ELYSIAN Summer 2019 by readelysian

Ar tistic blend of preser vation and modernization

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ELYSIAN Volume 4 • Issue 2 • été 2019

Rowen Rose

The storied origins of fashion’s most buzzed-about brand since Alexander McQueen. BY KAREN FRAGALA SMITH

How the Princess of Monaco ruled the world. BY LAURIE BOGART WILES

FEATURES

Grace Kelly

the Designer Destination

Everything might be bigger in Texas, but for interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer, the smallness of the Swiss village of Gstaad is magic in her soul. BY ANGELA CARAWAY-CARLTON

The World’s Greatest Art Fair All the (art) world’s a stage. BY DEBRA SPARK

Inspiring Women Jane Holderness-Roddam page 92 Jennifer Justice page 98 Lou Kennedy page 104 Susan L. Taylor page 110 INTERVIEWED BY KAREN FLOYD

The Backstory

Cover model and musician Call Me Margot is wearing Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2019 collection; marcjacobs.com. BY KAREN FRAGALA SMITH

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY U + A / UNGANO-AGRIODIMAS.COM

148

art

finance health fitness

Investing in female artists. BY CATE MCQUAID

The all-natural workout. BY ANGIE COMER

24 fashion

DEPARTMENTS

Reaching back in time to reimagine today’s design trends. BY LISA RUBENSON

32 beauty

Clean beauty. BY AMY ZIMMER

wellness

A holistic approach to medicine. BY DR. KATHERINE BIRCHENOUGH

food

dining

The grand Budapest Café. BY MAKAYLA GAY

graceful living A return to craft. BY RHONDA WILKINS

art

culture

130 home

146

Artist Grete Stern. BY LATRIA GRAHAM

philanthropy The power of the lens. BY DEBRA SPARK

garden young creator

Your home is your castle. BY PAGE LEGGETT

Seeing art in a new light with Stephanie Baptist. BY LATRIA GRAHAM

closing the circle

136

Cover model and musician Call Me Margo & Jennifer Justice. BY KAREN FRAGALA SMITH

E publisher

Karen Floyd editor-in-chief

Ryan Stalvey

c h i e f o p e r at i n g o f f i c e r

Katherine O’Neill

chief business officer

Jaclynn Jarrett

e ly s i a n i m pa c t d i r e c t o r o f p h i l a n t h r o p y

Kelly Nichols

managing editor

Abby Deering

editorial director

Rita Allison

c r e at i v e d i r e c t o r

Carmen Thomas media director

Rob Springer

Donald Latham

n at i o n a l a d v e r t i s i n g d i r e c t o r

Nancy Cooper southeast advertising directors

Doug Mandel | Mandel Media Group Billy Leach | Mandel Media Group comptroller

Kristin Eastwood p r e s i d e n t o f d i g i ta l o p e r at i o n s

Taylor Brown

d i r e c t o r o f d i g i ta l c o n t e n t

Jenna Realmuto

a s s i s ta n t a r t d i r e c t o r

Tammy Owens

graceful living

Rhonda Wilkins inspiring women

Karen Floyd columnists

Katherine Birchenough, MD, Angie Comer, Amy Zimmer senior writers

Laurie Bogart Wiles, Latria Graham, Debra Spark contributing writers

Cecelia Dailey, Karen Fragala Smith, Makayla Gay, Page Leggett, Cate McQuaid, Lisa Rubenson

copy editors

Diane High, Hadley Inabinet, Baker Maultsby, Phil Randall style director

Angie Woodard ta l e n t s c o u t / m o d e l i n g c o n s u lta n t

Robyn Shirley

production stylist

Tiffany Brown

s o c i a l m e d i a c o o r d i n at o r

Ruby Kubac

ELYSIAN Magazine is published four times per year by Palladian Publications LLC, 113 W. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29306. For subscription information, call 888-329-9534; visit subscriptions@elysianservice.com; mailing address: Subscription Service, Elysian Magazine PO Box 2172, Williamsport, PA 17703 All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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From top: ELYSIAN modeling consultant Robyn Shirley browses the magazine in style. Publisher Karen Floyd boards a private plane on her way to conduct an Inspiring Women interview. Editor-in-Chief Ryan Stalvey leads the editorial discussion with the help of Boo, the office cat. Abby Deering tours a vintage plane at the Concours d’Elegance in Hilton Head Island.

director of photography

n my flight to the west coast, as I was writing this letter, the woman seated next to me began asking pointed questions about ELYSIAN. Imagine if you will, my laptop perched over select oversized layout pages scattered across my makeshift desk (wildly small airplane trays). And though I was immersed in thought, I appreciated her interest and search for answers. I described ELYSIAN’s dual purpose: uncovering the mysteries of our Inspiring Women and discovering all facets of Graceful Living. To that end, our Summer issue’s focus on Women in Art & Finance spotlights women who are finally being recognized for their exceptional gifts and talents. I also explained that philanthropy is a foundational concept for ELYSIAN, underpinning a heartfelt commitment to giving back and connecting our readers with stories of women who share this passion.

