LOCAL TALENT FEATURED IN RPO SHOWHOUSE Scottsville, NY, May 2004. A transformation is under way at the American Association of University Women’s building at 494 East Avenue in Rochester, with help from two local women. Originally built in 1906-7 as a wedding gift to Elizabeth and Erickson Perkins from Elizabeth’s parents, the house was donated to the AAUW in 1946 by the widowed Mrs. Perkins. The organization has been housed there since the following year and has lovingly maintained it over the years. The building plays an important role in the AAUW’s programs aimed at helping Rochester-area women and girls reach their full potential and goals. For a short time, however, the mansion will soon return to its glory days as a private home. As a fundraiser, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has asked area designers to work their magic on the interior, transforming the building into a showhouse that will be open to the public from May 29 to June 20. For a fee benefiting the RPO, the public can tour the showhouse to gain design ideas and resources. Many items will also be for sale, both in the rooms and in a separate boutique operated by the RPO. Acanthus Interiors, owned by Susan Church-Jamesson of Scottsville, is co-designing an “entertainment retreat” in the showhouse. “Our room is tucked under the dormers at the top of the house and offers a lot of charm,” she says. “ We see it as a getaway where the imaginary owners would go to relax and entertain themselves.” Plenty of opportunities will exist, since the room will contain a 50” plasma TV, a table for board games, a computer, and even a spot for napping. State-of-the-art wireless technology will control the TV, sound, lighting, window treatments, and more. Also featured in the room is artwork by Scottsville artist Wendy Marks, a graduate of RIT’s School of American Crafts. Sumptuous fabrics, old maps, and other found objects are combined in the pieces displayed. Says Marks, “I began creating this body of work as a way of combining my background in textile design with an interest in collecting castoffs—odd bits from the kitchen junk drawer, rusted shards, orphaned game pieces, and so on.” The effect of the collages is mysterious, yet upon closer inspection, the individual elements are completely familiar to the viewer. See some of Wendy’s work at http://homepage.mac.com/kemarks/WendyMarks After the showhouse ends, some of the transformations accomplished by the designers will remain as donations to the AAUW. Others will no doubt go home with lucky tourgoers. “We’re excited about the opportunity to work on such an architecturally important building, with beautiful woodwork and other details, and hope the public will enjoy seeing our vision for it,” says Church-Jamesson. Acanthus Interiors, which also does commercial interiors, is collaborating on the project with Jackie Foster of Jackie Foster Interior Design and Sonya Allen of Butterfly Designs. Advance tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for children, and are available at the RPO box office, online at www.rposhowhouse.org, or at Wegman’s video departments. Tickets at the door are $18 for adults and $15 for children. Group tours can be arranged. Various special events, such as a “Murder Mystery Night,” music salons, and afternoon teas are also planned, with tickets available at the same venues. For more details, see the showhouse website at http://www.rposhowhouse.org/ or call (585) 454-7311. Tip of the Month To loosen up a room, create juxtapositions of rich materials/humble ones, antique/contemporary, hard/soft, etc. Avoid being too "matchy-matchy", which can make rooms feel static and boring. The Showhouse room is a perfect example of these juxtapositions. Come and visit us!