Local Talk: Q+A with Josh Miller from Montclair State University

I'm inspired at the entrepreneurship and innovation coming out of Montclair State University. Tell me a bit about about MixLab and the genesis of the department.

The MIX Lab is an innovation center at MSU where students utilize technological tools to think and create in an innovative manner. We all work on projects both personal and with outside clients to help push the boundaries of innovation and entrepreneurship. Altarik and I work extensively in the lab to create innovate on everything from packs to other ceramics. The classes taught in the lab allow students the opportunity to think in the world from a different perspective. To us, Innovation is not just about using the newest technology, but to continue moving forward in progress and problem solving. 

 

What are the types of projects that draws your team's interest?

All our work in the lab has led us to form our own startup Urban Nomadic (urbanomadic.com). We are drawn to projects that have a strong ecologically and design focus. Plus collaboration is really important to us. Being able to work with other designers and innovators is critical to us. 

 

What are some of the team dynamics that create a healthy and effective approach to innovation?

I’d be lying if I said we (Altarik and myself) didn’t argue a lot. Yet, I find that it’s the respect through arguing that keeps us working together so well. We aren’t just colleagues and co-workers. We are friends and brothers. having that kind of dynamic among us allows us to be able to work through differences and come to great innovations. The other key part for us working others — we are always looking for people who want to design something transformative.

 

In our current environment, what brands or people do you consider to be driving true innovation?

I don’t search for innovation among well-known large corporations. I’m surrounded by innovation both here in the lab and in the local design ecosystem of Montclair. Through the lab we have met people who have some brilliant ideas and have seen some products that are surprisingly non-mainstream. MADLab, the architects behind the design of the Local coffee shop are a great example — they taught us a lot. When it comes to people, I’d like to point towards the two people that have taught me how to be an innovative individual: Iain Kerr and Jason Frasca — the co-directors of the lab

 

What are some of the short term as well as long term goals for the department?

The MIX Lab as well as Altarik and I strive to continue the development of innovations. In the short term, there are a few projects we are working on, some of which could become viable businesses in the future. As Urban Nomadic we are working on a long-term project to eliminate fashion waste through the use of revolutionary biodegradable materials. Altarik and I would love to continue to develop our innovative custom ceramics with restaurants or individuals who are in search of some really unique designs. In regards to the MIX Lab’s long term goals, we are continuing to expand our capabilities as well as who we contact and how to continue to foster innovation. 

 

What were your major product design inspirations for developing and ultimately building the bowls?

When creating this design, I was given the guideline of coffee culture while incorporating local celebration. I believed that if I dug deep into the roots of coffee culture I would find ideas that were no longer “the norm”. This is where the bowl concept came into play. Originally, this bowl was designed as a coffee bowl, but the design had a few uncomfortable niches to it. I discovered along the way the idea of a known face on a cup or bowl and decided to try to create angles that were not usual in bowls. From this, I found a designer who had a work of art like the bowl and felt that I was on a good path. The rest of the design process comes from working closely with Rob and Adele to create a product that they would be proud to use and present. As for the local part, we found a river bank in Glen Ridge (with great help from an MSU professor) with an abundance of rich clay and believed that it was only fitting to use a little part of the world right here in creating these bowls.

 

What were some of the challenges that your encountered along the way?

Earlier, I spoke about learning new things as being a key goal. When I asked Altarik to join this project, I found very quickly that time was against us. When learning new skills, and trying to meet a deadline all at once becomes stressful, one tends to look at their partner for stability. That was something we did with each other constantly as we did our best to meet (and sometimes fail at meeting) deadlines and tasks. All in all, I would say this was a challenging project by nature, but well worth the time and effort.

 

What were the most important takeaways for this project?

The most important takeaways are that it is possible for local designers to do things that no one else can do. It was humbling to see Local so ready to put the bowls out for display and use. We learnt that we could do some much more than we realized at first: we could dig up local clays, we could design custom products, we could work with great clients like Local and that the design and architecture community is generous and supportive. Basically, we can away excited to continue this work of collaborating with others in the local community to develop new products and innovative concepts.

 

Tell us something about design that very few or no one knows.

