As promised, our 5+5 series is back! Today's featured contributor is Emily Fischer, the brilliant mind behind one of my favorite indie businesses, Haptic Lab. Their gorgeous goods have long been my go-to gift for beloved babies and generous hosts. Their Solar System quilt is currently lying on my own bed and when I go fly a kite, it may well be one of their gorgeous creations I send dancing across the sky.
Emily is also a friend, and I cannot overstate how absolutely terrific it's been to meet up for coffee and commiseration as we both attempt to steer our business babies through the currently-extremely-choppy economic waters. She also has a great Jason Polan story, an incredible kiddo and, of course, excellent taste in art. Read all about it below!
— Jen
5 Perfect Picks
My backyard, Tivoli, NY 7/10/14 by Pete Mauney
I absolutely love this series. Fireflies are my fireworks - I grew up in a place where summer backyards were like attending rock concerts. These images conjure up those languid evenings of childhood like Proust's madeleine.
Plate 22, Sheet 6, Ancient Courses Mississippi River Meander Belt by Harold Fisk
As a certified map nerd, I'd be foolish not to include the historic oxbow maps of Harold Fisk. I would love to tile a tall foyer or narrow space with these prints to illustrate a whole section of the Mississippi. Fisk, like a lot of technical geologists or surveyors of his time, was an accidental artist. The beauty of these images lies in the way they precisely represent the wild, constantly changing nature of a river.
Rocks at The American Museum of Natural History by Jason Polan
I had the good fortune of meeting Jason Polan back at the University of Michigan when he was studying art and I was studying architecture. Though the programs share the same building on campus, we actually met at the student union-- we were both drawing in our sketchbooks. We briefly bonded over our shared delight in seeing people run for the bus while wearing backpacks. (Everyone looks ridiculous running while wearing a backpack.) For anyone who knew him, Jason had a magical openness to him - a true curiosity for all people and places and things. The Hall of Gems at the Museum of Natural History is my daughter's favorite place on earth, and I hope that she too keeps her curious nature throughout life.
The Denny's Parking Lot by Esther Pearl Watson
Esther's work reminds me of early American colonial art - in a good way. The scenes are so vivid and cinematic and unique. I get lost in all the little details. Is that a cloud or a UFO in the sky? And, what will we order at the Denny's? I'm attracted to intensely detailed work that invites you inside of it, to spend time looking and noticing.
Solar Eclipse by Carleton Watkins
This haunting image is the one I keep going back to. When times are tough (lol) I take a lot of comfort in the patterns of nature. I like to be reminded of my own smallness in the span of geologic time, and humbled by the larger celestial order. Human suffering seems endless, but how remarkable is it to live on a planet that orbits a star - just close enough and with a moon just the right size to cast a shadow like this?
5 Q's and 5 A's
What’s hanging in your living room?
A quilted map of New York Harbor.
What’s the first piece of art you ever purchased? Tell us the story behind it.
The first real piece of art I purchased was a Gee’s Bend quilt, bought directly from the artist. Supporting their legacy financially felt deeply important—honoring the lineage of Black women quilters who’ve profoundly influenced the history of American art.
How do you get your own creative juices flowing?
A long walk, a great cup of coffee, or a visit to an antiques mall.
Haptic Lab is a business that sits at the intersection of art, craft, architecture, and even activism. What do you feel like are the most important threads of your background and skill set that brought you to this?
Growing up in the Midwest, I was deeply influenced by a “make do” philosophy—the idea that you can create something meaningful using only what you have on hand. That sense of thrift and creative reuse became a foundation for my work. I learned to value resourcefulness over perfection - I like things that are a bit naive or aware of their own making. My background in architecture gave me the tools to think spatially and systemically, but it was my love of craft—of working with my hands—that really brought everything together. Haptic Lab sits at the crossroads of all of that: it's a practice rooted in design, but driven by material storytelling and social engagement. Activism naturally enters the work because I believe that how we make things—and who we make them for—matters.
You’re hosting a dinner party for artists and you’ve got 5 seats to fill. Who do you invite? Or maybe you’re hosting an artist seance and you can bring 5 artists back to life. Who do you conjure?
Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Niki de Saint Phalle, Ruth Asawa, and my artist bestie Golnar Adili.