Inspiring Women. (Anecdotal stories)

My airplane companion was interested in how and why the Inspiring Women were selected. We do not “chase” celebrity, I noted, but seek the “story that inspires.” As we plan each issue of the magazine, our editorial board nominates four women whose unique journey stirs within us a desire to do and be more. Our Inspiring Women this issue come from the worlds of art and finance. With an increasing international outlook, along with ELYSIAN’s continued commitment to elevating the next generation, our interviews represent self-awareness that only comes from taking the road less traveled. Susan Taylor, who served for decades as Editor-in-Chief for Essence, describes her transition into the non-for-profit sector with America the Beautiful, an initiative focused on elevating children from poverty through education and mentorship. Lou Kennedy, a pioneer in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, speaks to the theme of perseverance. With an international footprint, her business acumen serves as a benchmark for women globally. Jane Holderness-Roddam, the first British woman to win an Olympic gold medal in Equestrian competition, spotlights the Brooke Foundation. With a platform stemming from her service as lady-in-waiting for Princess Anne, coupled with her equestrian notoriety, Holderness-Roddam now focuses largely on philanthropy. As in each issue of ELYSIAN, we connect the perspectives of accomplished women to the aspirations of young women taking their own course. Attorney Jennifer Justice, well-known as the personal lawyer for Jay-Z, dedicates her professional focus to forging opportunities for younger women. Her client Call Me Margot—entertainer, vocalist and violinist—graces this issue’s cover, increasing the everexpanding ELYSIAN Circle.

Graceful Living. (Deliberate, spirited and bold)

ELYSIAN is dedicated to women who have been carrying the torch. And with our focus on Women in Art & Finance, we add to that a place in art history. Women in these sectors have gained critical momentum, and we are proud to offer richly deserved recognition. From a collections standpoint, female artists have been critically overlooked for years, and their role in major art movements has been obscured. In these pages, we delve into the increasing interest (and value) in investing in female artists, from the old masters to the contemporary. The art world celebrates the irreverent. We honor that spirit with our spotlight on Young Creator Stephanie Baptist, an innovative curator who has developed a nontraditional approach to exhibiting and nurturing emerging talent. We move from the nontraditional to a review of the art establishment, with three leading female gallerists sharing their insights on Art Basel as they prepare to show at the international art fair in Switzerland this June. From Basel we travel to Gstaad, where interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer shows us inside her artfully styled country chalet and shares her favorite things to see and do in this Swiss Alpine village. Women empowering women is a cornerstone for ELYSIAN, and we find an example of this at the intersection of art and finance with Lensational, a global social enterprise whose mission is to empower women in the developing world through photography. As we further our mission to inspire and connect women globally, we continue to champion our roots in the southern United States, and this is no less true when it comes to the arts. We are pleased to announce our partnership with the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism as we feature female-led art institutions that are fueling a vibrant arts scene across the Palmetto State.

Philanthropy. (Creating legacy)

Philanthropy connects women. Under the umbrella of ELYSIAN Impact, we are able to engage our Circle of Women and amplify their self-identified philanthropic causes. We are proud to announce ELYSIAN Impact’s first effort in conjunction with Silent Tears, a South Carolina-based philanthropy that addresses the complex issues associated with child sexual abuse and violence against women. Through this partnership, Silent Tears announced plans to donate $5 million to fund the capital needs of frontline organizations across the state. More importantly, this effort creates a template that will be replicated across mission-driven and charitable organizations nationwide. Challenging ourselves through the examples of others, searching the unknown and always seeking knowledge is our purpose. Thank you for taking the journey.

