Nearly First Friday: NFL Thanksgiving MVP Awards & Art Basel Highlights
Inspiration & Updates from Brian Madden Studio
“Since 1981, I've spent every Thanksgiving Day broadcasting a game, and it is one of my favorite days. You can say, 'Woe is me, I never get to be part of the tradition,' or you can say, 'Heck, we've got our own tradition, and it's pretty good.'”
- John Madden, NFL Coach & Commentator
Hi friends, happy holidays.
I wanted to start out by sharing how grateful I am for this community. Thanksgiving felt extra special this year. Jen and I were with family in Charleston and Atlanta, and while we usually have football playing in the background, this year we all had our eyes peeled for the Madden NFL Thanksgiving MVP awards. Thanks to everyone who spotted them and sent pics/vids our way!
The east coast trip continued down to Miami for Art Basel, where the slow pace of family time was quickly swept up in a hurricane of inspiration that I couldn’t help but cram into this newsletter on the flight back to SF.
In this weekend edition of First Friday, I’ll share:
WHAT I’M MAKING: Inaugural NFL Madden Thanksgiving MVP Awards
WHAT I’M SEEING: Art Basel Miami Highlights
WHAT I’M READING: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
WHAT I’M HEARING: SFO / OAK / CHS / ATL / MIA
You’re getting First Friday because you’ve supported my creativity, visited the studio, or otherwise signed up to stay in touch.
Thank you!
WHAT I’M MAKING: Inaugural NFL Madden Thanksgiving MVP Awards
In these turbulent times, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to feel gratitude, reflect, and relish in the company of family and friends, with a strong helping of home cooking and a side of NFL.
Football is a big part of contemporary Thanksgiving celebrations thanks to John Madden, the Super Bowl-winning coach and on-air personality who popularized the game on the national stage. He did it with joy and humor, drawing our attention to plays and moments with his telestrator linework and color commentary.
The original Turkey Leg Award was born on Thanksgiving 1989. Madden gave a real roasted turkey leg to Eagles linebacker Reggie White, who led the Philadelphia defense to a 27-0 shutout of Troy Aikman and the Cowboys. In 1995, a turkey mysteriously grew eight legs for the Detroit Lions, because as Madden said, their normal four legs weren’t enough! John Madden continued to have fun growing the game throughout his life, and after his passing in late 2021, the NFL decided to honor his legacy through their annual Thanksgiving programming.
This year, the NFL reached out to me to create a new celebratory sculpture to honor the MVPs of each of the three games being played on Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the chance to work with the League and the Madden family to develop the concept and bring the award sculptures to life. And if you’re wondering, we’re not related ;)
I took the opportunity to write the next chapter in the story of the marble end zone pylon award sculptures I created previously, this time with an autumn-inspired Emperador brown marble. 23 karat gilded details featured John Madden’s silhouette and telestrator lines passed across all four sides of the sculpture, drawing our attention to iconic Maddenisms and of course, a golden turkey leg.
I was grateful to be able to create a lasting reminder for the MVPs of their achievement and contribute to the legacy of the NFL’s John Madden Thanksgiving celebration. Special thanks to the NFL and everyone in this community who made Thanksgiving such a joyful experience this year. Stay tuned for more celebratory sculptures in the coming months.
WHAT I’M SEEING: Art Basel Miami Highlights
It’s been 8 years since I’d first visited Art Basel Miami, aka Miami Art Week, and a lot has changed since then. Running my own art & design studio had me seeing it through a new lens. Here’s a round-up of what inspired me this past week:
El Anatsui at Rubell Museum Miami
I’m continuously mesmerized by the woven works by Ghanaian sculptor and master weaver El Anatsui, one of the most highly acclaimed contemporary artists. This meticulously crafted sculptural textile is made entirely of flattened, folded, and crumpled metal from liquor bottles collected near his home in Nigeria, and joined together with copper wire. From the wall didactic at the Rubell Museum, I learned that the bottlecaps allude to Ghana's past as a British colony until 1957, and the implications of trade, consumption, waste, and destruction which ensued.
José Parlá solo exhibition at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)
I first learned about Miami-born abstract artist José Parla’s work while helping curate the art program for the Nike WHQ executive offices in Beaverton. I was excited to see that my first visit to PAMM coincided with Homecoming, Parlá’s first solo museum exhibition in his hometown. For some context, in 2021, Parlá contracted a life-threatening case of COVID-19—he was hospitalized and endured a four-month coma during which he suffered a stroke and significant brain bleeding. With a site-specific mural painted live in the gallery space, this exhibition not only represents a homecoming to Miami, but also marked a return to himself and his practice after this experience. Vitrines filled with historical artifacts offered a look into the history of the artist, along with a new site-specific mural painted live in the gallery that mirrored the artist’s studio, complete with records spinning on the turntable.
Alicja Kwade at 303 Gallery, Art Basel Miami
There were only a few artists that specifically drew me to the Miami Beach Convention Center for the core event of the week, and Alicja Kwade was one of them. I love the seemingly effortless way she plays with natural materials, and 303 Gallery’s booth was my first chance to see her work in person. Multi Carrier had recently been installed outdoors at Museum Voorlinden in the Netherlands as part of her recent exhibition, Die Notwendigkeit der Dinge, or ‘the Necessity of Things.’ Can you believe that the chairs are actually made of cast bronze?
