Preventing slip and fall incidents is an important concern in all types of facility settings, and finding a preventive solution is key. This article about creating safer floors with the use of floor mats at manufacturer Meyer Tool in Cincinnati, OH is contributed by New Pig, the worlds authority on leaks, drips and spills and the creator of the Pig Grippy Floor Mat.

Gas turbine engines may not be something we think about, but they touch our lives everyday powering aircraft, trains, ships and electrical generators. These engines built by industrial giants including General Electric and Pratt & Whitney require hundreds of components from high-tech suppliers like Meyer Tool, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH.

From humble beginningsThe company began as Meyer Tool & Die in 1951 in a garage that was a motorcycle chop shop.

In 1973, Bud Meyer gave my father, Arlyn Easton some space for his single EDM machine, and that got us into the turbine engine business, said Beau Easton, owner of Meyer Tool Inc. Our name is Meyer Tool, but we dont actually make tools its to honor Bud Meyer and how it all got started.to industry leader.

68 years later, Meyer Tool is a leader in turbine technologies, fabricating hot section parts including blades, nozzles, shrouds, liners, and heat shields for the aerospace and gas turbine engine industries.

The company employs 1,500 team members throughout 11 facilities worldwide and operates over 1,400 conventional machining centers along with more than 860 EDM machines, making it the largest EDM shop in the country.

Our main focus is small cooling hole drilling for turbine blades and nozzles. Were the worlds largest manufacturer of cooling holes we do over 1.2 million a day, Easton explained.

As an early adopter of the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Factory, and Industry 4.0 applications, Meyer Tool is a role model and benchmark for advanced manufacturing. Meyer builds their own equipment including multi-axis EDMs and CNC-controlled grinders, as well as waterjets, lasers and airflow stands.

We are very vertically integrated, said Easton. Our Advanced Technology Department builds, maintains, and programs the machines, so its easy to integrate them with our ERP system. We write software that communicates with every piece of equipment, so we know whats running, what state its in, whos running it and whats running on it. This information gives us the real time capacity analysis we need to make more informed decisions.

Employees provide the edge.

I think what sets us apart is our employee base. Weve got wonderful, talented, committed employees, said Easton. Were a mid-sized company now, but we try to keep as much of the small family side that we can.A lot of people have worked here most of their lives, added Margo Watroba, public relations. And we realize if someone comes in every day and they spend eight to 10 hours here, they need to be happy. So, we want our floors to be clean and we try to make sure that our shop floor is as pleasant as it can be for a manufacturing facility.

Opting for the next-gen safe floor solution.

Even though the plant floors are epoxy with slip-resistant grit, some areas around the machines and in the grinding cells become slippery from oil and coolant. So, when this high-tech company looked for a way to deal with the problem, they chose the next-generation solution: Grippy Floor Mat.

Project Manager Roy Ottino placed Grippy Mat in slippery work areas to absorb the overspray and provide safe footing for employees. Theyve been very effective, he said. Once the floor is clean we can put them down and they hold up for several weeks.But because oily residue rarely stays within the confines of the plant floor, Ottino installed Grippy Mat in the hallways leading to the office area, including one that spans 105 feet in length.

If employees have any oil residue on their feet and they hit the tile floor, then it becomes a slip-fall, he explained. We were using rental rugs and those werent very effective because they were moving around. And they just didnt stay clean. Now if someone comes into the hallway, the Grippy Mat takes the oil off their feet before they go into the carpeted areas.

When asked how they maintain their mats, Ottino said they use a vacuum and a small floor scrubber to clean them.

Ottino has been quick to adopt other PIG adhesive-backed mats including the new Safety Floor Runner. I did a trial with that and I just put a second set down about a month ago.

Grippy Logo Mats have also been a hit among Meyer team members. We have lots of good feedback, Ottino said. People like the logo mats. We have them in our Cincinnati and Greenville, South Carolina plants. When one of our Greenville members was in Cincinnati, he saw one in our lobby by the elevators and said, I want that.We heard from employees and customers that they thought it was a nice way to put out the Meyer logo, added Easton.

Deploying a high-tech solution to protect their team members from slips, trips, and falls is what you would expect from an innovation leader, so its no surprise that Meyer Tool has Grippy Mat on their floors. Roy Ottino summed it up this way: Grippy Mat works for us two ways it takes the residue off our employees feet and keeps the floor clean. Overall, the product is really exceptional.

