 |
'Stay inspired’ is one of her favorite mantras and it’s not
hard to be invigorated by this whirling dervish of creativity. From her work to
her philosophies to her philanthropy to her fashion to her achievements, Mary
Ann Thompson-Frenk is unique.
Tabletop is merely a pit stop along the way for this not-yet-30-year-old. Oh,
but what a pit stop. Thompson-Frenk’s thoroughly innovative dinnerware is based
on the Dead Sea Scrolls’ Magic Seals. According to Kabbalah (the teaching of the
Bible as a form of Jewish mysticism, highly in vogue thanks to Madonna and her
ilk), there are seven archangels each of whom bears a specific seal which
Thompson-Frenk has creatively interpreted onto dinnerware in a classically
contemporary manner. “Each pattern is based on a particular archangel’s magic
seal and has a history of connections with the planets, elements, and days of
the week,” clues Thompson-Frenk. “Angels were viewed as divine and our
collections are a reminder that the oldest tradition – breaking bread – is
sacred.”
Spirituality has been a recurrent theme in all of Thompson-Frenk’s art, perhaps
because she has always felt that there have been a few angels watching her back.
Thompson-Frenk was born nearly 30 years ago in Mexico City at 7:11 a.m. on
Mother’s Day when she was promptly placed in an orphanage. The time and day of
her birth stirred the spiritual leanings of entrepreneur John Philp Thompson (he
expanded his family’s business to become 7-Eleven – 7:11 a.m., get it?) who
adopted her. It was a blessing, her words, which she has worked daily to
deserve. “I’ve had every opportunity which has led to having a strong sense of
helping others,” Thompson-Frenk shares. “When you know everything you have is a
result of one particular moment that you weren’t even responsible for, there’s
an intense responsibility to make a difference and live up to ambitions.”
Certainly a child of privilege, but Thompson-Frenk wasn’t reared with a silver
spoon in her mouth. (Her father was well-known for his philanthropy,
particularly for the less fortunate.) Further, a hearing loss as a child enabled
her to sympathize with those who didn’t fit in. “I looked different than
everyone else,” Thompson-Frenk cedes, “and I always felt I stuck out a lot.” An
impressive and intensive education helped ground her and led to a feverish work
ethic that demanded accomplishment.
Thompson-Frenk was immensely attracted to philosophy, metaphysics, and art and
she knew they’d be fused in whatever she did. She made huge sculptures as a kid,
laughing while recalling the time she used hundreds of manila folders to create
a huge dragon sculpture which she hung from a ceiling in her house. “I’m sure it
was very irritating for me parents,” Thompson-Frenk chuckles, “but they did an
amazing job adjusting to whatever talents I had.”
While in college Thompson-Frenk invested in a restaurant for which she made the
dinnerware. “I was inspired by the theme of angels so I did a lot of research on
angels in different cultures,” Thompson-Frenk imparts. “I discovered that people
have always had a deep subconscious relationship with the divine that inspires
us and allows us to get through the day and believe in a purpose.” Personifying
aspects of the divine, she reveals, is also very relatable. Those designs –
which were sketched six years ago but never used – were precisely the designs
that launched Thompson Fine Arts in 2006.
But getting there wouldn’t be easy. Thompson-Frenk went on to other pursuits
(notably sculpting and public speaking), while the Archangel Collection was put
on hold. She did try to get the line made with both a U.S. and Mexican producer,
but those efforts fell flat. Still the project kept beckoning so Thompson-Frenk
tapped her assistant Alan Keith to research the best way to get the dinnerware
produced. The task was a natural for the magnetic Keith who did his homework
well, picking Pickard to produce the collection. “Here was an amazing family
business with great integrity,” Keith says, “that we liked immediately and whose
dedication to the product we understood.”
continued . . . .
|
|
