Tanya Madoff is a San Francisco artist who loved the idea of an art subscription service and was particularly inspired by The Thing Quarterly, which offers a new multiple by a famous artist every three months. Madoff wanted to create a subscription club that was a bit smaller and more accessible. As she says, “Living in San Francisco (frequently in small spaces), I wanted something that someone renting a room or studio apartment could enjoy. I started Button Club because I wanted an ongoing project that would challenge me creatively and allow me to collaborate with other artists.” She always loved getting surprises in the mail and wanted to create that experience for others.
As a former guest artist and Button Club subscriber, I can tell you that receiving new buttons featuring art each month is always a welcome surprise. Mixed among my bills and junk mail will be a colorful little package put together with care and creativity. Some of my favorites have been a button with a drawing of a record with its own little sleeve, and another was a button representing Chinese New Year, tucked into a traditional red and gold envelope.
Madoff essentially creates a collage and packaging that matches the art on the button. She says she felt frustrated as an artist before she started Button Club, and that she enjoys having a deadline and audience for her collaborative work each month. She’s also “learned to adopt the wabi-sabi approach and have an appreciation for the imperfections and variations that come from handmade art.”