This design is an accidental design. I was still learning to use the software in the beginning and was going for a different structure to represent known faces and used a feature wrong that presented me this shape. Sometimes accidents bring out the best products. Design is all about processes and truly anyone can be innovative. I think that we need to move away from the notion of a “creative genius” but instead look at things from a set out processes to get towards a place. Really, it is all about doing things and if you fail, the worst outcome is that you will learn from it. 

 

What is it about being in Montclair that supports and drives the program forward?

It has a lot to do with the aspect of “Local”. In Montclair, there is a large culture of innovation and generosity from MSU to MadLab, to Local — everyone was more than willing to help us far beyond what we could ever have imagined. There is a community with a lot to teach and share. I find that Altarik and I connected well with Rob and Adele and that helped us to want to bring them a great product. For other students, here at MSU, it’s the passion of not only solving problems but creating new problems for worlds worth making and innovating that continues to progress the program.

 

What does local mean to you?

Local to us means the belief in what the community can provide to us and what we can give back in return. It is a symbol of support and love from people that we may know or soon meet that continue to help push in a positive direction. Local is the embodiment of positive goals with belief in each other.  It is really about making and emerging with the things you have around you. We also believe that local is about sustainability and collaboration. Through our newest project, Urban Nomadic, we are not only looking to work for people who are trying to make a difference, but we are trying to make a difference ourselves through the use of renewable resources. Local is not just about the people, but also about the environment we share with everything in the world and our aim is to protect as much of that as possible.

 

https://www.montclair.edu/entrepreneur/3d-printing/mix-lab/

Local Talk: Q+A with featured Artist: Szilvia Revesz

First and foremost - your work is incredibly powerful in that there's this serendipity for how it comes together but the takeaway is or seems planned. How do you balance the two?

Thank you Robert. Yes, there is some planning in the process. First I have to decide which colors I am going to use and prepare the inks and dyes accordingly. Decisions have to be made, whether or not I want to add any additives to alter the pattern I want to achieve, but sometimes I do this while I am in the process. Once I face the tub filled with water, it is mostly intuitive how the design will evolve. That is when I need to focus and be still. A little clumsy movement or a blow of my breath can destroy the design. And of course there are other factors that needs be considered such as temperature and humidity. After all it is an alchemy.

 

I'm very drawn to a work you created in 2012 'Sumi Experiment, untitled 2012'. I feel energy at the core with a more perilous spirit throughout. Am I tapping into anything here? 

Yes, that was the time when I started experimenting with the process. I had no Idea where it will take me and I only used sumi ink at that time. I was just playing and I didn’t even record any of findings. I now have notes and color recipes in order to achieve certain patterns. Even then sometimes I am up for surprises. I try not to expect and I just go with the process and see where it takes me. 
 

What does growing up in Hungary contribute to this creative exploration that you have endeavored upon?

Growing up in Hungary, I had limited resources for any kind of creative exploration. I studied jewelry making and upon completion of my studies I worked as a bench jeweler. I worked for small jewelry manufacturing company. Although I studied design, there was very little demand for artistic exploration of the medium. I started my creative exploration when I moved to State site.

 

I'm also someone who has studied meditation and found it to be a game changer. How do different states of mind work themselves into your design approach and process?

It is the process that gets me fully centered. If I am too excited, rushed or agitated it just simply won’t work. But usually it is not the case, since the whole process is a sort of ritual. From the preparation of the ink to the creation of the design to printing and pressing of the print and finally the viewing to the final print. It is interesting to note that in the 15th century suminagashi marbled papers -the ancestor of Suimonga-were used as artworks to be contemplated during the Tea Ceremony. It is very Zen.

 

Based on the complexity of your final designs, what's the best way (i.e. conditions, state of mind,)  to experience them?

To experience Suimonga is also a meditation. Just like in the Tea Ceremony, the work needs to be contemplated on. It will evoke certain moods and feelings depending on the viewer. It is a visual journey. 

I usually like stand in front of a piece quietly and stare into it for minutes in the morning and sip my coffee or tea while I am “gazing". Each time is a different experience.

