http://renatom.net Rena Tom Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:39:14 +0000 http://renatom.net en http://renatom.net/I-Shop-You-Buy http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/I-Shop-You-Buy Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:39:14 +0000 Rena Tom 4691842 In the summer of 2011, I held a retail experiment called I Shop, You Buy to create a new revenue stream and play around with different models of online commerce. I shopped for the best local designs from Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong and created $10 and $20 boxes. People could subscribe to one of the boxes and would receive a surprise package, with story and descriptions of each product, after I returned.This was a fun way to combine travel and retail. In the future, I would offer more expensive boxes (it was hard to keep the prices down and make any profit) and also ship products home instead of cramming everything into my luggage! The boxes were popular and sold out quickly. <img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691842/ishop2.jpg" width="500" height="750" width_o="500" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691842/ishop2_o.jpg" data-mid="25006025" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691842/ishop4.jpg" width="500" height="333" width_o="500" height_o="333" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691842/ishop4_o.jpg" data-mid="25006027" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691842/ishopmain.jpg" width="500" height="640" width_o="500" height_o="640" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691842/ishopmain_o.jpg" data-mid="25006030" border="0" align="left"/> In the summer of 2011, I held a retail experiment called I Shop, You Buy to create a new revenue stream and play around with different models of online commerce. I... http://renatom.net/Reaction http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/Reaction Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:24:43 +0000 Rena Tom 4691790 I worked with generative design studio Nervous System on their first solo show. "The work in Reaction is based on a chemical patterning system called reaction diffusion, which describes a hypothesized mechanism for the synthesis of the diverse patterning seen on animals ranging from zebra stripes and giraffe spots to the complex coloring of tropical fish. The line features slip-cast ceramic housewares as well as pieces created using novel 3D printing techniques currently under development.These works will be accompanied by other Nervous System designs in jewelry and housewares as well as video and interactive applications where participants can play with these systems and even create their own designs. More than simply a display of their end product, this exhibition is about process from conception to program to design to production, showcasing Nervous System’s unique blend of art, science, and craft; the work spans art, products, and interactive media – mixing gallery, store, and playground." <img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691790/reaction.jpg" width="500" height="340" width_o="500" height_o="340" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691790/reaction_o.jpg" data-mid="25005754" border="0" align="left"/> I worked with generative design studio Nervous System on their first solo show. "The work in Reaction is based on a chemical patterning system called reaction... http://renatom.net/Fault-Lines http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/Fault-Lines Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:22:14 +0000 Rena Tom 4691776 I curated this show in the Rare Device project space in 2010. Participants included Amy Tavern, Molly McGrath, Martha McQuade, and Carol Gilbert."In Fault Lines, the four designers are concerned with formal explorations of 'line': a line in space that can be expanded to become planes and solids; lines formed by a cut, crack or scratch; timelines; a line in the sense of a body of work.They accomplish this by both resisting and working with their chosen media, which includes wood, metal and fiber. Inspirational photos, models and sketchbook samples will be presented alongside the work to illustrate how each designer arrives at the finished piece." <img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691776/faultlines.jpg" width="500" height="337" width_o="500" height_o="337" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691776/faultlines_o.jpg" data-mid="25005709" border="0" align="left"/> I curated this show in the Rare Device project space in 2010. Participants included Amy Tavern, Molly McGrath, Martha McQuade, and Carol Gilbert."In Fault Lines,... http://renatom.net/Breaking-the-Spine http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/Breaking-the-Spine Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:19:48 +0000 Rena Tom 4691756 I curated a group show celebrating the book, the word, and letterforms. It featured original artwork and photography plus book sculpture and limited-edition books."The participants in Breaking the Spine are artists, designers, photographers and even a librarian.They are concerned with the physicality of the written word in the digital era and the spatial volume that a literary volume occupies. Their reverence allows them to destroy what they love, to turn a book into building blocks, or the structured alphabet into pure form. They perform alchemy and magic - in their hands, images become stories, pages become letters, and books can fly." <img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691756/breaking.jpg" width="500" height="334" width_o="500" height_o="334" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691756/breaking_o.jpg" data-mid="25005611" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691756/breakingthespine_back.jpg" width="500" height="334" width_o="500" height_o="334" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691756/breakingthespine_back_o.jpg" data-mid="25005684" border="0" align="left"/> I curated a group show celebrating the book, the word, and letterforms. It featured original artwork and photography plus book sculpture and limited-edition... http://renatom.net/Advent-Grab-Bag http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/Advent-Grab-Bag Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:13:30 +0000 Rena Tom 4691741 For Christmas 2011, Maggie Mason and I devised an Advent kit that would help out busy parents who didn’t have time to collect 24 small toys for their child. We created 24 Days, an Advent grab bag complete with a festive tissue paper blindfold and individually bagged items that reminded us of our childhood (crazy straws, fortune fish, monster finger puppets, and the like).On a very tight schedule, we sourced the goods, created the packaging, and bagged nearly all of the items (!) then assembled the kits and sent them out to happy moms and dads around the country. We sold them online and marketed them solely through blogging and tweeting. Kids (or adults) got a fun experience in December and charity: water received 50% of the proceeds. <img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691741/f02b7614140311e1abb01231381b65e3_7.