Karen Floyd Publisher

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EXPLORE THE VIRTUAL PAGES of ELYSIAN Experience ELYSIAN beyond the printed page through interactive augmented reality using your smartphone or tablet. Shop, watch videos, view galleries, visit websites and dive deeper into our pages than ever before. Look for the interactive symbol E on our pages, then follow the simple instructions below to begin your interactive journey. Experience ELYSIAN beyond the printed page through interactive augmented reality using your smartphone or tablet. Shop, watch videos, view galleries, visit websites and dive deeper into our pages than ever before. Look for the interactive symbol interactive journey.

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Investing in Female Artists BY CATE MCQUAID

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Installation view: “Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future,” Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, October 12, 2018–April 23, 2019. PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID HEALD © 2018 THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

WOMEN ARTISTS—FROM OLD MASTERS TO THOSE JUST OUT OF ART SCHOOL—HAVE SLOWLY GAINED TRACTION IN MUSEUMS AND ON THE ART MARKET FOR YEARS. IF YOU’RE THINKING OF COLLECTING ART BY WOMEN, NOW IS THE TIME. Portrait of Madame De Genlis (1746-1830) by Marie-Victoire Lemoine Signed and dated center right: Vic. Lemoine / 1781 oil on canvas; property from “A Distinguished American Collection;” estimate $60/80,000 from “The Female Triumphant” show at Sotheby’s.

In the early 1970s on a trip to Venice, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay purchased a still life painted by Clara Peeters, a contemporary of Rembrandt’s. Captivated, Holladay tried to research Peeters and found very little. The painting was an early piece in an extensive collection of work by women, which would lead led Holladay and her husband Wallace to found the National Museum of Women in the Arts, opening in 1987. It wasn’t until 2016 that Peeters had her first monographic show at the Museo del Prado—the Prado’s first exhibition devoted to a woman painter. “The value of her work has gone up, not only on the market, but recognizing the value of her style of painting,” says Virginia Treanor, associate curator at NMWA. “She was among the first to do what are known as breakfast paintings—a catchall term for still life paintings of food.”

Women artists—from old masters to those just out of art school— have slowly gained traction in museums and on the art market for years. If you’re thinking of collecting art by women, now is the time. This year appears to be a watershed. “Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future,” an exhibition of work by the Swedish modernist that closed in April, shattered records at the Guggenheim, pulling in 600,000 viewers. In January, Victoria Beckham joined forces with Sotheby’s during Masters Week to spotlight 21 works by 14 women in a show called “The Female Triumphant,” including gold-standard artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi and Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun. Sales exceeded estimates, realizing $14.6 million. The fever for women artists is even coming to television. This spring, Amazon optioned Mary Gabriel’s 2018 book Ninth Street Women for Emmy winners Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino to develop as a series. The book spotlights Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan and others in the postwar New York art scene. “The rising demand for their work, both curatorially and commercially, is indicative of centuries-delayed ‘canon correction,’” according to Mary

Clara Peeters, Still Life of Fish and Cat, after 1620; Oil on panel, 13 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS, GIFT OF WALLACE AND WILHELMINA HOLLADAY.

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Rachelle Bussieres on display at Art Market, 2019.

Sabbatino, vice president and partner at Galerie Lelong & Co, which has had a balanced roster of male and female artists since its founding in the late 1980s. The attention is driving up value. If you want to purchase, say, a Hartigan painting before Ninth Street Women premieres, this would be a good time to invest. “Art outperformed the stock market in 2018,” says Julia Wehkamp, co-founder of One Art Nation, an educational platform for collectors. “People are looking at it more seriously as an investment option.” The 2018 U.S. Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth survey conducted by Bank of America found that the proportion of its clientele of highnet worth women investing in art more than doubled from the previous year—from 16 percent to 36 percent. “I’d like to think more women who collect are paying attention to the disparities and see an opportunity to make a more accurate art historical record,” says independent curator Melissa Messina, who organized “Magnetic Fields: Expanding American Abstraction, 1960s to Today,” a recent traveling exhibition spotlighting abstraction by women of color. Collecting art takes passion, and it takes work. If you’re put off by the head-scratching research, the hushed austerity of white cube galleries, the competitive bustle of art fairs or the prospect of competitive bidding at auction, Wehkamp recommends hiring an art advisor. An advisor will do the research for you—crucial if you’re collecting pre-World War II art. Art by women is harder to find; there’s less scholarship, and unlike art by men, it wasn’t historically collected or celebrated. It got squirreled away in private collections. You’ll need someone savvy about issues of conservation and provenance. “It’s more exciting to have something with history, but it still could have been stolen by the Nazis,” says Frima Fox Hofrichter, professor of history of art and design at Pratt Institute. Advisors analyze the market, bid at auction for you and negotiate with galleries. High-end galleries may have preferred client lists that can be hard for new collectors to crack; experienced advisors know how to get in the door. They typically charge five to ten percent on top of a sale price or accept a flat monthly or yearly retainer. But be careful whom you choose. “Anyone can call themselves an art advisor. Until now, no education has existed about managing conflicts of interest, like a paid connection to a gallery,” says Wehkamp. One Art Nation has vetted its affiliates and offers