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Former investment banker and creator of the Future File legacy planning system Carol Roth discusses Wynn Resorts planning to install robot bartenders in its Las Vegas casino.

Encore Boston Harbor is taking the next step toward automating service jobs.

The casino owned by Wynn Resorts plans to replace some of its bartenders with machines that make drinks at the push of a button, according to the Boston Globe.

The machines work behind the scenes, preparing cocktails for patrons who are on the gaming floor.

About 50 people hold such jobs at the Everett casino, according to the casino.

Bartenders who directly serve patrons will remain in place.

Encore said the switch could result in some layoffs.

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The MGM Springfield casino in Western Massachusetts has used the technology since it opened in 2018, and the casinos parent company has since expanded the practice to properties in Las Vegas.

But Encores decision to replace with machines some jobs it had already created raised questions Thursday from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which regulates casinos.

Encore said use of the machines will require a change to its liquor license, which the commission would have to review.

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The casino expects the change to be in place within the next several weeks.

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Wynn's Encore casino to install robot bartenders behind the scenes - Fox Business

Installation of charging points in three existing multi-level parking lots to be completed soon; each lot can house charging points for about 400 cars, 600 bikes/scooters; citizens will be able to locate and book charging points in advanceAhmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will become the first civic body in the country to provide facility to charge electric vehicles in its multi-level parking lots. Tendering process for the project has been completed and installation of charging points is likely to be completed soon.

In the first phase, the facility will come up at existing three multi-level parking plots in Navrangpura, Maninagar and on Relief Road and extended to five new ones under construction, including in Prahladnagar and Riverfront (West). Each parking lot will have an average capacity to charge 400 cars and 600 two-wheelers. Every floor of the parking building will have provision for EV charging points. AMC officials said citizens would be able to locate and book the charging slot in advance using an application. This means that your car parked in the AMC lot will be recharged by the time you are through with shopping or finishing an important work.

Talking about the project, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra said, "We have awarded work order for all the multi-level car parking lots proposed in the city. Every one of them will have provision for EV charging on each floor and as per the demand we will keep adding charging points."

EV charging points at other public places

Apart from the multi-level car parking lots, the civic body is also planning to install EV charging points at other public places.

Going ahead all the commercial buildings, malls and shopping complexes in the city may have to install EV charging points for visitors, said a source pleading anonymity.

Navrangpura parking lot wil be among the first to get EV charging; Pic: NILKANTH DAVE

Jateen Gupta, MD of Iscon Group, said, "Seeing the way pollution levels are increasing, I welcome AMC initiative. State government may announce its final EV policy whenever it wants, but we have already decided to install EV charging units in our upcoming malls and commercial buildings."

Omi Pandey, a homemaker, said, "We have leased an EV car for a year as we didn't want to add to the air pollution. I use it to drop my kids to school and for other miscellaneous works. A single time fully charged car runs around 100 km. We are planning to renew the lease for another year. AMC's initiative will go a long way to curb air pollution."

Looking at rising air pollution levels, I welcome AMC initiative. We have already decided to install EV charging units in our upcoming malls and commercial buildings

Jateen Gupta, MD, Iscon Group

About the viability, Hariyani added, For cars, the cost of charging will be less than Rs2/km whereas for bikes/scooters it will be less than Re1/ km.

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AMC to be Indias first civic body to install EV charging points in its multi-level parking lots - Ahmedabad Mirror

By Bob Audette, Brattleboro Reformer

NEWFANE A landlord who has run afoul of Brattleboro's rental housing code was given another temporary reprieve on Friday.

Will Hunter, of Springfield, owns 6 Reynolds Drive and 48-50 Central St., which, on Nov. 21, were ordered closed down due to health and safety violations. The eviction notice was stayed for a court hearing on Nov. 28, but on Nov. 26, the Brattleboro Select Board, acting as the Board of Health, issued a health order against Hunter stating repairs must be made no later than Dec. 4.

