Ebbet's Field home plate plaque

Masterwork Plaques designed and fabricated a commemorative "home plate" plaque to honor Jackie Robinson’s major league baseball debut. This cast bronze plaque is installed at the former site of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, NY.

From 1913 - 1957, Ebbets Field was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. Ebbets Field was the site of many of the Dodgers early successes before their eventual move to Los Angeles in 1958. Among these historic successes was the desegregation of the team, with the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the major leagues, bringing the end to sixty years of segregation in professional baseball.  

The plaque is installed at the precise location of Ebbets Field’s former home plate, where Jackie Robinson first stood at bat on April 15, 1947. The project was developed as a part of Ken Burns newest documentary series, in conjunction with the release of Google’s visual reality headset. By overlaying a photograph onto a more recent photo of the current landscape, Google was able to determine the exact location of the home plate (Yahoo Sports: 10 Degrees: The secret virtual-reality project to honor Jackie Robinson) This commemorative plaque resides in the courtyards of the Ebbets Field high-rise apartment complex, and the home plate shaped plaque faces where the old center field would have been if it still existed today.

Our studio can create custom shaped commemorative plaques in just about any shape and size. For this particular project, we felt it was appropriate to use the dimensions of a home plate, to reference the historic baseball field. 

WINTER AT MASTERWORK PLAQUES

Winter Storm Jonas has officially passed and has left an impressive cover of snow over New York, Brooklyn and much of the East Coast.  Many of us spent the weekend indoors, looking out our frosty windows, but the warming temperatures have already started the gradual melting of the whopping 26 inches that have fallen over the city.  Despite the slow commute to work and our slightly damp socks, most of us are happy to see that winter has officially arrived.

Now might not be the most opportune time for us to feature photos of Brooklyn on our blog, but the timely storm has coincided with the release of our last resolution for 2016.

GETTING INVOLVED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Masterwork Plaques is surrounded by many small businesses in Williamsburg, and we love being a part of this dynamic and artistic community.  2016 has a lot in store for us at our studio, and our goal is to get to know other artistic and entrepreneurial small businesses in the area, with the hope that our involvement will have a positive affect on our plaque designs, business practices and creative thinking strategies.  For the more daring locals out there, anxious to bundle up in warm scarves and furry snow boots, we’ve put together an abbreviated list of our favorite artsy Williamsburg spots that have been a source of creative inspiration for our studio. 

THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT

This alternative library holds over 33,000 artist sketchbooks that can be submitted by anyone across the world.  This seemingly endless collection of creative journals and has been an overwhelming source of inspiration to our designers.  Artists' individual styles and clever designs are jam packed into this storefront space.  The Art Library serves as a “reading room” where anyone can scan through the many shelves filled with artwork, but many of their sketchbooks can be viewed online as well.  We have found ourselves with a sketchbook in hand, jotting down inspirational notes for new plaque designs on many occasions. 

THE JOURNAL GALLERY

Located down the street from Masterwork Plaques is an impressive converted garage space that hosts the works of many emerging artists (check out those stunning water jet cut letters!).  The Journal began in 1999 as a ‘zine that has expanded into a quarterly periodical with an accompanying gallery.  This spot has been a great destination spot for a 5-10 minute short break from our business day.  As we mentioned in our healthy workspace post, a short break can actually get the creative juices flowing and keep us more focused during the day.  The Journal’s last show was listed as one of the best gallery exhibitions of 2015 on pasunautre.com.  Their first show of 2016 opens this Wednesday, January 27th.

CHOPLET CERAMICS STUDIO

Located on Grand Avenue, Choplet Ceramic Studio functions both as a gallery and workshop space for ceramic artists for all levels (novice and experienced).  Founded by Nadeige Choplet, this ceramics studio offers all sorts of ways to try out throwing on the wheel and traditional hand building, while also providing ample space for the more advanced ceramics artist.  Our CEO and project manager have both taken classes and visited the gallery space at this studio, and it is a great source of inspiration for our more three-dimensional bronze projects.

The human body isn’t meant to sit in front of a computer for eight hours a day. At our studio, we are fortunate in that depending on the project, our work can actually take us away from the computer, whether it is to begin carving a bas-relief portrait or assemble a pattern for a bronze plaque.  These projects force us to move around the studio, and in the warmer months, sometimes even allow us to move our work outside on a nice day.

