Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/875930
16 • october 2017 • world fence news Remembering an historic fence exhibition Dear World Fence News: It was very generous of you to print the article about the Family Business Award recently given to our company, Qual Line Fence Corp. We received kind words from our old friend in Michigan, John Randolph, and a fabulous letter from Terry Dempsey, who was executive vice-president of the American Fence Association some years back. He also mentioned the Between Fences exhibition that we spearhead- ed at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. May, 1996–Jan- uary, 1997. Does anyone remember that? I have what is possibly the only remaining copy of the great catalog the museum produced for the event, plus one that was bound with my name and our company as a thank you. It was especially gratifying that the Smithsonian picked up the ball again in later years to circulate nation- ally the theme and objects, along with extensive community activities. The name of that project was Mu- seum on Main Street. In Wisconsin, five different areas hosted the travel- ing exhibit and in each place all kinds of events and programs were held. I attended the opening event or visited the exhibition in four of the six locations; each was very different and interesting. That happened in 2007. Since then, I use the catalog to hunt down antique fence styles. In particular, the ornamental loop top metal mesh fence traditionally used in cemeteries has been of great interest. I bought out the remainder of the stock of Hutchison, Inc. in Iowa and used it for two cemeteries. But I won't part with the last roll! Finally, have you heard about a fence project in New York City, some- thing like The Thousand Gates proj- ect in Central Park by artists Christo Yavacheff and Jeanne-Claude some years back? According to The New York Times, Ai Weiwei, the provocative Chinese artist, will build more than 100 fences and installations around New York City this fall for "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors," one of his most large-scale public art proj- ects to date. The exhibition, which is set to open on Oct. 12, was commissioned by the Public Art Fund to celebrate the organization's 40th anniversa- ry and will comprise about 10 major fence-themed installations and scores of smaller works spread across mul- tiple boroughs, including Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Here's the link to the Times news story: www.nytimes.com/2017/03/26/ arts /design / ai-weiweis-latest-art- work-building-fences-throughout- new-york-city.html. Perhaps someone or a group of people there could follow and report on this story. This is a big deal! Well, enough for today! Harriet Statz Qual Line Fence Corp. Waunakee, Wisconsin Pay tribute to those who have passed in the pages of World Fence News It is never a pleasant task, but World Fence News is honored to re- member fence industry members who are no longer with us by publishing obituaries and memoria in its pages. In addition to the obituaries pub- lished throughout the year, Dynamic Tube & Pipe makes possible the Fenc- er's Memoriam, a very nice tribute to fence industry members who have passed away. It is a formal listing of these individuals presented in "me- moriam" style. In the event of the loss of a loved one who was involved in the fence in- dustry, please feel free to submit com- plete obituary information which will be published in a timely manner. This information also will be used to compile the Fencer's Memoriam. Much obituary information is avail- able online, and often World Fence News uses that to form the basis of an obituary. But rarely do the online obituaries delve into the fencing career and in- volvement of the individual, and that is where as much supplemental infor- mation from the family and/or associ- ates is welcome. Submit obituary information to WFN managing editor Rick Hender- son at editor@worldfencenews.com. High quality photos are also request- ed.