During the Nov. 28 hearing in Windham Superior Court, Civil Division, Judge Michael Kainen stayed the eviction notice and gave Hunter a week to address the items identified in inspections conducted by the town. On Dec. 12, inspectors visited the properties, finding multiple violations including the third floor of 6 Reynolds Drive being used illegally as a bedroom. Other violations included numerous defects in the electrical systems, lack of adequate fire walls, with numerous holes in the walls, blocked exit ways and a large amount of combustible materials near fire sources such as the furnaces. On Dec. 30, the town was back in the Newfane court, asking Kainen for a court order demanding Hunter completely comply with the town's health order no later than Friday, Jan. 10.

"We're all working together to make it safe for my tenants," Hunter said after the hearing December.

On Friday, Brian Bannon, Brattleboro's zoning administrator and deputy health officer told Kainen that while Hunter has made progress in fixing some of the violations, others are still outstanding. In addition, state inspectors were on site Thursday to take a look at the properties and found some new violations.

According to a report filed by Frank Small, Vermont State Electrical Inspector with the Department of Public Safety Division of Fire Safety, at 6 Reynolds Drive, Hunter needs to install lighting and switches at the top and bottom of stairs, eliminate the use of extension cords by installing additional wall outlets, replace pull-chain lights with switch lights in each room, and in the basement relocate the electrical panel to the first floor, install a sump pump, and consider smaller water heaters that are not in any danger of shorting out due to flooding. Small also noted that ground fault circuit interrupters need to be installed in all areas of the building.

At 48-50 Central St., Small noted that Hunter still needs to install missing covers on electrical boxes and devices and install lighting over exits. As with 6 Reynolds Drive, Hunter needs to eliminate extension cords and replace them with additional electric receptacles and install switched lights in each room.

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"All lighting fixtures shall be properly secured to the electrical box. ... Not complete," wrote Small. "All electrical boxes shall be properly secured to the structure. ... Not complete."

Small wrote that Hunter needs to replace porcelain lamp holders in the basement, add protection to non-metallic cables, install new kitchen lights and fix a bathroom fan. As at 6 Reynolds Drive, Hunter also needs to install ground fault circuit interrupters.

Other problems identified by Bannon include exit ways blocked by a tenant's possessions, "fist holes" in walls, missing sheetrock and handrails.

Bannon told the judge that while garbage and debris around the outside of the houses has been partially removed, there is still an accumulation that needs to be dealt with. "There is a pickup truck [at 48-50 Central St.] that is being used to store garbage, though the amount of garbage has been reduced," said Bannon, who said there is a tarped-over trailer on the property, too, which might contain even more garbage.

He also noted that tenants at 6 Reynolds Drive had told him a bedbug infestation had been taken care of, but during the inspection he detected the "sickly sweet" smell that is indicative of bedbugs. Bannon said there is no indication Hunter hired a professional to deal with the infestation and that it often takes several treatments to eliminate bedbugs.

Kainen asked Bob Fisher, town attorney for Brattleboro, to draft an order giving Hunter four weeks to fix the electrical problems identified on Thursday and two weeks to fix the other problems previously identified by the town. Fisher is expected to have that order to Hunter on Monday, who is expected to review it before handing it to the judge on Tuesday, who will then approve the order.

"I have no objection to an order that says what has to be done and when," Hunter told the judge.

Bob Audette can be contacted at 802-254-2311, ext. 151, or raudette@reformer.com.

If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.

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Landlord gets more time to fix violations - Brattleboro Reformer

All images courtesy of the artist. Photography by Gareth Gardner

Artist Morag Myerscough has been commissioned by British Land to create bespoke artworks for the entire ground floor of the redeveloped 1 Finsbury Avenue Square on Broadgate, London.

Taking over the entire space, her striking pieces in her signature style include a seven-metre high structure housing an entire caf run by Butterscotch Bakery.

Called Atoll, the giant artwork is permanent and hopes to become a beacon that will attract and connect the surrounding neighbourhood. The semi-open nature of the interior also means that people working on the mezzanine levels above can look down at the verdant planting within the structure.

On the upper part of the artwork, you'll see the outline of three London terraced houses, surrounded by dense planting, along with six neon suns signifying joy and energy. The houses refer to Broadgate's residential history, introducing a sense of intimacy and domesticity to the space.

