**Sarah Sparkles Art Adventure Best of 2018** Swarovski Crystal Rhinestone Art Commissions

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 rhinestone 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 bedazzled 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

Bette Midler's Hulaween Party, and 'Crimson Peak' Windows at Bergdorf Goodman

This October, I took a respite from my glittering holiday window production to work with art director Douglas Little on 'Crimson Peak' windows at Bergdorf Goodman and event decor for Bette Midler's Hulaween party. Noted for his glamorous and other-wordy flair, Douglas conjured a macabre 5th avenue window spectacle in conjunction to the launch of 'Crimson Peak', a newly released gothic horror movie by director Guillermo del Toro. The installation incorporated original props from the film with sets custom built to fit the Bergdorf windows. My tasks included fabrication of spooky candles out of bees wax for the eery bathroom scene and extensive prop styling in the attic window. There was so much detail under the floor boards, that enthusiasts on the street would get on there knees to discover the story beneath the surface; remnants of jewels, scraps of letters, combs, wigs, photos, spectacles, and vintage accessories that once belonged to the mistresses of this haunted house.

Window design by Douglas Little, fashion by Valentino

in homage to the film 'Crimson Peak' by Guillermo del Toro

photo by Ricky Zehavi, October 2015

                                                Bathroom fabrication by Kramer Arts

Spooky custom candles made by Sarah Sparkles and crew

Window design by Douglas Little

After installing the Crimson Peak windows, my focus shifted gears to working as the decor production coordinator for Bette Midler's Hulaween party at the Waldorf Astoria with art direction by designer Douglas Little. This was my 5th year working on Hulaween, the annual benefit party for Bette Midler's non-profit organization the New York Restoration Project. This years theme was 'Hell Night on Hulaween Island,' with open grave centerpieces on 60+ tables constructed out of mountains of crushed Oreos, painted bones, severed appendages, glitter roaches, and Bette's head in a jar. This year I took on a large portion of the coordination, including sourcing and ordering props, photo printing, tracking shipping (I Hate UPS!!!!!!!!!!) managing the budget, hiring labor, overseeing and executing decor fabrication, and the installation and breakdown of the event in the Waldorf Astoria's Grand Ballroom. What a massive undertaking!! Our install team was fabulous. The event went off without a hitch. So very grateful :)

                        Visual artist Abby Hertz putting finishing touches on podium tombstone :)

In the aftermath of Hulaween, I spent the remainder of the holiday weekend picking severed fingers out of my personal belongings and recovering in the woods. Gathering my strength for the major final two weeks homestretch of production for the Bergdorf Goodman 2015 holiday windows.

*Bonnet Bash @ National Arts Club, Accessory Design and More*

This spring kicked off with an exciting invitation from the Fashion Committee at the National Arts Club to design the décor for the annual Milliner’s Guild ‘Bonnet Bash.’ Who doesn’t love a fancy hat party?! This years theme ‘Into the Woods’ inspired me to design jeweled elven sprites to wear the hats, woodland nests, a stage draped in rich olive green cloth with matching foliage, tables set with burch candles, moss, birds and butterflies, and fashion adorned muses draped in earthy mesh and flowing green and brown fabric. I'm so happy, the event was such a hit!! People were lined up down the block, awaiting to join the festively adorned crowd in this historic Gramercy park location. 

                                'Into the Woods' event decor designed by Sarah Sparkles 2015

Hats by members of the Milliner's Guild

'Into the Woods' decor installation by Sarah Sparkles and Dicie Carlson

                                                           What a fabulous crowd!!!

For more pix from this enchanting evening, check out the Photo spread by Tod Seelie in the Gothamist . Special thanks to David Zyla and Nina Urban from the Fashion Committee, the Milliners Guild, and the National Arts Club.

While on the subject of fabulous hats, headdresses, and hair accessories, my passion for design in that realm has been growing exponentially. One of my favorite recent commissions was for the illustrious Katherine Crockett, star of Queen of the Night. She asked for a headdress with many jeweled cascades and dangles, alluding to glamorous, glittering icicles. J'adore! 

                                    Katherine Crockett- Photo by Steven Trumon Grey

Another recent favorite was a custom design headpiece for Kostume Kult's Horned Ball, made with Swarovski crystal rhinestones, acrylic gems, and a titanium treated druzy geode pendant.There are more exciting headdress commissions underway, and new designs from the Vintage Glamor Accessories line for upcoming trunk shows, so stay tuned.

In other exciting news, my book Parades, Parties, and Protests is being featured in an exhibit at the Museum at Bethel Woods, home of the 1969 Woodstock festival. The book as well as 30 of my photos will be included in the slideshow of the exhibit 'Peace, Love, Unity, Respect: The Rise of Electronic Music Culture in America' featured in the Museum's Special Exhibit Gallery.

The show is up from April 4th- May31st. If you can take a day to drive into the woods, check it out. Happy Spring!!!