Table Talk part 48

The big day has arrived.  I got up to the Studio around 10:30 am.  I had stopped to pick up some more hardware on my way to school yesterday and that was still in the car.  I didn't know what Molly would want me to do in the morning, but I knew we had a few incomplete tables and that there would be something.

Those 90 minutes leading up to the show she went back and forth on what would be done- the Herb table (re-poured since Thursday and looking better) or the three Asbury Musical Heritage tables.  For the latter I had finished making the table tops three weeks ago, and the three sets of legs existed in various states (all cut, most sanded, some stained, none with deck ties) but the tops hadn't been carved yet.  One of the things Molly advertised was art activities and she had the idea to paint the tops temporarily with chalkboard paint and provide chalk for people to draw pictures.  At first she told me to start the process of attaching legs to those, which meant cutting some more wooden corner wedges, and I got a bunch of those done and glued into the corners of one table top.  Then she changed her mind and wanted me to finish the Herb table instead.  I still needed to prepare four legs with deck ties, which I did in the cafeteria, as she was doing some last minute sanding in our table shop.  She had some extra help in the morning, so while I was finishing the legs she had the top, the corner wedges, and some of the equipment brought upstairs.  I set up a workspace by the main theater entrance, behind the stairs from the display of tables, and got the wedges glued in, drilled the holes, and inserted the lag screws while some extra help saved time by screwing them in.  Put the felt pads on the bottom of each leg and flipped it up, just in time for our noon opening.   After stashing my tools and supplies back in the basement, I changed clothes and joined the reception.

As people entered the show, they passed those chalkboard tables, now laid out on big folding tables.  All during the reception visitors had fun drawing on them.

Molly had finished pouring and sanding all the six cafe tables, which were put on large folding tables in the middle of the lobby area.  The rest of the tables were more or less where we had put them during the week- most along the walls leading to the corner where Herb's office is, and a few over by the costume shop.  This layout allowed plenty of room for the visitors to move around the tables, and yet filled the space nicely.

A surprise for me was that a dozen or so photos of the process had been blown up large, mounted, and hung on the walls around the room.  Some showed the events where groups had contributed art ideas to each piece, while some showed the art making process.  Most were from Molly, but I recognized some images as shots I had taken and posted here.  Easels by each set of tables told some stories about the tables created for the specific locations.

Today the tables were for art only, so we did our eating standing up.  Wegman's donated a large amount of food- platters of sub sandwiches, cut up vegetables and cheese, cookies and brownies, as well as beverages.

We had quite a few people turn up at the reception.  I had got reminders out to our critique group regulars and some came by.  A bunch of people connected to the funding organizations came to to see the show and helped with the set up.  And people from some of the locations that will be getting the tables were there, too.  Above, Molly is shown with people from Mosaic Ministries, for whom Molly made pieces for an altar in their Belmar church.  Below, by the end of the reception, the chalkboard tables were very colorful.

Unfortunately, the reception ended and the public viewing will soon as well.   A few still need some touch up work over the next few days, and the chalkboard tables were brought back downstairs so that Molly can carve the tops to represent the past, present, and future music heritage of Asbury.  (meanwhile, I'll finish making the legs that will go on them)  Arrangements are being made to get the completed tables to their intended destinations, where we are sure that people in those places will love them.  Response to the idea was very positive and there are reports that other locations may be interested in something similar, but whether that involves Molly or myself is yet to be determined.