Myerscough's inspiration for Atoll comes from her connections with London, having lived here all her life, and the biophilia hypothesis the idea that humans have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature. Her many public projects have drawn inspiration from how colour and nature help to improve wellbeing.

"My fascination with how the Victorians made public parks for city workers to get fresh air at weekends (as a child I lived very close to Finsbury Park) has inspired me to bring the park to the workplace at 1FA," Myerscough explains.

Elsewhere, at the public entry lobbies on the eastern and western sides of the building, Myerscough has incorporated tri-wall advertising boards, animating three patterns. The concept, which was also successfully executed by Myerscough in her scheme for the Design Museum's Designer Maker User permanent exhibition, provides a warm welcome to visitors. The wall also gives the nod to the building's 1980s heritage, further celebrating the era of Broadgate.

The installation continues to spread through the whole of the atrium with large-scale patterned hand-painted walls. An expansive seating area with hand-made and hand-painted overstuffed velvet cushioned seating, tables, benches and planters, designed and made by Myerscough and Luke Morgan at their local Hoxton studio. A rear translucent screen is covered in plants held within a bespoke metal planting grid designed and fabricated by Morgan.

Gareth Gardner

Gareth Gardner

Gareth Gardner

Gareth Gardner

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Morag Myerscough's new installation celebrates the redevelopment of Broadgate and its history - Creative Boom

Take a look inside this inspiring, monotone home

At first look, youd think this sleek, elegant apartment is located in New York. Closer scrutiny of the surroundings will reveal youre actually in Bandra, Mumbai. Spread across 800-square-feet, this chic apartment belongs to architect and interior designer, Jason Wadhwani. Having lived in the same apartment for about 10 years, he decided it was time to spruce up the spaceboth, aesthetically and functionally. The house had to reflect the personalities and lifestyles of my wife and I, so I started designing the space with a very monochromatic palette in mind, which is usually the starting point for all my projects. At the same time, he felt that the house needed to be injected with quirkiness and warmth. This was done by cladding walls and floors and of course, infusing a healthy dose of art. Apart from this, plants around the house ensure that the monochromatic palette is balanced.

Since Wadhwani and his wife entertain a lot, he wanted the combined area of the living and dining room to exude a cosy and comfortable vibe along with enough space for circulation. I added an engineered wooden flooring on the existing white marble flooring to add warmth to a very white space. A green chaise lounge by Josmo Studio along with art by Pratap Morey above the white couch add some colour to the room, says Wadhwani. Adding a quirky touch to the covered bar is a Japanese wallpaper on the shutters. Since the small attached balcony is rarely used, Wadhwani decided to make use of it as a space for entertaining by removing the sliding doors and making the balcony a part of the living room. A cantilevered white marble slab was installed in the dining area owing to space constraints.

Considering the limited space, Wadhwani had specific ideas for the kitchen. Since the space is extremely small, I had to make use of the area in the best way possible, he says. Bearing in mind the theme, a chic black and white striped flooring takes over the kitchen with white subway tiles on the walls. A large white ceramic sink is installed to give the space a country feel.

The master bedroom is dominated by shades of greya grey chesterfield headboard and a grey granite wall featuring artworks by Saubya Chashmawala stand out. The bed is framed by two elegant Flos lamps on either side. Adding an edgy touch to the room is the black snakeskin wallpaper on the TV wall.In keeping with the grey colour scheme, the master bathroom features grey rustic tiles on the walls and black Marquina marble on the floor.

Wadhwani describes the guest bedroom as a warmer space with an oak veneer cladding on the walls. Swathes of monochrome are observed on the headboard as well as the custom black and white armoire and dressing unit.

This South Delhi home is a repository for impressive artworks and sculptures

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This chic Mumbai apartment can give other New York lofts a run for their money - Architectural Digest India

More than 400 artists have worked at Artpace over the past 25 years, but only a handful have left tangible traces of the work they did in the building.

The artists that come through the lauded residency program typically create installations that are on display for just a few months. But some leave things behind that can be seen outside of the galleries if you have permission to roam around and know where to look.

Riley Robinson knows where to look.

Robinson, who became the director of Artpace in 2018 and has worked for it through most of its history, agreed to show off the buildings offbeat hidden treasures on a tour that included the galleries, offices, restrooms and the three apartments where artists live during their residencies.

