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Text By Cathy Gordon •
Photography Courtesy Of The Guild
For Toni Sikes, home is where the art is. “The objects I choose for my
surroundings are, in a sense, my autobiography,” she says. “I think a lot of
people feel that way.” Her Wisconsin-based company, The Guild Inc., is a leading
source for original art and décor shipped directly from artist to buyer.
Are
you looking for a floor-to-ceiling, stainless-steel sculpture? How about
sterling silver dragonfly earrings set with Swarovski crystals and freshwater
pearls? “If you can think of it, there’s probably someone making it,” says Toni,
who represents more than 1,200 top artisans in media from glass, sculpture, and
print to furniture, lighting, and jewelry. Michael Monroe, former
curator-in-charge of the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery, heads a
panel that juries and selects the pieces.
“I believe strongly that these
creations make our lives richer and better in so many ways,” Toni says. “We try
to take down the barriers that are sometimes associated with selecting art. It
doesn’t have to be intimidating.”
(a) Toni puts ideas on paper at her Madison home, cat Nettie by her
side. (b) A blown-glass paper dolls bowl, by Ann Alderson Cabezas, is always
dressed for company.(c) Toni (standing) reviews a catalog with artist service manager Susan
Gardels. (d) A dramatic room vignette designed by architect Christine A. L.
Restaino for The Artful Home show. (e) Ceramic mosaic by Sacramento artists
Tom and Sara Post; (f) a graceful salon chair by Mary Lynn O’Shea.
Toni uses her home as a personal canvas for creativity. She comes by it
naturally, having grown up in a family that believed in paying attention to
life’s tiny details. “My mother taught me about turning the ordinary into the
extraordinary,” she says. “When I grew up, certain items resonated with me,
spoke to me. Without knowing when or why, I learned to cherish beauty, and to
love a thing well made. I was attracted to the work of artists.”
In fact, she
dated one for a while. She observed firsthand the difficulties her sculptor
boyfriend faced in placing his large architectural pieces in hotels and malls.
“Architects and interior designers are key gatekeepers for large commissioned
pieces, but at the time there was no easy way for artists and trade
professionals to find each other,” she recalls.
Determined to resolve this
disconnect, Toni set her creative wheels spinning. After extensive market
research, she launched The Guild in 1985 as a publisher of sourcebooks to bridge
the gap between art and commerce.
Originally published in the February/March 2008 issue
Artful Alliances page
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