 

Was it your studies at MSU that brought you to West Orange and Montclair?

I lived in Rockland County upstate New York while I was attending MSU. It was the place I came to when I arrived to America. I admit it was a bit of a commute. I used to work in several New Jersey locations and well as in New York City. When my husband and I decided to relocate to New Jersey we looked for a place where it was closer to the locations I worked in. We also considered that the area has an interesting artist community and a lively location with full of recreational activities. We have two dogs Karma and Hiro. We like to take long hikes and walks in local parks. The area is perfect for that. We moved to the area four years ago.

 

What is it about this area that supports you in your work?

 It is the quiet surrounding in the Garden State and the like minded people I connect with. The house that we live in has a back yard where I maintain a small garden. Having a garden is very important to me, because it keeps me connected to nature. I am also very fortunate to have my studio in my house which is quite convenient. 

I am part of a group of local artists that comes together each month to view and talk about our artworks, exchange ideas and share our resources. My formal art teacher and mentor Cathy LeCleire also lives in the area and we keep in touch. It was Cathy who introduced the process of marbling during her Book Arts class I was attending at MSU. 

 

Your work is an evolution. Tell us about a current project and how you arrived at it.  

Yes I believe my work is constantly evolving. Right now I have several different projects in progress. I started working in large scale which is a bit of a challenge given the sensitivity of the process, but I am always curious how far I can take my medium. I started to introduce sewing as a another element to my artwork.

I also experiment with design and print clothing. Some of my designs can be viewed at MarvelousMarbledART@etsy.com 
 

What does local mean to you?

 Local means the people I see and interact with on the daily bases. The markets I go to buy my groceries, stores and shops I support on a regular bases within 1-10 mile radius of my house.

It is also the restaurants I like to eat in the area. I am vegan and Montclair has quite a few selections of places that satisfy my dietary needs and please my taste buds.
 

Tell us something that only you know, or very few people. 

 Suimonga aka ”picture of water patterns", the Japanese ink floating that I practice was developed by a Japanese space scientist Mr.Takaji Kuroda. I had an honor and a privilege to meet him in Japan two years ago.

Suimonga was recognized as a new Traditional Japanese Art Form by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996. 

The name Suimonga was given by a famous Chinese calligrapher. 

 

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage? 

My favorite coffee is San Francisco Bay Fog Chaser organic full-city roast.

My favorite tea is Thai Jasmine tea.

Local Talk: Q+A with local Montclair artist Carrie Emma Pradieu

I've known you for several years but never knew you were an artist. That said, your work is bold, beautiful and inspiring. Did I miss something OR do you keep your work under wraps?

Thank you! I've been juggling family and career (as we all do) primarily working around my children's schedules and exploring various creative projects.

My background is in fashion and print which I studied at Central Saint Martins art school in London.  Though I have been creating all my life I hadn't done much painting until recently.  As my children grow more independent I am gradually finding more time to focus on my work.

To answer your question, I do not keep my work under wraps! I have had three solo exhibitions in the last year or so, two at Anthropologie and one in NYC at Verdigreen as well as various pop-up events.

 

You work with a variety of found and recycled material which is outstanding as both a message and a medium. How did you begin to work with discarded objects in this way and what emotional elements does it add to your work?

I have a tendency to hoard!  My studio is bursting at the seams with things that I collect with the intention of using in my work at a later date - for example, my children know to always save the gift wrap which I turn into papier mache lanterns or bowls and I can be found sloshing through my friend's stretch of river upstate, searching for unusual shaped rocks to paint!

I've collected beautiful found objects since I can remember.  I was brought up to respect nature and the environment and to recycle and minimize waste, plus it made sense to use what I have around me since the cost of supplies is exorbitant!

I am constantly inspired by and connected to nature, to use a rock or some leaves in my work or to up-cycle some inanimate object and give it new life is highly rewarding and freeing as it forces you to work sympathetically with the nature of the object rather than be restricted by the confines of a two-dimensional canvas.

 

Your work has great names like Purple Rain, Pisces and All is Calm. Do you start out with a name and then create or start with a concept and name the piece after?