He even pointed out the reminders left behind from the buildings time as a Hudson car dealership and a Firestone tire shop, including a tire rack tucked high overhead in a space that now is used for lectures and workshops, and a drain in the floor in a space where cars were once washed.

Theres also a Hudson hubcap hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs, but thats not a leftover from the Hudson days: I like to tell everybody we found the Hudson hubcap while we were renovating the building, but we actually got it from a hubcap dealer on Austin Highway, he said.

A bit of a history of the buildings transformation into an art center can be found in the restrooms, where Ansen Seales black-and-white photographs of what it looked like before hang on the walls.

The other artwork scattered throughout the building, which opened to the public in 1995, provides thumbnail illustrations of some of the work that has been created there over the years.

So does a shelf behind the desk in Robinsons office. It holds a hodgepodge of small pieces, gifts and mementos from artists who have come through.

Theyre little bits and pieces of ephemera I dont know if theyre really artwork or not, he said.

The shelf includes a painted 2-by-4 covered in string left behind by sculptor Leonardo Drew, a ceramic plate made by the late Katie Pell and a gag gift of a breath spray claiming to help folks understand modern art.

On ExpressNews.com: Katie Pell remembered for work, impact

Theres also an oversized key It looks like a cartoon, Robinson said that is one of 10 he had made as part of the installation that Regina Jos Galindo created during her 2008 residency. For the piece, she locked herself, her husband and her baby into a jail cell in the gallery.

Shes a conceptual artist and doesnt usually end up with an object other than the record of the show. So I was like, Hey, Regina, lets go ahead and make a copy of the key, Robinson recalled. So that is a copy of the jail cell key. This is what a real jail cell key looks like.

A framed light switch plate hangs above working light switches on the wall beside the door. Beyond documentation, its all that is left of Kim Jones 2003 installation Flatland Wars, which depicted battle scenes. The plate is covered in tiny, detailed pencil drawings, as were the walls of the gallery.

When the exhibit closed, Jones told Robinson to just paint over the mural. Robinson got his OK to keep the light plate.

So I took it off the wall and saved it, and this is whats left over, he said. Its part of Artpace.

Another part lies under the floor of that wing of the building. As Artpace founder Linda Pace recounts in her book Dreaming Red: Creating ArtPace, artist Paula Santiagos 1996 residency coincided with the construction of that area. Santiago inserted works of art bits of plaster casts and clippings of her hair into the wet concrete foundation of the directors office.

Robinson noted that there is no sign documenting the pieces presence.

For a long time, other works affixed throughout the building didnt have labels, either. That changed starting with the two small urethane balls that Elizabeth McGrath left embedded in the ceiling, an extension of please watch your step, the installation she created during her 1996 residency. The balls can be seen by looking up in the first floor atrium.

On ExpressNews.com: Southwest School of Art show digs into colorism

Were not a collecting institution, but theyve been there a long time, Robinson said. About six or seven years ago, I said its time to own it. So we finally put a label on it. So were claiming it as artwork. I wrote her and told her, Youre the longest exhibiting artist in Artpace.

Theres also a label for Waddle and Daub, a piece suggesting two vessels, one nestled inside the other, that was embedded into the wall just below the stairs by Lily Cox-Richard during her 2016 residency.

And theres a label for a single window pane on the landing between the first and second floors thats coated in delicate silver leaf, a call-back to Rebecca Hollands 2000 residency. The artist painstakingly covered the ceiling of her space with silver leaf, creating a glowing effect. She left behind the window pane as a gift to Artpace.

The original work is still there, too, Robinson said: When she left, it was time to bring the next artist in, we just painted the ceiling over. Theres a layer of silver there; you just cant see it.

A few works upstairs rarely are seen by anyone other than artists and staff, since theyre in areas not accessible to the public. One can be found on the windows of the cozy apartment where Tony Feher stayed during an Artpace stint in 2012. Feher, who died in 2016, typically worked with everyday materials, including the strips of blue tape he used to cover three panes of glass with geometric patterns.

If you know Tony Fehers work, this is a signature blue tape piece, Robinson said. Im not taking this down.

Another hidden work is a series of window panes with small holes drilled into them. Theyre what remains of Rivane Neuenschwanders 2001 piece Omission Points, for which she drilled those holes all the way around the gallery.

