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Tuesday, December 11, 2018

**Sarah Sparkles Art Adventure Best of 2018**

The dominant theme of 2018 was creating art that required tremendous team efforts. Special thanks to all of my comrades at the Bergdorf Goodman Visual Department, TINSEL Experiental Design, Flower Cult, Sparkledome, and Burke and Pryde Studio. Amidst a year marked by team efforts, I was also able to find avenues for personal expression with jewelry and costume design commissions, a new website, and 6 page page feature in Enchanted Living/Faerie Magazine. I'm deeply grateful to work with such a diverse community of designers and artisans in New York City, while also having the freedom to pursue my own creative path and passions. With out further ado, the BEST OF 2018...


 Custom masks for Blakus Paris's Fashion week launch party. Commissioned by the fab babes at  TINSEL Experiental Design. YES Please! Studs, spikes, crystal, these are a few of my faaaavorite things...

 
A true party animal!! Mirrored disco pony for Bergdorf Goodman's interior Fashion Week installation. Fabrication w/Sam Theis and Gloria Gutierrez from BG visual dept. Art direction by David Hoey.



Lights, camera... SPARKLE!!! Crystal clapboards and camera's for Swarovski's Oscars party at their new store in Time Square. Commissioned by the fab design agency the Gathery.


                            
200+ Crystal cherries and kamquats by Sparkledome Studio for table decor at the CFDA Fashion Awards. Commissioned by (the mothership!!) Swarovski via Stefan Beckman. The cherries went viral on social media courtesy of pics posted by Kendall Jenner of the cherry fueled table exploits of the Kardashian's and super model Gigi Hadid.




Creating alternate reality spaces is one of my greatest joys in life. It was a treat to work on this 'Enchanted Forest' spring installation in the home decor loft at Bergdorf Goodman. 
Art direction by Shane Ruth, install by BG Visual crew.



  Honored to be featured in a 6 page spread in Faerie Magazine!! Thank you Carolyn Turgeon!!! Life goal <3 The feature includes an interview about my artistic passions, siren affinities, and tricks-of-the-trade mermaid bra tutorial.


 This year one of my greatest gifts to myself was to build an updated, sparkling website to feature my work in windows, special events, props, costumes and jewelry design. I am in love with the new Sarahsparkles.com . Thank you Steve Pagan!!!



Luscious plant and flower walls for 'Swisse' vitamins that toured multiple cities with the Wanderlust festival. Design, Fabrication & Installation by Ellen Robin's  'Flower Cult.

 
An ode to one of my favorite city's in the whole world!! Beaded jester for New Orleans Tricentennial windows at Bergdorf Goodman. Design and Embellishment by Burke and Pryde studio. Sculpture by Meryl Bennett.  Installation by the fab BG visual crew. Art direction by David Hoey.

 
Custom mask in collaboration with designer Chloe Gosselin for submission to CFDA and Phantom of the Opera's auction for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

 
An out-of-this-world 'Hulaween in the Cosmos'! This year I was team leader for the decor installation at Bette Midler and New York Restoration Project's annual Halloween party at St. John the Divine. Decor designed by Douglas Little.
  

  Design and Fabrication by Burke and Pryde studio. Install by Burke and Pryde and Bergdorf Visual crew. Art direction David Hoey.

The highlight of my artistic year is always working on the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows! This fall I worked at Johanna Burke's illustrious Burke and Pryde studio on the embellishment of the black and white carousel window. My days were spent with the B&P team applying patterns with candy, polymer clay, and sculpting the horse's mane's out of caulk. The amount of detail is overwhelming, a must see in person!! The Bergdorf Holiday windows are up thru January 3rd at 58th and 5th ave. Also featured in Frieze Magazine and New York Times. Wishing everyone joy and inspiration in the new year. Happy holidays!! 

XO Sarah Sparkles





Thursday, November 30, 2017

**Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Windows 2017 and more!**


Holiday 2017 was one of the biggest, sparkliest seasons in Sparkledome studio history. Christmas started in May, when window director David Hoey sent me to the Bergdorf warehouse to measure a life-size velociraptor skeleton. Every single bone. This was to estimate the amount of crystal and time it would take to cover a full skeleton. In June the first skeleton arrived in my studio. 325+ hours later, the specs for the project were set, size and quantity of crystal, and amount of labor for the remaining 6 dinosaurs in the window. The Dino's required an aggressive amount of bedazzling for 360 degree coverage. From the moment the dinosaur landed, until the first week of November, we were almost never apart. The removable claws came with me to the beach, to friends houses, and to the woods. The Sparkledome studio was a rotating crew of 10 fabulous assistants that sparkled diligently to complete 3 of the 7 dinosaurs for the Museum of Natural History themed holiday window. 