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Mildred Thompson, Radiant Explorations 14, 1994. Oil on canvas, 73.5 x 110 inches. © THE MILDRED THOMPSON ESTATE / COURTESY GALERIE LELONG & CO., NEW YORK

best practices courses for advisors. Another resource is the Association of Professional Art Advisors, whose members follow a code of ethics. “Ask what experience does she bring to the table, and who has she worked with,” Wehkamp recommends. These days, art collectors don’t have to visit a gallery. The U.S. Trust survey noted that women are more likely than men to buy art online. Instagram is a great way to scout contemporary artists. Some even eschew gallery representation and peddle their own work there. Independent curator Lolita Cros organizes women-only shows for The Wing, a nationwide network of women’s work and community spaces. Her exhibitions mix emerging and established artists. If you’re looking at emerging artists, she recommends attending open studios events and thesis exhibitions at art schools. She visits artists’ studio and posts what she finds on Instagram and YouTube. Social media, she counsels, can be a double-edged sword. “I find a lot of artists on Instagram,” she says. “When I like their art, I pick up the phone and go to the studio. Sometimes when I see it in real life, I’m not moved.” Artists selling art from their studios or online can have a lower price point. When they get gallery representation, their value can soar. At the same time, an artist without a gallery may be a riskier investment. Dabble and learn. If you’ve never bought art before, Cros advises, “Don’t start with a work that’s $50,000.” Either way, it’s important that the art touches you. The stocks you invest in may represent your values. The art you invest in should speak to your soul. That’s true if you’re buying work by an old master or a newly minted MFA. “First, buy what you love,” says Wehkamp. “It’s not sitting in a portfolio. It’s hanging on your wall.”

Three artists whose stock is on the rise: Mildred Thompson 1936-2003 Thompson’s abstract canvases pulse with steamy colors and streaming gestures. “The content reflects her interests in science, cosmology, theosophy and natural phenomena,” says independent curator Melissa Messina, who included Thompson’s paintings in “Magnetic Fields.” Now, the art world is interested in Thompson, who worked in relative

Hilma af Klint, Tree of Knowledge, No. 5 (Kunskapens träd, nr 5), 1915 from The W Series (Serie W). Watercolor, gouache, graphite and metallic paint on paper 18 1/16 x 11 5/8 inches (45.8 x 29.5 cm). THE HILMA AF KLINT FOUNDATION, STOCKHOLM. PHOTO: ALBIN DAHLSTRÖM, THE MODERNA MUSEET, STOCKHOLM / COURTESY: THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM AND FOUNDATION

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obscurity. In the 1990s, when curators were looking to AfricanAmericans to make work about being black, Thompson’s paintings delved into music and string theory. “Mildred, despite not receiving recognition, always knew she was making an impact. And she didn’t care if anyone else recognized that. She knew who she was,” Messina says. Helene Schjerfbeck 1852-1946 The Finnish modernist is finally garnering major attention outside of Scandinavia with a solo exhibition this summer at the Royal Academy in London that traces her evolution from naturalism to stark, abstracted self-portraits. “People are going to start integrating her into a broader narrative. When they think of Munch, they’ll think of Schjerfbeck,” says Jeremiah McCarthy, associate curator of the American Federation of Arts, which organized “Women Artists in Paris 1850-1900,” a recent exhibition that included work by Schjerfbeck.

“She was making simplified, stylized modern paintings that showed the influence of fashion plates, of modern life,” says McCarthy. “People were not ready for her at all.” Rachelle Bussières b. 1986 Bussières, a Québécois, was working in San Francisco when Lolita Cros tapped her for an exhibition at The Wing in that city. She recently resettled in New York. Her mystical abstractions are lumen prints—photographs developed with sunlight over a period of time, using forms to block the light. “She’ll put a circle down at noon and come back three hours later and shift it,” says Cros. “The intensity of the light changes the effect,” says Cros. “The ones she made in California were more vivid, more bright. Others she made in Nordic countries were a little more gray.” The hard edge of the circle softens. Shadows and lights appear, creating the impression of space. Luminous forms shrouded in mist suggest an immanence—a presence within, only barely discerned. ■