I saved em, Robinson said.

Hes also left up a single clay bird in a room just off the Main Space, the downstairs gallery that faces the street. It was part of a collection of birds that Kate Terrell created for an installation about 10 years ago. At the end of the exhibition, Robinson said, we took em down, gave the birds back. But then we noticed we missed one. And its been hanging ever since.

The bird, the silver leaf and all the other pieces left serve as a reminder of Artpaces history, Robinson said, as well as a reminder that the building itself is a catalyst for new work.

Its an envelope that lets people do what they do best, he said.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN

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Hidden treasures trace the history of Artpace in San Antonio - San Antonio Express-News

Work to build the Isle of Wights latest Premier Inn hotel continues, but the opening has been pushed back from Spring to Summer 2020.

The frame of the 100-bed hotel on Sandown Esplanade has now been completed and temporary weatherproofing has been introduced to allow the internal fit-out of the hotel rooms and corridors. Water and electric supplies have been installed and the installation of both mechanical and electrical systems on all the upper floors is now underway.

Contractors are starting from the top and working their way down, with the ground floor currently being used as a delivery and loading hub. Work on this level will commence in February.

The on-site crane is expected to be removed in March.

Until now it was hoped that the hotel and restaurant would open in Spring 2020, but the current programme of works targets completion by Summer 2020.

It was backin December 2015thatIsland Echo exclusively reported that the Carlton Hotel would be demolished to make way for a third Premier Inn on the Isle of Wight. Planning permission for the scheme was granted in late 2016 and demolition of the former Carlton Hotel took place in 2017 and early 2018. At one point it was hoped that the hotel would open in 2017.

Geoff Cook, Senior Project and Programme Manager, has said:

Despite recent challenging weather conditions, were pleased to be making steady progress with the construction of Premier Inn Sandown.

Construction of the buildings frame has been completed and were now moving onto weatherproofing the building, installing mechanical and electrical systems and beginning the internal fit-out of the hotel.

Were currently on course to complete construction and open our doors to the new hotel and restaurant in summer 2020.

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CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES AT PREMIER INN SANDOWN BUT OPENING PUSHED BACK - Island Echo

Food at Yoshii Gallery, New York: installation view;photo: Chiu Ng (all images courtesy Yoshii Gallery)

Many contemporary still lifes depict food. The 22 works on display at Yoshii Gallery under the inclusive title, Food, provide a good selection.

They include sculpted fruit Tadao Andos Green Apple (2018), Ugo Rondinones Still Life (one pear) (2012) and Gen Saratanis Strawberry (2019) along with Chocolate Bar (2012) by Adam McEven and a cooked breakfast, Claes Oldenburgs sculpture Pancakes and Sausages (1962).

These works represent actual food, while others depict cooked or packaged foodstuffs: Big Mac Box (2007) by Tom Sachs and, on the wall, his Krusty Os (2019), a painting of a boxed cereal; Paul McCarthys large photograph Propo (Ketchup) (2002); and Campbells Tomato Juice Box (1962) by Andy Warhol.

Some artworks tell jokes Gavin Turks Core (2005) is an apple core sculpture made of oil paint on bronze and others make historical allusions. Elaine Sturtevents Oldenburg Store Object, Bacon and Egg (1967), a chickenwire, cloth, plaster, and enamel reconstruction of an early example of the Pop masters work, is set alongside two genuine Oldenburg sculptures.

Some years ago, when Darren Jones and I were gathering examples for our study, The Contemporary Art Gallery: Display, Power and Privilege (2016), we were interested in how much that institution had changed since the heyday of the white cube, as memorialized in Brian ODohertys famous book Inside the White Cube (1986, adapted from articles that appeared in Artforum 10 years earlier).

Nowadays galleries might have natural overhead lighting or even windows on the outside world; some complement the art with brightly colored walls. Many prefer austere installations, with lots of space between the individual works. But occasionally there are dense, Salon-style hangings.

And gallery entrances, too, have now become very varied; sometimes, for example, the front desk is not in the front, and at least one Manhattan gallery was in a basement. We were particularly interested in contrasting these commercial spaces to those in public art museums. By the time we finished, however, we thought that we had exhaustively catalogued all of the present options.

