it.  By the last week of the advanced training, I was trying to make plans about where I was going to go after—and hoping that it would be as nice as it is here.  The day I graduated, I got hired here as a floater.  My first thought was, “Wow, I get to go back and forth between departments.”

I’m a structured person, and very detail oriented. If I don’t have structure, I don’t feel alive. This gives me structure. It brings me great joy. It’s teamwork. It gives me my independence. I find it therapeutic. It gives me a reason to get up and be happy and go.  It also gives me a reason to occupy myself productively, to remove myself from an unhealthy relationship, and I am succeeding each and every day.

When I was very young I used to draw so that I could focus on something—something pretty, something positive—when something bothered me, or when life challenges occurred. I still do. My parents said no when I tried to go to art school, and I didn’t have anybody to teach me when I was young.  Alpha is that to me. When you draw, when you paint with someone who already has expertise, you question yourself. When everything is going smooth, you get into some deep discussions about philosophy, about life in general. I think when that happens you become closer to the person and you see the difference in beliefs. You’re okay with each other’s belief, and what you want is for your project to come out as good as it possibly can.

I hope that, once I get comfortable, I can let go of my own creativity and contribute something.  Whatever you create is a part of you, part of your inner core.  When you want to show appreciation for the help you’ve received, sometimes you show it by your completed project, your creativity, and the level of care that you take.  It’s challenging. And I love it!

A product of the 1970’s raised in the Bronx on a public school educational system, I have been artistically inclined since early on.  In first grade I would create custom colored crayons by melting boxed crayons on the classroom radiator and smearing the collected droplets on paper, much to my teacher’s chagrin.  An early appreciation of the decorative arts perhaps?  Fast forward thirty years, I came across an advertisement for The Alpha Workshops.  Intrigued at first, it takes two years to make up my mind.  Uncertain of where Alpha would lead and unwilling to risk a salary and a full-time job in search of a dream, I left anyway.  Glad I did too, that was almost ten years ago!  I have been employed at Alpha ever since.  During this time, I have mastered the art of surface design.  My faux finishes have been called fabulous by leading industry professionals and colleagues alike.  Some of my finest work at Alpha has been my Venetian plaster applications.  One of my proudest was the restoration of an Art Deco masterpiece in a Park Avenue lobby.

In addition to working at Alpha, I am also currently pursuing a career in interior design.  Deciding to go back to school at 40 was not easy, especially when I didn’t have my high school diploma.  An independent individual since the age of sixteen, I have worked since then, never finishing high school.  Without enrolling in GED classes, I decided to just take the New York State Regents exam.  My first try was successful, I aced the test with a 98 percent!  I took this to mean something positive.

In the winter of 2007 I enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology as an evening student.  I toyed with this idea of returning to school full-time around my work schedule and approached Ken Wampler for his blessing.  The rest is history.  I have achieved my Associate Degree, am in the last semester of my Bachelors Degree program, while looking forward to a Masters Degree in Sustainable Design.

Being at Alpha hasn’t only opened up the world of decorative arts, it has also shown me how to become aware of the details.  I have learned to create beautiful work that other people appreciate and that I’m extremely proud of.  Creativity is never stifled at Alpha.  Everyone is given the opportunity to try, to practice and to learn.  This is what Alpha does; they give people skills that they can take with them, wherever their endeavors may lead.  Today I have a greater appreciation for delicate hand-made objects of beauty, a greater appreciation for design and an even greater appreciation for higher education, artistic or otherwise.  A few of my goals today are obtaining my degree and looking for ways to pay it forward, to Alpha.  I feel strongly about this.  I think I am lucky to have found Alpha, but it has taken hard work and dedication to endure and grow with Alpha.  Living in New York City, I have worked in various fields, none of which have been half as fulfilling as my time at Alpha Workshops.