Private Commissions

Beaded Necktie

2011

Commissioned by Amanda Fuhrman, New York, New York
Medium: Glass beads, thread
Dimensions: Coming Soon :)
Photograph: Courtesy of the artists

Commission Overview
Our relationship with Amanda and Glenn Fuhrman began years before this commission, when Amanda curated us into Recession Art Fair at the FLAG Art Foundation in 2008. For that show, we exhibited our Beaded Grenade Calendar, a set of folded paper grenade surrounding a thread packed core. From there, FLAG became a steady champion of our work, presenting it in several exhibitions.

That support extended beyond the gallery walls. Amanda and Glenn invited us to join them at a Performa gala, where we shared a table with Mickalene Thomas—a night filled with conversation, laughter, and performance. Soon after, Amanda reached out again. By then she and Glenn were a couple, and she wanted to commission something special for him: a hand-beaded necktie.

Artistic Approach
The tie was made entirely of glass seed beads, hand-woven with an off-set “x” pattern. Meticulously made to mimic the drape and proportions of a traditional necktie, it transformed a symbol of formality into an object of ornament, labor, and intimacy.

Engagement and Impact
For Glenn, the commission was a personal gift. For us, it was the deepening of a relationship with two advocates who had championed our work both institutionally and personally. The piece also affirmed how support from collectors and institutions can move fluidly between public presentation and private life.

Context and Legacy
The Beaded Necktie is part of a series of beaded ties we have created over the years, each one a meditation. The commission for Glenn held particular significance because it grew directly out of our relationship with Amanda and Glenn, who had been pivotal in championing our practice through the FLAG Art Foundation. Their ongoing support through both institutional presentation and private commission helped affirm the trajectory of our work at a formative time. A few years after this commission, our studio relocated just a block from FLAG’s 25th Street space, underscoring how deeply our histories had become entwined.