Now, however, I realize that this belief was mistaken. Food offers something new. What makes this an extraordinary exhibition, a truly virtuosic curatorial performance, is the presentation. The Yoshii Gallery is on the third floor of a Madison Avenue building, just downstairs from Larry Gagosians massive two-floor space. To get to this small gallery, you must walk through a narrow corridor, and then turn to enter the main room. And there you find that almost all of the art in Food is gathered together in one relatively small space.

Some works are wall-mounted: Tom Wesselmanns collage Little Still Life #7 (1963) is one, and Warhols Large Campbells Soup Can (1964), a silkscreen, is another. But you are mostly surrounded by sculptures on high and low pedestals Warhols silkscreened sculpture, Campbells Tomato Juice Box, and Rirkrit Tiravanijas We Said (frackfort no frackfort) (2012), to name two so you need to be very careful when you move.

You will find Tom Friedmans 3/8-inch Untitled (Pea) (2013), the smallest contemporary artwork I have ever seen, high on the right wall. And in a corner on the floor sits Rondinones trompe-loeil, Still Life (one pear), a cast bronze with yellow paint. Look straight ahead, turn to either side, and then look behind you to find still more artworks. The gallery isnt cluttered for there arent a great many objects, and many of them are small, but because they are positioned throughout this art-filled room, as I said, you have to be careful. I found it best to look by twisting and turning while standing in the center, keeping my feet motionless.

Normally, except at openings, most art galleries are not crowded. Just as some dogs walk in circles before sitting down, gallery visitors often slow down upon entering, to get the feel of the space before settling down to look.

And of course some installations make this task more complicated. Fred Sandbacks dangling rope sculptures are hard to see, which makes it easy to get entangled in them. But once you have located your position with some care, so that you dont bump into a sculpture when moving back to view a painting, you are safe.

At Food, however, you needed to remain mentally alert. Normally almost anything in a gallery could also be shown in a museum. But no public museum could handle this exhibition.

What, then, does the form of this presentation reveal about its content, food? I puzzled over that question for a long time. You couldnt do a convincing show like this of landscape paintings, portraits, or abstract artworks. What then, I wondered, made this display of contemporary still life so obviously successful?

Here a historical perspective is essential. When critics praised Jean-Baptiste-Simon Chardins fruit, Edouard Manets asparagus, or Paul Czannes apples, they contrasted the banality of these subjects with the artists skill at presenting them. In his great essay Chardin, for example, Marcel Proust writes:

You will be a Chardin, less great, to be sure, but great to the extent to which you will love him, to which you will re-constitute yourself to be, like him, one for whom metal and pottery will come to life and fruits have language.

Most of the food-art in Food really comes from a different world. Theres hardly anything that would draw your eye unless you were really hungry. Now, however, what can still attract your attention is a magnetic display, a collective work of art created by a curator. Who would have thought that still lifes would create such a strong reaction? Compelling you to look closely at things you would ordinarily scarcely notice is a real achievement.

I couldnt stop thinking about this novel experience of space long after I left the gallery. Few exhibitions inspire such a lasting response. What might have happened as the crowds entered at the opening? I wish I could have been a fly on the wall, or, better still, on the ceiling.

Note: The Proust quote is found on page 326 of Marcel Proust on Art and Literature (Carroll & Graf, 1984).

Food continues at Yoshii Gallery (980 Madison Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan) through January 25.

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When the Exhibition Becomes a Work of Art - Hyperallergic

On the evening of Jan. 14, 1990, Doug Seyle knocked on his employers front door at Savannahs stately Mercer House on Monterey Square. Receiving no response, he let himself in and found the historic homes locally famous resident, 59-year-old Jim Williams, lying dead in the study.

He died from a simple case of pneumonia, but the location of his death was remarkable. In that same room on May 2, 1981, Williams shot and killed 21-year-old Danny Lewis Hansford. Williams, an accomplished antiques dealer, building restorer, and Savannah socialite, insisted that hed shot the young man his part-time assistant and occasional lover in self-defense. Within a few weeks, Williams was indicted for murder.

Three decades after his death, Jim Williams is famous far beyond Savannah. The circumstances of the Hansford shooting, and the four trials that Williams endured to clear his name, provided the primary plot for "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", John Berendts 1994 bestseller. Known locally as "The Book", it later served as the basis for a Hollywood movie, and became a driving force behind modern Savannah tourism.

