The Restaurant

I can hand-deliver this anywhere in NYC after April 30th when the show closes. If you need shipping, please send an email to mari@bymariandrew.com after purchasing :)

SABBATH DINNER: The Restaurant

For this piece I used a technique called ‘felted wool painting.’ It is a laborious process, and each one takes upwards of 20 hours to complete. I source my wool from a small family farm in North Dakota which is committed to providing their beloved sheep with a natural and joyful life.

Inspiration:

Candles lit, phones put away, lace-trimmed tablecloth laid out: This is Sabbath Dinner in Manhattan. 

Waitstaff arrives two hours early to memorize the specials and roll the silverware, while cooks have been prepping all day. The ones who want a break from chopping are elbow-deep in deliveries, slicing open boxes and stacking heads of broccoli with factory-machine efficiency. Back-of-house handles the science of the restaurant; front-of-house handles the art. The hosts, dressed the part, slowly walk through the tables adjusting the bud vases and salad plates.

At 5pm, the ceremony begins. Friends, lovers, colleagues, and Tinder dates will come through for the next several hours, making meaning of this space that was a shoe store two decades ago and, before that, a Hungarian cafe, and, before that, a bank. 

This restaurant is a meeting place for some; for others, it’s a very dear spot—the background of a long and beautiful love story. The older couple in the back knows that someday it will be replaced by a City Target, as things tend to go around here, so for now they are savoring their sacred tradition: candlelit Friday night.

Meditation:
I’ll borrow words from Anthony Bourdain for this one: “Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a Negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server.”