   

A fourth dinosaur was decisively taken off the Sparkledome studio plate, in exchange for a variety of other exciting projects during the fall season including Bergdorf's Fashion Week Windows with set design by Douglas Little for international style maven Giovanna Battaglia’s new book ‘Giography.’ The Sparkledome studio was commissioned to bedazzle a 7 ft tall letter ‘G’ as well as 2 weeks of production and install for the ‘My Favorite Color is floral’ window. 







                      Swarovski Crystal 'G' for Bergdorf Goodman by Sparkledome Studio

After Fashion Week, the focus shifted back to the dinosaurs until the wave of Halloween commissions and installs rolled in. This included custom designed candy fascinators for a swank A-list ‘Rock Candy Rococco’ themed party curated by AHZ concepts, an adventurous week long decor install at Alder Manor in Yonkers for the ‘You are so Lucky’party, and a myriad of walkthru’s, team coordination and install for Bette Midler’s Hulaween party at St. John the Divine. 


                     Custom Candy fascinators for AHZ Concepts,  designed by Sarah Sparkles


                              Bette Midler's Hulaween Party 2017 at St. John the Divine. 
                       Art Direction by Douglas Little. Install by Sarah Sparkles and Crew.

Its no wonder Day of the Dead follows Halloween, because after all the costuming and party installs,  I'm done. Except I had to keep going. On Halloween night, I resumed the home stretch week of completing the final dinosaur. On the day I submitted the final Dino, I jumped into the Bergdorf Men's windows for a week-long 5th ave holiday install. The Bergdorf Men's windows, are in homage to BAM, and feature displays based on music, theatre, dance, film. 


                             Bergdorf Goodman Men's BAM /Dance holiday window 2017
                Art Direction by Shane Ruth, Install by Sarah Sparkles and Bg Windows Crew
                 Fashion by Gucci, Libertine, Rick Owens, Saint Laurant, and Dolce and Gabana 
                
                                                       Last but not least: TADA!!!!!!!!!!





                  The Bergdorf Goodman 2017 Museum of Natural History Holiday Window. 
                                           Art Direction by David Hoey, Fashion by Halpern, 
                          3 crystal Dino's by Sparkledome Studio, Install by BG Windows Crew. 

What a season!! I am so very grateful for all of the wildly creative, sparkling projects, and all of the fabulous art directors, co-workers, and assistants that all helped make it happen. Special thanks to Abby Hertz, Kayla Jo Berley, Contessa Hinderliter, Fade Kainer, Ellen Robin, Brian Oreck, James Brenner, Dina Satti, Charlotte Gaspard, and Al Malonga for a fabulous season in the Sparkledome studio. Epic teamwork!! The Bergdorf holiday windows are up until January 2nd on 58th street and 5th Avenue in New York City. If you are in town, they are not to be missed. Wishing a happy holidays to one and all.

***Sarah Sparkles***



Tuesday, December 20, 2016

*Bergdorf Goodman Men's and Van Cleef and Arpel's Holiday Windows 2016*

The fall production season rolled in full force this year at the Bergdorf Goodman Men's store, with a slew of rotating window and interior installations, and glittering holiday window production. This is the time of year I live for! When all I do is make art for a living, all day everyday on a dynamic team of highly trained artisans. This year Bergdorf's holiday theme is 'Destination Extraordinary,' with windows that pay homage to exploration in nature and adventure. Under the watchful eye and hand of visual director Shane Ruth; our team crafted lush environments out of grass panels, chromed wooden sculptures, bejeweled floors, and faux stone walls carved out of foam. 




                                     



Bergdorf Men's 'Destination Extraordinary' Holiday Windows 2016
Art Direction by Shane Ruth
Fabrication by Sparkles and BG Men's Crew

In October, I took an unprecedented leap during holiday window season to work on the Van Cleef and Arpel's holiday windows with Art Director Douglas Little. The remaining warm fall days were spent painting and sculpting in a charming backyard on the Upper West, before transitioning to a surreal, subterranean studio in a rock quarry at the Compleat Sculpture in Tribeca. This year, Van Cleef and Arpel's esteemed holiday vitrines have been transformed into highly customized, lush winter gardens that feature an newly launched Emerald jewelry collection. These enchanting verdant displays feature a hand-crafted landscape of moss and succulents, painted flowers, leaves molded out of resin, sculpted vines, and shards of selenite stones styled to emulate pine. 

                                     








Van Cleef and Arpels Holiday Windows 2016
Art Direction by Douglas Little
Fabrication and Installation by Sarah Sparkles and DL Crew

The holiday window season came to a dramatic conclusion in November, with the tumultuous presidential election at the fore. The 5th Avenue window dressers working across the street from Trump Tower had to maintain intense focus and attention to detail during install, while the protests waged on outside the glass. As they say in the biz; 'the show must go on..' 
The Bergdorf Goodman and Van Cleef and Arpels holiday windows are on 57th-58th street and 5th avenue, up through January 2nd, 2017. If you are in NYC, I hope you will take a lil trip to Midtown and enjoy the artistry of this season. Wishing a healthy and happy holiday season to all.
 Love, Sparkles