Modern Schoolgirl by Helene Schjerfbeck. IMAGE COURTESY FINNISH NATIONAL GALLERY

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readelysian.com • été 2019 •

& THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN’T CONTROL. TAKE A DEEP BREATH, AND LET IT GO

FOR BETTER HEALTH

Hit the Slopes

all natural workout the

or some, winter is a time of snuggling up by the fire, indulging in hot cocoa and hibernating until spring. While that can be enjoyable, you’re far more likely to find me on the slopes! Snow skiing is my favorite sport, and I love it so much that my entire wedding was planned around a week of skiing in beautiful Aspen, Colorado, with my entire family and close friends. In addition to being a thrill, skiing is a pastime loaded with health benefits. Whether you’re eager to burn calories, build up your leg muscles or just get rid of anxiety, skiing might be the sport you’re searching for. Improved Cardiovascular Fitness Sure, gravity is helping if you’re skiing downhill, but your heart will still be getting a killer workout! As you ski, your heart rate increases. The higher your heart rate, the more oxygen your body needs - and the more calories you burn in the process. Skiing is an aerobic sport, which means that you’ll be keeping your heart rate elevated for much of the time you’re on the slopes. Keep in mind that if you’re skiing at high altitude, you’ll be taxing your heart and your cardiovascular system a little

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more than normal. At high elevation, your heart has to work harder to deliver plenty of oxygen to the muscles that need it most. To enjoy the heart-healthy benefits of skiing without struggling with altitude sickness, try to get to your favorite ski destination a day or two ahead of time. That allows you to acclimate to the elevation before you strap on your skis.

extended periods of time. Skiing is also going to help shape and build your quads and your hamstrings. Even the muscles in your feet and ankles get a workout when you’re skiing.

Mental Health Benefits of Skiing Although the physical benefits of skiing are nothing to scoff at, it’s the psychological benefits that many skiers love most. Strap on your skis to enjoy a Focus on the Core In order to keep an upright posture boost of endorphins and adrenaline - a when you’re skiing, you have to rely on combination of feel-good chemicals that your core an incredible amount. For can keep you smiling for days to come. balance, you’ll use your obliques as well Plus, since skiing is an outdoor sport, as your abdominals. Although everyone skiers get the added benefit of Vitamin expects to have sore legs the day after D. A dose of sunshine is proven to hitting the slopes, don’t be surprised if you boost mood and stave off conditions like can also feel it in your core. A few runs depression. Just one more reason to head down a challenging slope is a lot more fun for the snow-capped mountains. While I love skiing for so many reasons, than doing hundreds of crunches, that’s there’s no denying the health benefits of for sure! BY ANGIE COMER the sport. Although there’s something magical about cuddling up by the Muscles of the Lower Body Whether you’re heading for the bunny fireplace with a mug of cocoa, I promise slopes or the black diamonds, skiing is the drink is a little sweeter in a lodge after a great workout for all the muscles of a long day of skiing. ■ the lower body. Your glutes serve as the Wishing you love, health & happiness! powerhouse, helping to stabilize you Angie as you remain in the squat position for

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nlike many outdoor sports—water-skiing or rock-climbing, as examples—hiking does not require heavy gear or extensive lessons. A simple activity, hiking can be enjoyed with only minor preparation— and proper footwear. Just throw on your best Ariat boots, pack a bag with plenty of water and healthy snacks, and you’re off. (Be sure to do your research—you don’t want to be halfway down the trail when you realize it’s 30 miles long!) Hiking isn’t—and never was—meant to be thought of purely in terms of physical exercise. The origins of the activity go all the way back to the 18th century Romantic Movement, when appreciation for the beauty of nature fully evolved. It began simply as walking for pleasure, maturing over centuries to become the craze that it is today. Still, it is well established that hiking is good for your physical and mental health. It can help control weight, improve balance, build upper and lower body strength, strengthen the core and enhance mood. As an added bonus, hiking is a great way to bond with friends—or even seek out exciting travel opportunities the world over.

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Weight Loss

Did you know that only one hour of hiking can burn more than 500 calories? Head for the hills and you can expect to burn even more; just a small incline can boost calorie burning by 30 to 40 percent. If weight loss is your goal, hiking regularly can help you shed those extra pounds.

to experience meaningful interaction. Not to mention that the hiker community encourages hiking as a lifestyle—making you more eager to continue hiking regularly.

