Contract - May 2010 - (Page 60)

trends Select Surfaces (top to bottom): Microcosm, Beadwork, Volute, Rewrite, Quar Stones Mark Pollack, design director of New York-based textile manufacturer POLLACK, and Ken Wampler, executive director of Alpha Workshops—a non-proﬁt organization that trains and employs people living with HIV/ AIDS in the decorative arts—met through mutual friends more than 10 years ago. At that time, Pollack conceived the idea of translating designs by Alpha artisans into a fabric collection. Recently, Pollack again commissioned original artwork from the Alpha studios and interpreted the designs into patterns for the second alphaPOLLACK Collection, introduced this spring. Mark Pollack is not the only one who believes in the mission of Alpha Workshops. When Steelcase decided to expand its pre-approved COM oﬀerings by partnering with a boutique textile company, POLLACK was its ﬁrst choice. Steelcase incorporated several fabrics in the alphaPOLLACK line into its Select Surfaces collection. “Launching Select Surfaces was all about enhancing the experience we oﬀer in terms of material choices on our products,” explains Julie Daly, Steelcase director of surface materials. “The prima provider of these materials is Designtex [as a Steelcase company], but we recognize that great design is found in many places. POLLACK has beautiful textile oﬀerings, and the alphaPOLLACK Collection has a meaningful social purpose that attracted us.” While the whole alphaPOLLACK Collection was derived from seven pieces of art from Alpha Workshops that produced 14 fabrics, the Select Surfaces portion of the line is an edited version. “We narrowed down the line based on price, durability, scale, and the ability to meet the rigors of the Steelcase manufacturing process” says Susan Sullivan, POLLACK sales and marketing director. The Alpha artisans did not create this artwork as textile designs. “They designed the patterns; we designed the fabric,” Pollack recalls. “And in many cases we had to radically adapt the pattern for textiles.” But what Pollack ﬁnds refreshing is that these artisans are “not conﬁned by ‘rules’ of design,” he says. “We always like their enthusiastic embracing of pattern and materials and the vitality and energy of the drawings. That’s something that we t so hard to car across to textiles.” For example, a puﬀ paint drawing yielded two patterns in this collection—Glyph Velvet and the smaller scale Glyph Matelasse (inset le ). Pollack maintained the original liquid doodle quality of the art by playing with color, pile height, and yarn luster. Wampler says that Alpha artists always take pride when their designs are converted to textiles. “Seeing it turned into fabric is gratifying and then used on a piece of furniture even more so,” he says, adding, “The royalty income is a big help when t ing to maintain a staﬀ of 28 with hopes to grow and employ more people. That’s our mission.” Reader Service No. 201 collaborative workshop POLLACK teams up with a New York nonproﬁt and major furniture manufacturer for its latest collection By Danine Alati For a companion video, please visit contractdesign.com/pollack. 60 contract may 2010 www.contractdesign.com http://www.contractdesign.com/pollack http://www.contractdesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - May 2010

Contract - May 2010
Contents
Editor's Note
Industry
Exhibition
Focus: On the Bench
Focus: Collaborative Workshop
Green: How to Get Certified
Practice: A Change for the Better
Trends: The Death of the Office (as we know it)
Domesticating the Workplace
Prepare for Impact
Off Campus
Bold and Buzzy
Luxe & Lean
Vital Mission
Social Verdict
Design in the Fourth Dimension
Picture This
Designers Rate
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - May 2010