However, the majority of the week takes place at our desks, and sitting for extended periods of time is not beneficial to our overall health.  Our third resolution for 2016 is to invest our time in better habits at work, which as a result, will make our day happier, healthier and more focused, so that we can work better with you.  Our team sat down (and then stood up!) to discuss ways we can introduce healthier habits into our workplace culture. 

TAKING FREQUENT BREAKS

Studies show that taking regular breaks actually increases productivity by 6-11% throughout the day.  In fact, a 15 second break taken a few times an hour is said to reduce fatigue by 50%. We’ve downloaded the free Time Out app, which gently reminds us to take a break on a regular basis.

STAY ACTIVE

Here in New York City, many employees eat lunch at their desks or simply do not take a break to eat at all.  This habit actually reduces productivity because it does not give our brains the time to rest between tasks.  We’ve made a pact to step away for an extended break at least two times a day, in addition to taking lunch outside the office. 

Taking a walk around the block is particularly enjoyable in our neighborhood.  We can volunteer for the nearby dog shelter and walk a dog for twenty minutes to temporarily unwind during a stressful day.  Others of us have installed an app on our phones called Sworkit which provides five-minute work out routines, perfect for a break between emails or after a big project is completed.

DRINK WATER

Most of us already know that the average person should be drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day, equaling about two liters.  At work, we’ve found it is easy to stay put at your desk, answer emails and lose track of time.  Especially if you aren’t in the habit of consistently drinking water, the day can go by and after the morning coffee, you haven’t drank anything at all.  We’ve decided to keep a large water bottle at our desk, which can be carried easily with us to lunch or to plaque design meetings, so we all stay on track and stay hydrated.  Here’s to a healthy and active 2016! 

The plaque arrived on Monday...It turned out beautifully. The members of the board asked me to pass along our appreciation to you and the others involved in creating the plaque. We are very happy with the results. Congratulations to all of you for a job well done. The plaque will be admired by many people and for many years. - Sandy in Wyoming, July 2014

Small businesses rely on client feedback.  Not only do client reviews help prospective customers decide whether they should purchase a plaque, reviews also provide valuable feedback for our studio.  Customer reviews are one of the first things people see when they perform a search on Google and Yelp. Online reviews, specifically, provide “social proof” to people unfamiliar with our small company, based on the opinions of others with similar needs. 

Our resolution for 2016 is to encourage our clients to comment on our business.  We often receive kind words from our customers via email, once a plaque is installed, and we share a portion of these reviews on our website. Going forward, we encourage our clients to write their reviews directly on our Google + and Yelp! business pages, so that your opinion can be shared with a larger community of people.

During the month of January, Masterwork Plaques will be posting a weekly blog entry spelling out our new year's resolutions for 2016.  This past year has been a time of change and growth for our studio, and we are planning on growing even more in the year to come.  

The first step is telling you more about who we are.

MASTERWORK PLAQUES IS A SMALL BUSINESS.  

Don't let this deter you.  As a small business, we can be personable, attentive and flexible when it comes to working with our customers.  Masterwork Plaques is a workshop of highly skilled metal artists, and though there may be fewer of us on staff than our competitors, we work quickly and efficiently with years of metal-making experience.  Your custom project receives our close attention.

OUR STUDIO IS UNIQUELY EXPERIENCED.

Masterwork Plaques creates custom bronze plaques for the following uses:  building management signage, commemorative and dedication plaques, national register plaques, water-jet cut lettering, bas-relief portraits, inset medallions, awards, logos, donor plaques--the list goes on and on.  If you can imagine it, we can probably create it.

Our studio carries a selection of different metals at a variety of price ranges.  While cast bronze plaques are the most popular choice, we also offer aluminum plaques, brass plaques, and stainless steel plaques, in addition to zinc, copper, and muntz plaques.  Each metal has its own range of benefits, and the variety of metal options allows our customers to select what works best for them.

MASTERWORK IS BASED IN NYC, SHIPPING NATIONALLY.

Our design studio is located in Brooklyn, NY within a community of skilled artisans and entrepreneurs of many trades.  We take advantage of our location as much as possible.  We believe in supporting local businesses and do our best to work with small companies in the surrounding area.  Providing finely crafted, American-made products to our customers makes us proud.

