INFINITE NOTION/S
Client: The Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel
Materials: zippers, thread
Location: 218 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001
Details: Wall-mounted sculpture (73” x 36”) commissioned in 2025 as featured artwork at the reception desk in the lobby of the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel located in the Garment District of New York City. Art placed by nAscent Art New York. All zippers were donated by YKK, the world’s largest zipper manufacturer.
I created the title “Infinite Notion/s” to highlight the way the flowing lines of the zipper intertwine continuously with seemingly no end and no beginning. The zipper line seems infinite and endless. Choosing a title is one of the most difficult parts of creating a piece of artwork. In asking for feedback, there were many ideas and interpretations of the artwork. There were similar themes and notions. In the sewing world, zippers are part of a group of items including buttons, ribbons, snaps, etc. that are associated with clothing construction called notions. I like the double meaning in the word that is, technically, the correct designation for the material and it implies an idea.
I was thrilled to be asked to create a one of a kind sculpture for a public space. This is likely one of the largest pieces of any kind of art that I’ve ever created. It’s very exciting to be given space for the bounds of my creativity to expand. I hope “Infinite Notion/s” guides people to shift their perception of how to find beauty, joy and value in the world around them.
My artwork greets the hotel guests in the lobby behind the reception desk. I imagine as guests are waiting for the hotel staff to pull up their reservations, the guests can get lost in the lines of my artwork. In a time when we are so busy and often looking at a screen, the artwork will offer a place of intrigue and hopefully inspiration to the guests.
If you are in the area, you are welcome to stop by and see the artwork in person! The lobby for the hotel is actually on the 6th floor across from the lounge where you can rest and enjoy the artwork. 218 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001.
The Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel is located in the Garment District of New York City. This area of Manhattan is full of shops selling and making everything having to do with fashion and costuming. There are entire stores dedicated to ribbons and trim and other stores dedicated to only stretch-fabric. It’s a bustling, exciting part of the city. The interior designers for the hotel were inspired by the location and wanted to commission artwork with a nod to the Garment District.
The interior designers enlisted the expertise of nAscent New York, a company that finds art solutions for spaces. Jen Wallace, one of the co-founders, was familiar with my Zipper Jewelry and made the leap that the essence of my jewelry designs could be translated to the wall as fine art.
We discussed the various styles of my Zipper Jewelry and mapped out a plan of how to scale this from jewelry for the body to, as Jen Wallace noted “jewelry for the wall.” After discussions, sketches and sample making, we had a direction to follow.
Because the overall design would be informed by the material and my creative process, there wasn’t a final sketch that I was working off of. I credit the team at nAscent for trusting my process and taking a leap of faith. In one of our early meetings, they reported that the interior designers said they were confident they would be happy with anything I created. As an artist, it feels wonderful to feel such support and trust from a client.
It’s such a challenge to create something that has never been done before. The development process was based on my experience in jewelry design, costume design/construction and my scenic design training. I pulled from these parts of my artistic experience and they informed the process and the design.
I’m so excited to make more wall-mounted sculptures in various sizes and styles. I’m planning on pursuing modular creations so that an overall design could be made up of multiple sculptures to suit the needs of the space. I can imagine new creations being installed in homes and in public spaces. As with the zipper itself, the possibilities are infinite.