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691741/f02b7614140311e1abb01231381b65e3_7_o.jpg" data-mid="25005538" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691741/421b45b60fdc11e1abb01231381b65e3_7.jpg" width="500" height="500" width_o="500" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload119.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4691741/421b45b60fdc11e1abb01231381b65e3_7_o.jpg" data-mid="25005531" border="0" align="left"/> For Christmas 2011, Maggie Mason and I devised an Advent kit that would help out busy parents who didn’t have time to collect 24 small toys for their child. We... http://renatom.net/Rare-Device http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/Rare-Device Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:42:18 +0000 Rena Tom 4648163 Rare Device began in 2005 as a tiny storefront at the south end of Park Slope, Brooklyn. My original goal was to make jewelry in the back and sell my work, and the work of my friends, in the front. It quickly gained notoriety for having unique, modern, well-crafted goods; impressing New Yorkers is not easy but we managed to make lots of friends, enjoyed great press and loyal customers.I moved back to San Francisco in 2007 and opened a second, larger location with my friend Lisa Congdon. Under her guidance, we expanded the gallery offerings and held shows, pop-up shops, and other events every month until we sold the business in 2011. We showcased artists and designers like Kate Bingaman-Burt, Mike Monteiro, Jill Bliss, Mark Warren Jacques, Amy Ross, Betsy Walton, Poketo, Julia Rothman, Evan B. Harris, Amy Ruppel, Paul Octavious, Diem Chau, and Matte Stephens. <img src="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4648163/463486321_e103b146e4_o.jpg" width="600" height="846" width_o="600" height_o="846" src_o="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4648163/463486321_e103b146e4_o_o.jpg" data-mid="24750426" border="0" align="left"/> Featured in Print The New York Times The Wall Street Journal San Francisco Chronicle Washington Post Anthology New York Martha Stewart Weddings Jane InStyle Domino Sunset Budget Travel Tabi (Japan) BoligLiv Time Out Lucky Real Simple The Nest Food and Wine 7x7 House Beautiful Redbook Every Day with Rachael Ray Featured Online Shift (Japan) Coolhunting Daily Candy ohjoy NOTCOT Flavorpill WGSN Productdose Remodelista Dwell Cookie Apartment Therapy Poppytalk design*sponge Better Living Through Design Popgadget Outblush Variety Mighty Goods Rare Device began in 2005 as a tiny storefront at the south end of Park Slope, Brooklyn. My original goal was to make jewelry in the back and sell my work, and the... http://renatom.net/Treasury-Project http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/Treasury-Project Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:41:33 +0000 Rena Tom 4648155 Treasury Project evolved out of the love of art, design and collecting ephemera. In the spirit of CSAs (community-supported agriculture) adapted for artists and designers, Kelly Lynn Jones and I wanted to create a project that offers both art for arts’ sake and utilitarian function. We strived to cross boundaries within the design and art world, blurring the divisions with an intention of creating a new space for collecting objects. With Treasury Project, we highlighted how art can exist in all realms within design and fine art. Each edition within the project was curated under a concept as if it is an exhibition within an enclosed structure – the box – and indeed, the enclosure is integral to understanding and interpreting the items within. <img src="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4648155/7945861050_dceeea0048_b_1200.jpg" width="1024" height="683" width_o="1024" height_o="683" src_o="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4648155/7945861050_dceeea0048_b_o.jpg" data-mid="24749942" border="0" align="left"/> Treasury Project evolved out of the love of art, design and collecting ephemera. In the spirit of CSAs (community-supported agriculture) adapted for artists and... http://renatom.net/Makeshift-Society http://renatom.net/following/renatom.net/Makeshift-Society Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:38:44 +0000 Rena Tom 4646204 Makeshift Society is a coworking space in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. It's a place for creative freelancers, artists and business owners to come together and mix it up. Members are invited to "make" the space their own. As a result, it's a clubhouse, a classroom, a salon, a lending library, a conference center, a pop-up shop, and an event space. Most crucially, it's a laboratory to test the theory that online friendships need to move offline to build trust, cement relationships and lead to successful creative collaborations. So far, it's working :)I opened Makeshift in the fall of 2012 after multiple conversations with friends about how essential physical or "offline" interactions are in the modern age. The concept seems to be resonating with people; Makeshift has attracted local and national attention as well as many partners and supporters like Anthropologie, Method, Princeton Architectural Press, FLOR and PUBLIC Bikes. We've also hosted book signings, panels, pop-ups and launch parties with folks like Schoolhouse Electric, Egg Press, The Bold Italic, Brika, and Jane Mount. <img src="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/9429b0e83a6211e2a00e22000a9e072a_7.jpg" width="612" height="612" width_o="612" height_o="612" src_o="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/9429b0e83a6211e2a00e22000a9e072a_7_o.jpg" data-mid="24747574" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/julia-kostreva-branding-makeshift-society_1200.jpg" width="674" height="472" width_o="674" height_o="472" src_o="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/julia-kostreva-branding-makeshift-society_o.jpg" data-mid="24749996" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/1fa6386a40b411e2b9c722000a9e07b7_7.jpg" width="612" height="612" width_o="612" height_o="612" src_o="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/1fa6386a40b411e2b9c722000a9e07b7_7_o.jpg" data-mid="24747571" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/c5f9f4ac4a4d11e28e2022000a1cdd10_7.jpg" width="612" height="612" width_o="612" height_o="612" src_o="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/c5f9f4ac4a4d11e28e2022000a1cdd10_7_o.jpg" data-mid="24747577" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/339ef5a41e1911e2896422000a1fb003_7.jpg" width="612" height="612" width_o="612" height_o="612" src_o="http://payload117.cargocollective.com/1/9/318271/4646204/339ef5a41e1911e2896422000a1fb003_7_o.jpg" data-mid="24747573" border="0" align="left"/> Makeshift Society is a coworking space in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. It's a place for creative freelancers, artists and business owners to come together and mix...