An Artistic Wave Washes Over a Wilton Gallery

A large wave has washed over the interior of Gregory Clark's Wilton furniture store and far from ruining his handmade pieces, it has brought his work further to life.

Clark's store, The Artifact Design Group, is currently hosting more than 60 artists as part of browngrotta arts' 10th Wave III: In Person exhibit. The intersection of textile artwork and refined, one-of-a-kind furniture at the at-first-unassuming Danbury Road showroom creates an inspiring, if unexpected effect.

"I think it's a great way to sell art because you can visualize how to combine it and display it in your home," Clark said as he stood beneath the vaulted ceilings he designed and built himself in his second floor showroom.

A Redding resident, Clark developed a mutual respect with Tom Grotta of browngrotta arts, who lives in Weston, as both have a taste and a passion for elegant aesthetics.

"We're sort of like-minded people," Clark said. "We've been to many of the same shows and have displayed our work side-by-side."

That respect grew into the stunning collaboration currently on display in Clark's Wilton showrooms, with his "formal contemporary" furniture complemented harmoniously by the 60 artists in the 10th Wave III collection.

Clark is something of a prodigy, having designed his first pieces in miniature at the tender age of 11. He went on to win numerous national awards for his full-scale pieces, which are mostly high-end, unique chairs, beds, desks, and trappings fit for the finest homes. In addition to his carpentry, Clark is a renowned and accomplished inventor, developing numerous patents for companies like Adidas and Schick (he created the first razor ever to contour to a face, for example), which enabled him to accumulate the means necessary to pursue his current business.

He feels honored to display Grotta's collection alongside his own, as Grotta's artists are some of the finest in the world. Many are frequently featured in prominent museums like MOMA and the Met in New York City, and the 10th Wave III pieces represent work from nine different countries, including Japan, Argentina, and Chile.

The art on display at Clark's store is an eclectic mix of textiles and fabrics woven into intricate statements of artistic intention, and viewing them is more of a visceral experience than a passive one. They are texturally evocative, almost begging to be felt, as they reach out from the walls to show off their coarse twine and flowing forms.

As you enter the store, two of the more remarkable pieces adorn the right side of a hallway. They are two American flags, one composed of charred wood, the other of shredded newspaper clippings; both speak to the contemporary dilapidation of mediums that once served as the foundation of the country whose flag they mimic.

Clark called the October opening of the show "a fascinating homecoming," and said it was an overwhelming success, with browngrotta selling a substantial amount of art in a short time, and gaining great exposure for both artists with the kind of elite crowd they target and attract. Grotta's Weston home served as a second location for the show, also filled with several hundred works of art.

While Grotta's collection hails from around the globe, Clark fashions his own pieces, many of which retail for upward of $100,000, on site. He admits that the demands of maintaining and growing his business have pulled him away from the carpentry he loves, but he still oversees the production and trusts the many talented craftsmen he employs to carry out his vision.

His current collection bridges the gap between functional furnishings and effects as aesthetics. In addition to his Wilton building, Clark frequently travels to Miami and will be displaying his work at the Art Basel show there later this year.

The 10th Wave III exhibit extends through Nov. 28 and the Artifact Design Group is open at its 66 Danbury Road location Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Browngrotta's collection is available online here and Clark's work can be seen here. More information is available by calling 203-834-7757 or contacting elizabethc@artifactdesigngroup.com.