TABLESCAPES BY NEW TRAD DESIGNERS: ALLISON HENNESSY AND CHRISTINA MURPHY.

During the Spring Show NYC from May 3 through May 6 at the Park Avenue Armory, fair-goers will encounter tablescapes created by two young, up-and-coming talents named to Traditional Home’s hot list of New Trad Designers for 2012: Allison Hennessy and Christina Murphy. Each brings her own distinctive look to tabletop decor, taking inspiration from works of art showcased in the Spring Show and reinterpreting them with a fresh modern twist. 

Says Hennessy of her tablescape: “I've always been a fan of traditional Chinese Export porcelain, and I chose to make it the focal point of my design because it is at home in both contemporary and classic settings. I also find that grouping like objects offers a clean but strong visual impact, so I arrayed the blue-and-white pieces over a grassy-green tablecloth and used pops of orange flowers to create a youthful vibe. The table-setting is complemented with 18th-century dining chairs, an antique rug and a fabulous Japanned-and-mirrored cabinet.” Dealers who lent pieces for Hennessy's creation include Kentshire Galleries, Clinton Howell, Michael Pashby, George Subkoff, Jayne Thompson, Charles Cheriff, Mark Topalian, and Hyde Park Antiques.

Designer Christina Murphy went in a different direction for her tablescape, taking her lead from a Raphael Vargas work titled Thermal Vector Cluster. “I chose a bold zebra-patterned tablecloth because the forceful lines provide a chic backdrop to gold flatware and antique crystal” says Murphy. “The stemware is gold-rimmed to play off the Vargas, and the floral arrangement incorporates a large amount of decorative branches.” Regency chairs surround the chic tablescape. Dealers who lent pieces for Murphy’s creation include Craig Van Den Brulle, Yew Tree Antiques, Charles Cheriff, Yew Tree, and Mark Topalian.

SPRING SHOW NYC GOES TO THE DOGS—AND CATS AND HORSES AND BIRDS AND OTHER CRITTERS

Starting with the Spring Show NYC gala benefit preview on May 2, which kicks-off the four-day fair, visitors will have the chance to contribute to a great cause: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (ASPCA). Thanks to a number of participating galleries, a portion of proceeds from any animal-themed work will go to the ASPCA. So whether you purchase a pochoir of a Pekinese or elect to own an étagère inlaid with an elephant motif, you can take pleasure in knowing that participating dealers with donate a portion of the price to the ASPCA.

MAY 4 IS SPRING SHOW NYC ARTS' NIGHT OUT

For the bright young things in New York City who count themselves both cultured and connected, Friday, May 4 is a day highlighted and synced on their multitudinous electronic calendars. That’s because this is the date of Arts’ Night Out, an evening set aside for twenty- and thirtysomethings to congregate for a splashy evening of cocktails, canapés, and conversation about the arts and antiques. The occasion is sponsored by the Art and Antique Dealers League of America (AADLA).  

While hobnobbing with friends old and new at the Armory on May 4, Arts’ Night Out guests will also have a great opportunity to meet and chat with top-tier arts and antiques dealers, all of whom are enthusiastic about sharing their expertise and knowledge. Arts’ Night Out is a great way for a fledgling collector—one just starting out or one just thinking about it—to gather some valuable professional insight and advice—and for free. And that’s not the only thing gratis: Members of young-patrons groups at many museums and other cultural organizations are eligible for free admission. 

Among the participating organizations are: Museum of the City of New York Young Members Circle; St. George’s Society of New York; The Royal Oak Foundation; Save Venice Young Friends; The Morgan Library Young Fellows; Guild Hall Contemporaries; Christie’s Alumni; New York City Opera Young Patrons Circle; Rubin Museum Visionary Circle; Carnegie Hall Notables; American Young Georgians; International Center for Photography, FOCUS; World Monuments Fund; New-York Historical Society Young Friends; New York City Ballet Young Patrons Circle; Whitney Museum of American Art, Whitney Contemporaries; El Museo del Barrio Young International Circle; New York School of Interior Design Alumni; and Sotheby’s Institute. 

ABOUT THE SPRING SHOW NYC

The Spring Show NYC will open on May 3 and run through May 6 at the Park Avenue Armory, Park Avenue at East 67th Street.