I never start out with a name!  I begin with a concept and sometimes that changes throughout the process but the name comes to me (or not) after I have initialed the painting and put the brush down.  

Alongside nature, music is a huge influence and Purple Rain was actually a personal tribute after Prince passed.

 

Artists can be hard on themselves. Is there a past moment that you can identify as the tipping point to when you believe your work reached a point where you were satisfied with the outcome?

It's a continual process!  I'm never satisfied.  I can finish a canvas and  be like "Wow, love that!" and then immediately want to move on to another and re-explore color, scale, layers, space, energy etc.  I'm having crazy conversations in my head, it's exhausting, sometimes agonizing, other times exciting and exhilarating.

 

You've been in Montclair for many years now. What initially brought you here from the UK and what do you love most about it?

I initially came to New York City whilst studying at art school to gain work experience and worked at various print studios in the garment district.

I guess I like the melting pot that Montclair and the city are and the sun and blue skies even on crisp winter days.

 

Can you tell us something that you have discovered about Montclair that no one else (or few others) know?

I don't know how many others know of it, it's always very quiet but if you can find the entrance to the Wildlife Preserve which borders Montclair and Clifton, it's quite lovely with streams and wooded areas.

 

What does being local mean to you?

In England we refer to a convenient pub (usually within walking distance) as the 'local' and it will usually be frequented by 'locals' (inhabitants of the surrounding village or area).   I guess for me then local is familiar, it's relating, it's belonging.

(Leave it to the Brits to connect alcohol to a coffee shop!)

 

What is your favorite tea or coffee beverage?

Lapsang Souchong tea and probably Local's own cappuccino.

 

www.carrieemma.com

Local Talk: Q+A with Irving Farm Green Coffee Buyer, Dan Streetman

Your role Vice President and Green Coffee Buyer at Irving Farm sounds like a dream job. Actually, it sounds like an awesome way to go about your life and I’d love to know a little bit more about how you started out.

Sure! So about six years ago I was on the Barista Guild executive council and a friend of mine Anne was doing some consulting for Irving Farm by helping the founders look at their business and see what was going on in the market and what they needed to do. One of the core recommendations was to hire green coffee buyer. So I happened to be looking for a job at the time and she was like you’d be interested in this job and I was like yeah!


 

It seems like your role involves quite a bit of travel and quite a bit of connecting with people across different cultures. What is it about travelling that plays to your personality and what you love to do?

All the unique coffee flavor profiles drove me to continue to dig deeper; for example - why does this particular bean taste like this? The idea of getting to travel and taste coffee in these regions allowed me to go so much further in that journey. When I started to do that, I found out that there are these amazing people behind all this stuff. Getting to know their stories, meeting them on a personal basis and getting to spend time with some of the families of the producers was pure joy. This is the seventh year and I’ll go once a year just to have dinner with them and talk about what happened over the last year. It’s a touching experience.


 

It’s going to be difficult to rank the places you have been but have you found that there is a visited region that you could call home one day?

Oh man! It’s kind of like asking somebody to pick who their favorite child is. But if I’m being realistic, Honduras is at the top of the list.

 


Can you tell me one thing about coffee that either you know and no one else knows or it’s just kind of a little-known fact about coffee like something that would be surprising to people?

Yes. Let’s start with wine. Think about a Cabernet or Sauvignon Blanc. These are totally different wines and you never buy a wine and not know what you are getting. Those are two very extreme examples but then you are getting one or the other and in the case of coffee that information is generally pretty obscure. I mean, we put it on the package and it’s on the back, most people probably don’t look at it, they don’t know what it means. In other cases, even if they do - the reality is that most of the time coffee is produced in a way where those different varieties are mixed together and you don’t really know what you are drinking in that sense.

 

OK, this may be a tough one but I think I know the answer. What is your favorite coffee beverage?

Espresso

Yep, I nailed it!


 

I love this phrase and book, Wherever you go, there you are. It was a source of inspiration for naming our shop (Local). What does Local mean to you?

Wow I mean I think there’s two pieces to that right. There is the proximity but I think beyond that It’s about people that you are connected to right now. For me, the producers that we work with in Honduras are the most local – which is the heart of the concept.

