22 July 2009

allora.signature.ROSLYN
It is appropriate that the grandmother for whom I'm named, Mary Lide McArthur (better known as Ga-Ba), was attaching memories and meaning to chairs long before I was born. One of my earliest memories is being photographed in the large, marble throne of a chair that belonged to Ga-Ba's father, my great-grandfather--a tradition that continued for all of the children and grandchildren well into my adult life, and one that I'm sure my own mother will continue with her grandchildren. Ga-Ba loved the metaphoric connection of sitting in the same place that so many have sat before you; the cold marble of that chair on a summer day always reminds me of her. During the days I spent with Ga-Ba on Roslyn Drive, I first learned to sew and knit, and she humored me, allowing me to make whatever I could come up with: pillows, washclothes, blankets, dresses. To celebrate Ga-Ba, her love of flowers, and her affinity of all things pink, allora.chair.ROSLYN is named in her memory.