A Little Bird Recommends Alena Hennessy's Work for Galison

I first discovered Alena Hennessy's artwork on a walk through the New York Gift Show about a year and a half ago. Her booth was modest in size, cute, located by the handmade section. A little hard to spot.

At that time, Alena had her prints hanging on the booth wall, along with some of her tote bags, pillow cushions and other attractive handmade products. As soon as I saw her prints, I was immediately drawn into it. Her unique “forest animal” drawing  combined with pretty color choices really gave me some sense of peacefulness. I loved her work and all I could think at that moment is to get Alena to collaborate with Galison.

Long story short, back at the office, after I showed Alena’s artwork to the team, everyone was very excited to work with her. And that’s how the story began.

Thanks to Alena's beautiful drawing and a great effort from the design team, Galison produced a beautiful stationery collection, The Garden Party. So far it includes seven different products: in our Home Office division, we have a file tote, file folders, and magazine holders. We also have thank you notes, mini journals, and fliptop notecards. Have a look!

You can find out more about Alena at her website, http://www.alenahennessy.com/ and her blog. Her work is featured on lots of design blogs, too. 

---Juanita Dharmazi

A Mudpuppy Visit to the Brooklyn Children's Museum

What do you get when you mix a 20-foot-long albino boa constrictor named Fantasia, fun, and the first museum created exclusively for children?

A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon – at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum – that’s what.

Anyone who knows us here at Galison/Mudpuppy knows that we are big fans of museums so when Brooklyn Children’s Museum Director, Carolyn Liv so generously invited us to their open house last weekend (September 14th), we jumped at the chance. And were we glad we did. Brooklyn World, 30,000 Object Collection and Neighborhood Nature are just a few of their incredible exhibits.

And if blazing the trail of childhood education was not enough, Brooklyn Children’s Museum is also slated to be the first "green" museum in New York City.

From their website: “In keeping with the Museum's commitment to preserve and protect the world's natural resources, it uses environmentally advanced, sustainable, renewable and/or recyclable materials and systems in the building’s design and construction.”

Super smart, super fun and super good for the environment. What more you could you ask for?

We had a super blast.

So much so that we recommend you attend their grand opening this weekend, September 20th and 21st. Have a look at their website: www.brooklynkids.org!

Thanks Brooklyn Children’s Museum!

--Liz Berntson

Mudpuppy Talks Like A Pirate

Belay the skepticism and join in the fun. We can’t all look like Johnny Depp's Captain Jack, but we can talk like pirates, for September 19th is once again…

TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!

So avast, me beauties, and check out how Mudpuppy celebrates our favorite annual event!

Young pirates can while away the hours they aren’t on deck by playing with Mudpuppy pirate themed puzzles and activities:

A 100-piece Collectible Tin Puzzle            Pirate Sticker Set Play Scene

Pirate Sticker Set Mini Play Scene                              Pirate Floor Puzzle

   

We even have a Mudpuppy pirate locked diary, urr, that is, Pirate Captain's Log in the works!

But that’s for later. For now, learn how to talk like a pirate and more from the holiday’s founders, Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers, John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur at the official Talk Like a Pirate Day website.  Keep track of their latest adventures at their blog, The Ship’s Log o' the Festerin’ Boil  Too old to enjoy Mudpuppy pirate games? Check back with the Talk Like a Pirate website to learn how to pick up a pirate! 

And if you’re pirate-lingo challenged, there’s even an applet for the i-Phone, called, of course, the Aye-phone!

---Saucy Susan

Galison Salutes Fashion Week

It’s Fashion Week in New York City--right in Galison/Mudpuppy's neighborhood. The plaza of the Grace Building is hosting a tent with a tribute to Valentino. Our favorite outdoor eating spot, Bryant Park, has been 80% taken over by white tents. Fashionistas are everywhere!

We can't all be on the celebrity fashion “A” list, so we're working away in our company office. Nevertheless, Galison pays tribute to fashion with Andy Warhol journals and a receipt organizer—for when you purchase those new threads:

Andy Warhol Christmas cards, too:

Mudpuppy gets in on fashion, too, with several magnetic doll tins---like paper dolls, but magnetic. City Girls, Vintage Fashion, Victorian Couture…have a look.

While  I personally agree with Thoreau, who wrote in Walden: "I say beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes," at Galison and Mudpuppy, fashion can be downright fun!

--Susan

Mudpuppy Goes Wild for Wilde--Oscar, that is

As you might expect from a small company located steps away from Manhattan’s fabled Theater District, Galison/Mudpuppy employs a fair number of people who came to the Big Apple to make it as musicians, actors, comedians, dancers, and choreographers.

Nice as it is to work here in our pleasant, collegial office, let’s face it: we didn’t dream of coming to New York to answer customer service calls or to stuff envelopes for marketing mailings. Give us the bright lights!

So I thought it would be nice to let you know when some Galison and Mudpuppy colleagues strut their stuff outside the office.

To start with, our publicity director, Brenda Bell, heads her own theater company: Literally Alive Children’s Theatre. Don’t let the “children” in the company name scare you off—this is professional theater!

Brenda decided to write a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s fairytale The Selfish Giant, and she collaborated with composer Michael Sgouros to bring it about in time to kick off the company's fall season.

Please have a look at the Literally Alive website to learn more about her 2008-2009 season, and especially The Selfish Giant, which opens on Saturday, September 6 at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (between 3rd & Bleeker Streets), in Greenwich Village.

Performances are Saturdays and Sundays at 10 AM from September 6th through October 26th.

Step into Oscar Wilde’s imagination as the story unfolds through music, dance, storytelling, and puppetry. Plus, this play was chosen to be part of the First Irish New York City Play Festival.

In addition, there will be a special late afternoon/early evening gala and benefit performance on Saturday, September 13. The benefit will include a reception with wine, cheese, and treats and the chance for prizes through a raffle and a silent auction, as well as a performance of The Selfish Giant, of course.

The Galison/Mudpuppy connections:

Brenda Bell, of course, in her dual role as Galison publicity director AND Literally Alive Company director AND playwright and librettist!

Brenda also worked with Mudpuppy to create our popular and award-winning Sticker Set Play Scene, Fairytale Theatre.  ("Be the playwright, design the sets, collect the props, make the costumes, and put on a show in your very own theatre. Keri Smith has illustrated the makings of princesses, witches, mermaids, fairies, sailors, and kings, just to name a few, all ready to be part of a play that you direct!")

One of our favorite Mudpuppy illustrators, Gilbert Ford, illustrated the show’s poster. You can read a spotlight on Gilbert in an earlier Galiwag post and you can find Mudpuppy journals and stationery illustrated by Gilbert by going to our Galison website and searching on "Gilbert", too!

Plus we quote Oscar Wilde on the spine of one of our popular accordion organizers (the "candy dots and stripes" pattern): "I can resist everything except temptation."

So, Brenda, I look forward to seeing the show on Gala evening! I hope some of you readers will be there, too.

--Susan