 

One last question I had on my list here and I completely passed on that. I’ve spent time with Mayita, Bill and Dan (from Irving Farm) for the last couple of weeks and I got to know just how special the Irving Farm brand it is. What is it about Irving Farm for you that makes you so passionate about the brand?

I’ve been really lucky to spend a lot of time with David and Steve (Irving Farm Founders) over the years and I think the thing that really has educated me on their view point for how this whole company was built. We’ve grown leaps and bounds over the last six years and we have been consistent in what we are continuing to do, how we do it and for me - why we buy coffee the way we do.

www.irvingfarm.com

Local Talk: Q+A with local Montclair artist Nancy Pi-Sunyer

Tell us a bit about how you started as an artist.

I started as an artist at George Inness and Montclair High. Loved my art classes there and started out in college as an Art major at Boston University. BU wasn’t the right school for me, art-wise, so I switched majors. I always kept up with art: sketching and drawing and eventually was able to do illustrations for many of the publications I wrote at the various universities where I was on faculty. 

 

Who and what are your greatest inspirations in the art OR design space?

I have fairly eclectic tastes in art. I love the Impressionists and some of the old masters, especially Vermeer and Botticelli. I think it is their sense of light and detail I most admire. I adore Gaudi’s playfulness and Picasso’s graphic strength. As I have grown up, though, the artists that have probably given me the most pleasure are those who have illustrated children’s books that I love:  N.C. Wyeth, Holling C. Holling, Arthur Rackham, Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak and Jerry Pinkney, among many others. 

 

What is the feeling you wish to evoke when people interact with your art?

The feeling I wish to evoke when people interact with my art is a sense of wonder and happiness. I try to make my art scientifically accurate, but with a degree of liveliness and emotion. Many of my mice are curious. A few are scared. Some are pensive. I try to make them engaging, without making them too human. I strive to avoid dressing them, unless there is a reason to.

 

Please tell us what inspired your current Mouse Project.

The Mouse Project was my 2016 exercise to improve my drawing skills. I made the commitment to draw, paint or collage a mouse everyone of the 366 days in that Leap Year. Each mouse was inspired by different muses: sometimes something that I had seen or experienced. Many mice were inspired by some event that happened, either recently or historically on the day it was drawn.  Some related to a person who was born on that day. Many of the Mousekin drawings were related to some official or unofficial holiday found on some official or unofficial website. All of this is practice to move me toward my goal of writing and illustrating an award-winning children’s book: a goal of mine since I first learned of The Caldecott Awards when I was in college.

 

What was the greatest thing you learned about yourself through this project?

The greatest thing I learned about myself doing The Mouse Project was that, despite my frequent self-flagellation about weakness of will when I can’t keep away from the chocolate dish for an hour, if I set myself a specific goal, I can achieve it. I DID do a mouse for everyone of the 366 days and only three were not done on the day they should have been. I also confirmed what teachers had told me. If you draw every day your work improves exponentially. 

 

What brought you and your family to Montclair?

I guess I am more local than Local. My grandparents came to Montclair around the turn of the 20th century. My mother’s father was a minister at First Congregational Church and ministered to their Pilgrim Chapel (now Bright Hope Baptist Church) beginning in 1907. He eventually became the senior pastor at Watchung Avenue Congregational Church which stood where the Montclair Community Church now stands.  My father’s family moved to Montclair in 1911 when my dad was 7. His father had been called to be Dean of The College of Pharmacy at Columbia University in New York that year. My mother was born in Montclair as were two of my uncles and both of my siblings.  Although I was away from here after graduating from college, I returned in around 1995 to care for my parents in their final years. In another three years my family will have lived in the house we call home for 100 years. 

 

Tell us something about Montclair that perhaps local people may not know.

Across the street from Local you will see the memorial flagpole in Watchung Plaza.  The pole is dedicated the veterans from Montclair who died in action in WWI. In the base, along with the names of the twelve, rest a dozen roses, one in memory of each young man. For this reason, the rose garden at the base of the flagpole, has special meaning. 

 

What does local (the concept) mean to you?

