Ask a New Yorker: This is great! We have two Uberchics in the same room. First Uberchic, what’s your name and what do you do?
Sara: Sara Schiller, founder of Meet at the Apartment and co-founder of Wooster Collective.
Ask a New Yorker: Sounds all very interesting. Let’s first ask about what you’re wearing around your neck?
Sara: I have a peace sign and a crystal both generating, I guess, peace and love throughout the universe.
Ask a New Yorker: Are you an Aquarian? I’m an Aquarian.
Sara: No, I’m a Gemini.(laughter)
Ask a New Yorker: Do you live in this space?
Sara: No, I live on Bond Street and have lived downtown for the last 13 years. I have a husband, a baby and enjoy this part of NYC.
Ask a New Yorker: Last time I was in this space it was called, I think, The Apartment, a furniture store. What is Meet at the Apartment?
Sara: Meet at the Apartment is meant to reinvent corporate meetings. It’s a space that combines a very eclectic style with lots of technology and service. It’s a place to hold meetings to reinvent your business or a product. You’re not going to be bored. You’re going to come in and be excited to spend the day working.
Ask a New Yorker: I love the chandelier.
Sara: Thanks, it’s a piece by Tobias Wong from Brooklyn. It’s a crystal chandelier dipped in rubber.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s Wooster Collective about?
Sara: My husband and I started Wooster Collective, which is a group that focuses on street art. We celebrate street art.Besides our blog we speak at Universities, we write magazine articles, publish books and we celebrate unauthorized public art in our cities, so one of the things that we have incorporated to this space is our love of street art. We have a lot of eclectic art pieces by artist who are usually on the street putting up pieces for free but also make fine art. You just mentioned you walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. We have an art piece by Judith Supine who put a really amazing piece up on the bridge about a month ago.
Ask a New Yorker: Our second Uberchic is Sara’s mom, who is visiting. What do you think of all this?
Joan: I support my daughter Sara and my son in law Mark in their endeavors. I think that Meet has its own purpose in life. Wooster Collective is more interesting, to observe what’s going in this city from an outsider’s perspective. Do access that website Woostercollective.com
Ask a New Yorker: Thank you Joan. Mom rocks. Sara, what’s your favorite gallery?
Sara: My favorite gallery in New York is Jeffery Deitch. I like what he does. He has some really amazing artist and his installations are over the top.
Ask a New Yorker: Years ago I saw Mathew Barney‘s one man show at the Guggenheim. What do you think of his work?
Sara: He’s scary at times and always interesting. The whole street art movement is the anthesis of the established art world. First of all because the art is free and it’s put up without permission in public spaces so that everyone can see. There’s nothing arrogant about it. You can just walk down the street and enjoy it. NYC graffiti is probably the deep root of that which is self expression out on the streets.
Ask a New Yorker: I love Keith Herring’s work and Basquiat.
Sara: They are the forefathers as well as Jenny Holtzer.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s your favorite piece in this space?
Sara: Our favorite piece is a big plastic pig table by Marcel Wanders. The pig is a favorite by everyone. He is holding candelabra right now but holds flowers, drinks and whatever else is going on in the space.
Ask a New Yorker: Winter is fast upon us. Do you ski?
Sara: No, I’m a beach bunny. We’re going to head down to Mexico and get warm. But we’re also planning a trip to South Africa to speak to The Design Indaba Conference in Capetown in February. That is going to be phenomenal. One of the best conferences in the world which brings people from developed countries into Africa to spread creativity.
Ask a New Yorker: Sounds like a cool trip. Do you have any pets?
Sara: We have a dog named Hudson, a nine year old Weimaraner. She is actually the reason we fell in love with street art because when we got her we were walking her four timers a day around our neighborhood in Soho on Wooster Street and started to notice all the art as she was stopping to go pee along the way. (Sara and Mom leave for lunch. Outside we see some street art immediately)
Ask a New Yorker: Do you see any notable street art?
Sara: This is stickman an anonymous artist who you will find all over Soho. Lots of times he has taken his stick man and put him on the pavements, squashed appearing to be run over by a cab.
Ask a New Yorker: Indeed, hailing a taxi is an art form! Loved meeting you and mom. Thank you!
