{"id":30044,"date":"2023-12-19T10:31:14","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T15:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=30044"},"modified":"2023-12-20T09:26:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T14:26:22","slug":"artist-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/artist-writer\/","title":{"rendered":"For Two Cornellian Pals, Art Meets Life\u2014Now in Book Form"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">An enduring friendship between alums\u2014dating back to when they were mentor and student\u2014has led both to cultivate their creativity<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cornell-red-color has-text-color\"><em>&#8220;Bear Hugs&#8221; celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at <a href=\"&#x6d;&#x61;&#x69;&#108;&#x74;&#x6f;:&#x63;&#111;&#114;&#110;&#x65;&#x6c;&#108;ia&#110;&#115;&#64;&#x63;&#111;&#x72;&#110;&#101;&#x6c;l&#46;&#101;&#x64;u\">co&#x72;nel&#108;&#x69;&#97;&#110;&#x73;&#64;co&#114;&#x6e;&#x65;ll&#x2e;&#101;&#100;&#117;<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By<strong> Lindsay Lennon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When Gordon Sander \u201972, BA \u201973, began an artist residency at <a href=\"https:\/\/cornell.campusgroups.com\/rrc\/welcome-to-the-castle!\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Risley Residential College<\/a> in 2002, he was returning to familiar ground. The author, photographer, and journalist had come back to the Hill twice before to work on books and had a history of hiring Risleyites as assistants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this time would be different. Not only would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gordonsander.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sander<\/a> end up doubling his planned one-year stay, he\u2019d also meet a fine arts major who\u2019d go on to become a lifelong friend and collaborator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That student was <a href=\"https:\/\/jjmanford.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan \u201cJJ\u201d Manford \u201906<\/a>\u2014the subject of Sander\u2019s ninth book, titled <em>Rooms<\/em>, to be published by a small Latvian art press in January 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"612\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-1024x612.jpg\" alt=\"The front and back covers of the book Rooms by Gordon Sander featuring a colorful psychedelic painting by the book's subject, JJ Manford\" class=\"wp-image-30113\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-1024x612.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-1536x919.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-1264x756.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-632x378.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-316x189.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-400x239.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-200x120.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A-100x60.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/rooms-cover-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The wrap-around cover of Sander&#8217;s upcoming book.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBack at Cornell I envisioned writing a book about JJ at some point,\u201d admits Sander, whose byline has appeared in the <em>New York Times<\/em>, the <em>Washington Post<\/em>, and numerous other publications. \u201cThe idea was like one of those bubbles at the bottom of a glass of soda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now a painter whose work has been mentioned in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/goings-on-about-town\/art\/jj-manford\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>New Yorker<\/em><\/a>, Manford was named by the popular online art marketplace Artsy as one of its most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artsy.net\/article\/artsy-editorial-10-sought-after-artists-artsy-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sought-after \u201cemerging\u201d artists<\/a> in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Two men in an apartment\" class=\"wp-image-30109 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/gordonandjj-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>In Sander&#8217;s Cayuga Heights apartment, 2006.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>The duo\u2019s relationship traces back to when Sander hired Manford as a student assistant as he worked on his third book\u2014but they soon bonded on a personal level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI knew pretty quickly our idiosyncrasies would complement each other,\u201d recalls Manford, who holds an MFA from Hunter College. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe very organically became a father-like figure to me as I was losing my biological dad to cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pair went on to collaborate on several projects\u2014including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gordonsander.com\/ctown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>C Town Blues<\/em><\/a>, a serialized novel about Sander\u2019s undergrad years, published in the <em>Daily Sun <\/em>from 2004\u201306, which Manford illustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I knew pretty quickly our idiosyncrasies would complement each other.<\/p>\n<cite><strong>JJ Manford \u201906<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Manford curated a 2006 photo retrospective that Sander mounted in Sibley Dome and helped with research for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cornellpress.cornell.edu\/book\/9780801473722\/the-frank-family-that-survived\/#bookTabs=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a book<\/a> that Sander wrote about his mother\u2019s experience living in hiding during World War II in the Netherlands. (It&#8217;s one of two of Sander&#8217;s books that have been published by Cornell University Press; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cornellpress.cornell.edu\/book\/9780801477300\/serling\/#bo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the other<\/a> is on Rod Serling.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Manford left Ithaca in 2007, Sander stayed until 2017\u2014employing more than a dozen Risleyites over the course of 15 years before relocating to Latvia, where he still resides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery alignwide has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"856\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"30112\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-856x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of an apartment interior.\" class=\"wp-image-30112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-856x1024.jpg 856w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-251x300.jpg 251w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-768x919.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-1283x1536.jpg 1283w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-1264x1513.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-632x756.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-316x378.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-400x479.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-200x239.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A-100x120.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JMAN052-JJ-Manford-NYC-Interior-with-View-of-Manhattan-Bridge-01-A.jpg 1316w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 856px) 100vw, 856px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"871\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"30105\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-871x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A vibrant psychedelic painting of a small giraffe looking out of a living room window.\" class=\"wp-image-30105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-871x1024.jpg 871w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-255x300.jpg 255w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-768x903.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-1307x1536.jpg 1307w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-1264x1486.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-632x743.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-316x371.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-400x470.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-200x235.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A-100x118.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/2021_082-A.jpg 1340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"30110\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-767x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A painted portrait of a man sitting on a bench.\" class=\"wp-image-30110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-767x1024.jpg 767w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-768x1026.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-1150x1536.jpg 1150w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-591x790.jpg 591w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-296x395.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-374x500.jpg 374w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-187x250.jpg 187w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A-94x125.jpg 94w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/image1-A.jpg 1179w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\"><sup><sub>The works <em>NYC Interior with View of Manhattan Bridge<\/em>, <em>Interior with Giraffe Sculpture and Calder Print<\/em>, and <em>Sander by Manford<\/em>.<\/sub><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The two remained intertwined, forming what Sander calls \u201ca mobile two-person art factory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sander commissioned a portrait by Manford\u2014and had him paint his Ithaca apartment silver, \u00e0 la Andy Warhol\u2019s \u201cFactory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2007, they joined forces on a photo and painting exhibition at the now-defunct Gershwin Hotel in NYC\u2019s Chelsea neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Rooms<\/em>, Manford says, is the first time they\u2019ve officially collaborated since then\u2014and he can\u2019t imagine a better person to tell his story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sanford\u2019s 200-page book is divided into two sections. \u201cThe Life,\u201d a biographical essay, explores Manford\u2019s process and inspirations.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Two men and a woman stand around a painting being held by one of the men in an art studio\" class=\"wp-image-30111 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/JJMartaandJJAConversation-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The duo (with Manford&#8217;s assistant) in Brooklyn.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Works\u201d showcases more than 100 of his pieces\u2014many comprising his vibrant, almost psychedelic paintings of interior rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Says Sander: \u201cI like to think of our relationship\u2014at least the creative dimension of it\u2014as a kind of helix with the separate strands periodically coming together, against the backdrop of our enduring friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top and final photos <em>by Olya Frank<\/em>; artwork by JJ Manford<\/em>;<em> other<\/em> <em>images provided.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published December 19, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An enduring friendship between alums\u2014dating back to when they were mentor and student\u2014has led both to cultivate their creativity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":30108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[652],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-30044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-hugs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the 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