“Local” means “from this immediate vicinity”. I like that Local is helping people get to know one another in their space, and helping to build community in this neighborhood.  Just meeting and chatting with neighbors is fun. That Robert and Adele are also featuring local artists is awesome. It is so nice to have a LOCAL showcase for my art. I hope I get to do it again in the future with a different series of illustrations. Fern, the hedgehog is looking forward to meeting you all. 

 

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

I am thrilled that Adele and Robert have delicious hot chocolate. I’m sure I’ll check out various teas and iced teas in the summer. But hot chocolate with monkey bread is my current favorite treat at Local. All success to you and your new venture. 

 

Find Nancy's work here: http://nancyarnypi-sunyer.blogspot.com/

nancy.jpg

Local Talk: Q+A with our architecture and design firm - Madlab

What was the inspiration in founding Madlab?

After working in other design firms for over 10 years, we felt ready to launch our own vision of a firm. MADLAB stands for Morozov Alcala Design Laboratory, and in a simple sense, that’s also our business plan. Two professionals willing to go beyond conventional practices in order to carry out innovative design. That was in 2003, and we’ve never looked back.

We are definitely at our most creative and satisfied when we’re not just designing, but when we’re making and testing, and learning from that process. It was a no-brainer for us, really, and we probably have our immigrant families to thank for that! We inherited a solid work ethic with a sense of adventure and a tolerance for the unknown.  It’s helped us find a balance between having a creative vision, and having the know-how and guts to execute it. Once we set out on our own, we soon realized there was a steep learning curve when it came to getting our design work executed by contractors. We became more and more frustrated, and moved to building prototypes, just to demonstrate that it could be done. Without a proper workshop, we set up a space to tinker wherever we could. In our basements, in our living rooms - wherever we could to carry things out.

Today, Madlab is a hybrid design practice in a 2,000 sq ft space that is part office and part workshop. We love when clients come visit to see where all the magic comes together. They immediately get what we’re all about once they walk through our doors.

What is about a coffee shop that piqued your interest?

The sharper a client’s vision, the better more guiding power it offers us. This is key to a great outcome. With this project, we had the added benefit of knowing the town and seeing the chance to roll out something entirely fresh and unique to Montclair. A coffee shop is an open-ended program. It serves a social purpose in our communities. We wanted to hone this into an environment that isn’t just a backdrop, but adds to the conversation in very subtle ways. We deliberately created little touches throughout the space that catch your attention, but doesn’t overpower it. It’s how we wanted to see “Local” stand out from the crowd of other coffee shops around the world.

The other thing that came through early on was that our clients Robert and Adele are great storytellers. They elevated that cultural aspect of taking a moment for a coffee, alone or with friends, as an important thing to do. Their hospitality background was heartwarming and important. Trusting us was the driving force - and ultimately the opportunity - to deliver something special.

What is the biggest surprise looking back at when we started this project?

Everything! We came into this project with our talent and dedication and an open-ended approach. Once we arrived at a schematic design, the rest was pure energy, blind faith and constant testing of ideas. It made the project fun! It all came together organically as we worked at a feverish pace.  There were times when we could have taken shortcuts, but we stuck it out and it was worth it. 

What is that something special that you will take with you from this experience that you will take with you on your next journey?

This was by far one of our fastest turnaround projects, and it could not have happened without an all-hands-on-deck design-build approach. It brought out the best in our staff. There’s not a single design element that wasn't touched in some way by our entire crew. There’s a real pride knowing your efforts are contributing to something bigger. ‘Local’ proved that this approach is not just good for our clients, it’s good for us, too. You want to evolve as a business and this project was a tipping point. We should be doing more of these projects. People want it, there is space for it.

We also take away how vital it is to establish trust with our clients at the beginning, especially when there’s just no time for lengthy design reviews and revisions. It’s really easy for an unconventional process like this to unravel - having your clients’ trust is the only way through that. How can we best cradle their needs so it doesn’t become a crisis, but it becomes innovation? We’re excited to explore that more in the future.

About Madlab

Madlab is an award-winning and internationally published architecture firm noted for its research and innovative design services.

More here: www.madlabllc.com

 

Source: www.madlabllc.com