Full-Body Tone

While hiking can be enjoyed locally, some adventurers take the opportunity to seek out beautiful trails in other parts of the world. If you find yourself bound for Europe this season, there is Tour du Mont Blanc (TOMB), a 110-mile trek through France, Italy and Switzerland, beloved by beginners and experts alike. Also in Switzerland, surrounded by beautiful glaciers, is Haute Route. Not recommended for the faint of heart, Haute Route is a demanding 12-day trek passing through Chamonix, France and Zermatt. It’s quite strenuous, to be sure—but the eye-catching villages, snow-capped peaks and green alpine valleys make this one of the most fascinating and stimulating trails in the world.

Regular walking has its own fitness benefits, but your body gets a total workout from hiking, especially up trails with sharp inclines. Your quads, glutes, hamstrings and core are all being worked and strengthened. If you’re carrying a backpack and using trekking poles to help propel you forward, your upper body reaps the benefits as well.

Emotional Wellbeing

Nature can be a great therapist. Getting outside and into the sunshine can help clear the mind of clutter and slow-building negativity. On the trail, confidence, problem-solving, creativity and self-esteem can be restored as you meet the challenges of your journey.

Improved Friendships

Most hikers would agree that it’s more fun to hike with a friend. A regular weekend meet-up or a planned long-distance trek is a terrific way to enjoy conversation and bond over a shared challenge. There are no screens or distractions, so you and your companion are sure

“

Breathtaking Scenery

itness and exercise programs often seem a chore, but hiking is absolutely the opposite! It’s inspiring, enjoyable and accessible. All you need are comfortable clothes and shoes. Start with day and weekend hikes to train and ready your body. Increase your skill level before moving on to more advanced trails. Oh, and remember to bring your camera. You’ll want pictures of all the surprises Mother Nature has to offer. ■

Hiking is not escapism; it’s realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything; we are returning to where we belong.

”

— JENNIFER PHARR DAVIS, THE PURSUIT OF ENDURANCE: HARNESSING THE RECORD-BREAKING POWER OF STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE

EVERST/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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readelysian.com • été 2019 •

Reaching Back in Time to Reimagine Today’s Design Trends BY LISA RUBENSON

INSIDE SPRINGS CREATIVE’S BAXTER MILL ARCHIVE, DESIGNERS SEEKING INSPIRATION FOR THEIR LATEST COLLECTIONS CAN EXPLORE A TREASURE TROVE OF ONE-OFA-KIND FABRICS, HAND-PAINTED DESIGN BOARDS AND VINTAGE ART BOOKS SPANNING THREE OR MORE CENTURIES, FROM NEARLY EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD.

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readelysian.com • hiver 2018 • PHOTOGRAPH BY COURTNEY SWIFT-COPELAND, SALT PAPER STUDIO

Vintage technology, from the floor of the spinning room at Springs Cotton Mills. Below: For the next Asian-inspired collection, Springs designers pull from archival swatches, shibori indigos and geometrica designs from the early 1900s. BOTH COURTESY OF SPRINGS CREATIVE

alk past the giant sculpture of a fabric loom in front of a renovated cotton mill in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and enter the headquarters for Springs Creative. A sign stamped with the words “Baxter Mill Archive™” directs you to the right. But it’s the tagline beneath the graphic that really tells you where you are: “ENTER THE VAULT.” Prepare yourself. You’re about to journey back in time through a 600,000-plus piece collection of fabric swatches, garments, hand-painted art and antique books that you might expect to see only in a world-class museum or on the back lot of a movie studio. French toile and indigo. African shiboris. Uzbek ikat robes. Mexican serapes alongside Scottish plaids. Rich velvet brocades from the Italian Renaissance next to delicate lace collars and silk jacquards.

An archive for the ages

The Baxter Mill Archive is more than a place to house artifacts and material treasure. It’s an immersive sensory experience. Every swatch, page or painted board has a backstory that yearns to be told, something you feel each time you move in for a closer look. It’s impossible to run your hands over a piece of fabric or garment without imagining the artisans who made it and the people who wore it.

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Two centuries-worth of embroideries and embellishments juxtaposed with geometric block prints from the 1960s. European leather, the color of caramel, cracked and softened by the years. The archive is a living tribute to time, place and world culture. It’s also what Kathy Phillips, vice president of design for Springs Creative, calls a “candy store” for designers looking for inspiration. And if Springs built the store, a woman named Ilene in a Park Avenue apartment more than 600 miles away helped supply the candy.