However, Williamss legacy extends beyond the provocative anecdotes that made Berendt a multimillionaire. Williams was a leading preservationist of historic Savannah buildings, revamping over 30 edifices citywide. His projects included the Olde Pink House on Reynolds Square, the Hampton Lillibridge House on East Saint Julian Street, and the Mercer House now called the Mercer Williams House Museum where he lived and died.

This palatial Italianate mansion, constructed just after the Civil War for General Hugh W. Mercer (the great-grandfather of musician Johnny Mercer), now ranks among Savannahs most popular landmark museums. Owned by Williamss sister, Dorothy Kingery, the museum is currently receiving a thorough external refurbishment, in what she considers an effort to preserve her brothers restoration legacy.

"People really enjoy learning about Jims history," Kingery said, noting that Williamss antique collection within Mercer House paints a tasteful portrait of his life. "To carry this on, it means a lot to me and my family, and we are pleased to be able to do it."

"He took it in stride"

While Williams worked on many impressive buildings, Mercer House was his masterpiece. After completing its initial restoration in 1970 and making it his personal home, Williams hosted legendary parties there and used it as a showcase for his finest antiques. During his trials, it also became a place of refuge.

"We spent a lot of time in Jims house," said Atlanta-based attorney Don Samuel, who served on the Williams defense team. "It was somewhat museum-like even then."

Most anyone standing trial for murder would be forgiven for letting the ordeal overwhelm their decorum. However, this wasnt Williamss style, Samuel said.

"He was a very charming guy, unlike 99% of people on trial," Samuel said, adding that Williams carried himself with grace and good humor while working on his defense. "He took it in stride."

When Williams was finally found innocent after his fourth trial in 1989, Samuel recalls that his client was "completely exuberant, of course."

Nonetheless, Williamss passing just months after his exoneration made the courtroom victory bittersweet for Samuel.

"That was very tragic and sad that he didnt get to enjoy his freedom," Samuel said.

"Its a huge job"

Kingery remembers sitting with her mother and Williamss lawyers at the dining-room table soon after his death, and being asked what the family would do with the historic home.

"I said, We will keep it, of course," Kingery recalls.

Although maintaining such a grand estate was no small endeavor, Kingery felt that her brothers extensive efforts to preserve Mercer House would help considerably.

"Jim had just finished a restoration," Kingery said. "I was confident that we were dealing with a house that was in excellent shape."

For the next 14 years, Kingery maintained Mercer House as a private residence for herself and her daughter Susan, who now manages museum operations despite initial reservations about her mothers plan to turn the mansion into an exhibition.

"She said, Im going to turn it into a museum, and I said, Youre crazy," Susan Kingery recalls with a laugh.

Dorothy Kingery, who earned a history masters and a sociology PhD from the University of Georgia before establishing and directing UGAs Survey Research Center, was confident that the family could open Mercer House to the public.

"I knew how to hire and supervise people," Dorothy Kingery said, and in the years that followed, the mother-daughter team turned Mercer House into a premier Savannah attraction, although they declined to reveal specific visitor totals. "You would be amazed at the number of people who come here."

Still, museum operations require a great deal of work, and the elements also present challenges to the nearly 150-year-old building. With paint chipping on the trim and areas of the brick facade requiring cleaning, last year the Kingerys decided to refurbish the entire exterior. The restoration began in December, and is expected to continue through March, with the Savannah branch of Choate Construction handling the project.

"Its a huge job," Dorothy Kingery said.

"Its really a family home"

While Williamss untimely passing created an unwanted bookend to his lengthy legal difficulties, his family takes comfort in the final verdict.

"Im so grateful that he did clear his name before he died," Dorothy Kingery said.

At times when the Mercer House is closed to the public, Williamss family continues to gather there and enjoy the magnificent setting and all of its finery. On this past New Years Eve, Dorothy and Susan Kingery joined friends in the dining room to drink champagne from Williamss Baccarat crystal glasses that visitors view during tours.

"Its really a family home," Dorothy Kingery said. "We still love it and enjoy it. I think he knows."

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30 years after death of Jim Williams, his iconic Savannah home is being restored - Savannah Morning News