Opening Night VIP Preview: Wednesday, May 2, 5-7 pm Public Preview: 7-9 pm. Tickets and more information available at www.springshownyc.com

General Admission: Thursday, May 3: 11 am-7:30 pm. Friday, May 4*: 11 am-9 pm; Saturday, May 5: 11 am-7:30 pm; Sunday, May 6: 11 am-6 pm. Tickets are $20 for a single day of general admission and $40 for a four-day pass. *Arts Night Out Friday, May 4, 6-9 pm. Bringing together New York’s young arts patrons for cocktails and conversation. $30 tickets available at the door.

The Spring Show NYC spotlights the very best in English, Continental and American furniture, paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, glass and decorative arts; Asian works of art; folk art; 20th-century decorative arts; aesthetic movement and Arts & Crafts furniture; prints, photographs, maps, posters and wallpaper; antiquities and ancient objects; silver and metalwork; nautical art and objects; jewelry; garden ornaments; books, manuscripts and autographs; Chinese export porcelain and decorative arts; Native American and tribal art; carpets and rugs; tapestries; textiles and needlework; and clocks.

The Spring Show NYC is a vetted show—every item in every booth is examined by panels of experts for authenticity. The panels also ensure that comprehensive, accurate labeling is attached to every piece. Vetted shows are the standard for all quality art and antiques fairs.

The Spring Show NYC Opening Night, by-invitation-only Preview Party will be on Wednesday,

May 2. Sponsored by 1stdibs.com, the premier online®marketplace for purveyors for luxury goods, the Preview will benefit the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

Traditional Home Magazine is the official media partner. Honorary Co-Chairs include Amy Fine Collins, Somers and Jonathan Farkas, Hilary Geary Ross and Wilbur Ross, and Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Co-Chairs are Michael Bruno, Mario Buatta, David Patrick Columbia, Robert Couturier, Celerie Kemble, Edward Lobrano, Brian McCarthy, Miles Redd, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, Michael Smith, Bunny Williams, and Vicente Wolf. All gallery participants of the Spring Show NYC will donate a portion of their proceeds from the sale of animal-themed works of art to the

 ® ASPCA.

ABOUT AADLA

The Art and Antique Dealers League of America, Inc., is the oldest and principal antiques and fine arts organization in America. The purpose for organizing the league was to bring the various members of the art and antiques trade closer together to promote a greater understanding among themselves and with the public, and generally to devote itself to the best interest of dealers and collectors of antiques and works of art.

ABOUT 1STDIBS.COM

Founded in 2001 by Michael Bruno, 1stdibs is the world’s premier online marketplace presenting a curated selection of coveted items from 1,200 of the most prestigious dealers across the globe. Visitors to the site enjoy instant access to items immediately available for purchase including high-end antiques,

20th- and 21st-century design, fine art, estate jewelry, vintage couture and fine homes, with the emphasis always on quality. Nearly $500 million in sales were reported by 1stdibs dealers in 2011 with over 7,000 items reported sold by the site’s dealers each month. 1stdibs attracts more than two million visits a month and over the past 11 years has become the ultimate destination for collectors and affluent consumers to purchase one-of-a-kind items through a virtual experience that encourages exploration and research as buyers immerse themselves in a world of beauty.

ABOUT ASPCA

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means

for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org. To become a fan of the ASPCA on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/aspca. To follow the ASPCA on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/aspca.

ABOUT TRADITIONAL HOME MAGAZINE

As the largest upscale shelter magazine in America, Traditional Home celebrates the union of timeless design with modern living inspiring 5 million design lovers to reinterpret classic elegance in a thoroughly personal way. From home, garden and green living to beauty, entertaining and travel, the magazine is a tribute to quality, craftsmanship, authenticity and family—a trusted resource that respects the past, lives in the present and embraces products designer for the future. For more information, please visit www.traditionalhome.com. For more information regarding the magazine’s new online companion, TRADhome, please visit www.tradhomemag.com.

For more information about the AADLA Spring Show NYC, taking place May 3-6, 2012, at the Park

Avenue Armory at Park Avenue and 67th Street, NYC, please visit www.springshownyc.com

For questions about the VIP program, please e-mail info@www.springshownyc.com