A common thread

“Some people collect diamonds, darling, but I collect fabrics.” Of all the topics covered in her early conversations with Ilene Danchig, it’s this Elizabeth Taylor-esque line that stands out for Phillips. Danchig, a well-known doyenne of design who for years ran a celebrated fabric studio in Manhattan’s fashion district, connected with Phillips in 2016 over the possibility of Springs purchasing Danchig’s extensive, 100,000-plus-piece textile collection. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. “Ilene and I hit it off right away,” says Phillips, who not only oversees creative decisions at Springs, but is also a textile designer, painter, fiber artist and expert seamstress. She and Danchig soon realized they had much in common, including the fact that they each had found ways to channel a love of texture, color and fabric into their life’s work. “Ilene reminds me of my mother,” adds Phillips, “who was so creative and passionate about everything she did. Ilene is the same way. She sees potential wherever she looks.” Danchig spent decades traveling the world collecting fabrics—either going directly to the artisans who hand-crafted them or outbidding her competition in Europe’s most prestigious auction houses. “I was a high-end buyer,” says Danchig. “Other bidders would see I was there and knew I wouldn’t drop out. I once spent $60,000 at Sotheby’s buying up all the tartan plaids. I was determined.”

Destined for design

Danchig studied weaving at the prestigious Haystack Mountain School of Crafts at 17, then attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City before working as a handweaver for several mills. She earned her BFA at the California College of Arts and Crafts, where she studied weaving and textiles. As a young woman entering the design business, she traveled extensively seeking inspiration, especially throughout Mexico, Central America and South America. She met artisans, stayed in their villages and purchased their authentic, hand-made designs—learning about their craft and culture along the way.

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• été 2019 • readelysian.com

Returning to New York, Danchig’s early days in the fashion district involved curating samples from her collection, filling two rolling suitcases and zigzagging across Manhattan from designer to designer. As her reputation and collection grew, Danchig opened her own studio on West 40th Street. There, she’d welcome designers from big-name brands—Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne and J. Crew (to name drop a few). “Sometimes they’d come in knowing exactly what they needed, and I’d pull it for them,” says Danchig. “Other times, I’d order in lunch, and we’d take our time going through the stacks.” One gets the sense that Danchig has as many stories to tell about people as she does about her collection.

Earning trust

At the time she met Phillips, Danchig was ready to retire and sell her collection—but not to just anyone. She wanted to be as discerning in seeking a buyer as she was in selecting the right pieces in the first place. Phillips assured Danchig that Springs Creative would never sell or dismantle her collection. A visit to her studio by Springs’ founder and CEO, Derick Close, clinched the deal. “He was genuinely interested in the history of the pieces,” says Danchig, “not just in the business. We share a love of textiles and know that you often have to go back to historic textiles to move designs forward.” “Derick has the textile industry in his DNA,” says Phillips. “When we arrived at Ilene’s studio, he was fascinated by her knowledge of the industry and how she grew her collection. He just sat back and listened.” “I knew there were only one or two textile collections like Ilene’s in the world,” says Close. “Having her collection as part of our collective creative tool box for future generations was too big of an opportunity to pass up.” The appeal of the archive, says Phillips, is to be able to “take something old and historical and place it in the current generation. The designer comes in, sees something they like, and we can use our technology to remaster it.” A signed contract, more visits from the Springs team and a moving truck later, and all 179 boxes of the Ilene Danchig Documentary Textile Collection were headed from New York City to the loading dock in Rock Hill.

Ilene Danchig (center) visits the Cuna Indians in the San Blas islands. Two of the Cuna women wear hand-made textile “molas” that form the blouse portion of the traditional costume. Below: When traveling to design shows, Danchig created wall-sized displays that highlighted curated pieces of her collection. She intentionally juxtaposed different types of prints and wovens to reflect disparate points of view and cultural traditions. BOTH PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ILENE DANCHIG Top right: A French silk robe, circa the 1920s. PHOTOGRAPH BY COURTNEY SWIFT-COPELAND, SALT PAPER STUDIO

The Springs connection

The Springs name has been associated with textile manufacturing since its first cotton mill opened in 1887. For over a century, the Springs and Close families were instrumental in establishing the region as a hub for U.S. textile manufacturing. First as Springs Cotton Mills and then as Springs Global, the company created iconic brands, such as Wamsutta and Springmaid, that filled linen closets all over the world. During this time, Derick Close started a commercial design and licensing arm of the company called Springs Creative. When Springs Global was sold in 2007, Springs Creative was privatized. This included the archive of more than 500,000 fabric swatches and original art from the company’s manufacturing operation. It has served as a design resource and research library for innovation in manufacturing ever since.