Our studio can ship to clients across the country, and can often ship overseas.  We have clients in all 50 states, and have shipped to Canada and France among other countries.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Masterwork Plaques is a custom plaque-making studio, interested in creating one-of-a-kind plaques for businesses, building management, dedications and commemorative occasions. Our studio came into being from the desire to revolutionize the metal plaque industry, which is filled with mass-produced signage and standard memorial plaques.  We founded a business where each plaque is created from unique designs and materials of the finest quality.  We believe that plaques made to commemorate the special events in life should be, well, special!

Building management plaques, metal building owner signs and leasing agent markers are an excellent way to both to secure property and provide a stylish statement piece recognizing building ownership.  Our studio specializes in the creation of these custom building plaques, translating your company’s logo and business information into an eye-catching work of cast metal art.  Our studio also offers discounts on quantity plaque orders, understanding that our property management, building owner, landlord and leasing agent clients often work with multiple properties. 

Building management plaques have a great amount of flexibility in regards to their design.  Material, size, border style and finishing techniques can be tailored to the brand and personality of each company and property location.  For example, bronze and brass plaques are typically associated with a more traditional styled building, whereas a stainless steel or aluminum plaque is visually more contemporary and match modern construction.

We also can offer a variety of border styles and finishing techniques, shown on our plaque options page, that can set your plaque apart from the rest. 

Random Orbital, Satin and Polished finishes

Finally, Masterwork Plaques offers secure installation techniques that both seamlessly integrate into a plaque's design and protect against any risk of theft. For more information on building management plaques, contact us at masterworkplaques@gmail.com. 

Central Park: East Side at 107th Street entrance just south of the Harlem Meer

Masterwork Plaques recently collaborated with the Central Park Conservancy and the NYC Parks Department to recreate a historic commemorative plaque.  Designed and installed just in time for spring of 2015, this custom bronze plaque is an exact replica of the original dedicated in 1906, which was lost sometime in the 1970’s.

2015 Replica of the original McGown's Pass plaque

McGown’s Pass (sometimes spelled “McGowan’s”) is a small part of the northeast section of Central Park and is named after the McGown family, who owned a tavern in the area from 1756 until the Revolutionary War.  The plaque commemorates the area’s advantageous position during the British occupation of New York from 1776 to 1783, in addition to its use during the War of 1812, where Fort Clinton was built to better arm and protect the city.  McGown’s Pass is a high-topographical point in the park, and today, a commemorative site (where the newly installed plaque can be found) rests at the high point of the hill. 

McGown's Pass site, Before and After; Black and white photo courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy.

Masterwork Plaques was able to recreate this custom-shaped plaque from the reference of two black and white photos and an incomplete image of the original design plans.  This was the only remaining evidence of the original plaque’s design.  Using our extensive font library, we were able to design and customize each letter to best imitate the look of the original hand-tooled type.  Masterwork Plaques also modified our lamb’s tongue decorative border to include a sloped and dimensional ogee curve and custom corner details, which were present on the original historic plaque. Custom rosettes were also replicated and hand-carved based on the specifications on the original design plan. 

  Photo of the original plaque, courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy

Most importantly, when replicating a historic bronze plaque, is to capture the natural aged, antique look of a real chemical patina.  Masterwork Plaques’ offers specialty services from highly skilled artisans who can imitate natural tarnishing, corrosion, and weathering that occurs over time.  A true chemical patina chemically changes the surface color of the bronze, which eliminates the possibility of chipping away or peeling off over time, as occurs with a layer of paint or a stain from imitation patinas.  Oftentimes plaque companies will apply a layer of paint rather than a chemical patina, which is cheaper, but will not last the test of time.

All of these elements were vital to creating an exact replica of this historic bronze plaque. Techniques from this project can be used on any plaque project, whether the goal is to replicate a historic landmark, or to simply add an antique quality to any personal or commercial plaque that may aim to look like it has been in place for decades.  Our studio specializes in these custom design techniques.  Masterwork Plaques came into being from the desire to revolutionize the bronze plaque industry so that each plaque is created with one-of-a-kind designs and materials of the finest quality.