Mungo Thomson at Galerie Frank Elbaz, Art Basel Miami
I’ve become a big fan of LA-based artist Mungo Thomson since seeing his work in person at Frieze LA earlier this year. I went through his entire oeuvre a few weeks ago, so I loved chatting with Paris-based gallerist Frank Elbaz about Thomson’s practice, specifically his Wall Calendars series. With calendar imagery printed on both sides of lightbox fabric, the works explore our perception of time. I’m grateful to Frank and Jana for hosting and giving me the catalogue. Looking forward to exploring more of Mungo Thomson’s work.
Katherine Bernhardt at Art Basel Miami & Memphis Miami Pop-up
Another artist I look up to is Katherine Bernhardt, an illustrious St. Louis-based painter who was showing artwork with David Zwirner and CANADA at Art Basel. She was also showing custom carpets in “Memphis Miami,” a collaboration between Capsule, Basic.Space, Memphis Milano and the artist, an avid Memphis design collector herself. Memphis was the 1980’s experimental design movement led by Ettore Sottsass that reimagined objects previously seen as purely functional, charging them with symbolic, poetic and affective meanings. I’m inspired by how Bernhardt blends culture, creativity, and fun in her artwork and corporate partnerships.
Jordan Nassar at Anat Egbi Kabinett, Art Basel Miami
I’d seen some of Jordan Nassar’s work before, and just like the first time, I was drawn in from far away to look through these complex embroideries-as-windows in the Anat Ebgi Kabinett. Nassar’s collaborative pieces are a dialogue between his position as a young member of the Palestinian diaspora alongside a group of women in the West Bank, who he closely partnered with in the works’ creation. I felt that the pieces exuded a devotion to detail with unparalleled patience and care.
Stefan Marx / Lufthansa Collaboration at Art Basel Miami
I’ve been following German artist Stefan Marx over the past couple years after seeing his whimsical illustrations of airplanes, done in flight and at the airport. I also love to draw while traveling, and have a soft spot for playful work created in transit. In a moment of serendipity, I happened upon this exhibition just as the Lufthansa team was beginning to film him drawing live on a miniature airliner! I caught some Behind the Scenes footage before chatting with Stefan for a bit. It all made even more sense when he told me that he started his signature series while flying Lufthansa! Like Katherine Bernhardt’s collaboration with Memphis, Stefan Marx’s partnership with Lufthansa represented another example of an authentic collaboration based in real-life experience and brand fandom.
These highlights are just a small sampling of a week overflowing with art and design from across the globe. If you have any questions about these picks, don’t hesitate to reach out.
WHAT I’M READING: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
I’m learning that personal growth is the continuous act of becoming— becoming more like the person you want to be while rising to new planes of awareness and ability. And though it seems universal, this journey unfolds differently for each of us.
My journey brings with it the daily practice of building comfort with the unknown in a curiosity-led career, listening to the inner creative voice, and managing anxiety. And like many athletes I work with a coach who helps me navigate the ups and downs.
In one of our recent conversations last month, as I was in the throes of bringing the NFL Thanksgiving MVP awards to life, considering the upcoming election and its potential implications, wondering how to stay focused on my tasks at hand, she recommended I explore The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.
In the book, world champion gymnast and Cal Berkeley student Dan Millman meets an unlikely guide at a service station while on a restless midnight walk. The guide brings Millman on a spiritual odyssey that helps him test the limits of his true potential and chart his own path while learning to be present in the here-and-now, instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. He practices servitude and builds discipline in his daily nutrition, fitness routines, and inner dialogue. He learns to embrace challenges, transform negative emotions into productive change, and laugh freely to cultivate inner peace.
While I’m manifesting bright potential futures for myself and my family, I’m still not sure yet what this multifaceted creative path has in store for me. My dad often references the iconic 1971 Muhammad Ali quote, “You only live in the present. The past is a dream, and the future is a mist,” and I’m finding that the only way through the misty moments is to put in the work, manage my anxiety, and allow the unseen to do the rest. This is the work of a so-called multipotentialite, otherwise known as a mapmaker. And I know many of you have your flavor of this feeling. If you’re curious, consider the Way of the Peaceful Warrior.
WHAT I’M HEARING: Season of the Witch
This month’s playlist was overheard in San Francisco, Oakland, Charleston, Atlanta, and Miami. It also includes some tracks from a couple of concerts I went to - Tops at the Chapel in San Francisco, and a Caribou DJ set at The Independent in SF, as well as their full band set at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA. Sonic Inspiration ranging from calm to club.
A reminder that the First Friday Playlist can only consist of songs I’ve heard, received, discovered, or rediscovered out in the world, songs overheard at coffee shops, restaurants, bars, galleries, concerts, or received from friends and family IRL & online.
Thanks for reading. Take care and happy holidays!
Brian
brian@brianbmadden.com
“An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.”