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

Kathy Phillips (left) and Victoria Smith (right) with one of their favorite pieces from the collection: a Turkish, calflength, hand-embroidered vest from the 1920s – likely a stage costume. Below: 18th-century hand block prints, dot patterns from the 1950s, and a 1960s lattice design.

Traditional fabrics, transformed

At Springs Creative, vintage fabrics are scanned, reworked and then presented in new color combinations before printing. The company has a state-of-the-art digital printing facility on-site that allows them to print small-batch runs on a variety of textured substrates and ship them quickly. The alternative is a more traditional route: sending art to their printing partners in China. “It’s a soup-to-nuts fabrication process,” adds Phillips. “Each iteration of the journey is based on what’s come before.” Danchig sees it the same way, noting what makes her collection special are the stories that inspired the pieces and the intentional, original way she’s pulled them together. “A lot of people collect pretty things,” says Danchig. “But you have to be able to look beyond the surface and think about the transformation process. You must look at one thing and see it as something else. Imagine a bathing suit from the 1950s as the lining of a raincoat. Or think about traditional patterns in new colors printed on new textures.” The pairings of disparate pieces are, to her, a way to honor the unique places of origin. Everything old becomes new again. At the same time, it sparks a larger conversation about staying connected in the world.

looks to Springs Creative and the Baxter Mill Archive to pull fabrics that fit the trends they’ve identified. And as of April 1, 2019, Springs announced a partnership with the Martha Stewart Home Collection to create fabric-by-the-yard collections based on Martha’s Four Lifestyles. Many of the designs were created utilizing the Baxter Mill Archives. (The fabric is available on Fabric.com.) Victoria Smith is the archivist for Springs Creative and part of the team that catalogued the Danchig collection, both in New York and upon arrival in Rock Hill. She not only manages all the materials included in the “vault,” but she is also keeper of the “Ilene” stories that come with it. “It would do designers a disservice not to know some of the stories behind these fabrics,” she says. “Otherwise, they’d be looking at just another shibori print. They need to connect the piece to others like it, in order to get the full experience.” It’s part of the Smith’s job to be consistent with style. When asked if the word is out in the industry about the many resources offered at Springs Creative and its Baxter Mill Archive, Phillips smiles. “Some people say this is the best-kept secret in the business, and maybe it should stay that way. I say, no, that’s okay. With more than 600,000 pieces, we have plenty to share.” ■

A global reach

One way Springs does this is to play a role in helping to set industry trends. For example, Phillips reached out to WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecasting and analysis service, to form a relationship providing archival images for their trend reports. The trends outlined by WGSN form the basis for many of the designs that go to market seasonally in the home and apparel markets. Now, ahead of publishing their report, WGSN

A CREATIVE DIRECTOR RECREATES HER BROTHER’S ART Kathy Phillips and her team spend their days looking for—and helping others find—inspiration in the stacks of fabrics and art-filled drawers throughout Springs Creative and the Baxter Mill Archive. Then, they turn that inspiration into fresh, reimagined designs that both forecast trends and honor a storied past. Pry a little further into Phillips’ own backstory, and you find she does something similar in her own art. While she paints, quilts and thread-paints original works, she is also in the process of interpreting the illustrations left behind by her brother, who died at 59 from lung cancer. “My brother Rick [Foust] was a wonderful artist,” says Phillips. “He also suffered with mental illness and was diagnosed at age 21 as schizophrenic. Before he was diagnosed, he created the most beautiful, colorful abstract art. Once he became highly medicated, he gave up on color and turned entirely to pen-and-ink, figurative works. In his honor, I’ve been recreating his drawings with thread.” Using a traditional sewing machine, a free-motion technique and a range of substrates, Phillips uses thread to “paint” the same lines her brother once created with pen and ink. By bringing new life to her brother’s art, Phillips finds a way to express herself artistically while also extending her brother’s legacy. Even after hours, Phillips can’t help but shine new light on the artistic treasures of the past. (Find her work at artsyfibers.com.)

One of Phillips’ thread “paintings,” inspired by her brother’s pen-and-ink drawings. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHY PHILLIPS

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

PUHHHA/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

• printemps 2019 • readelysian.com

clean beauty BY AMY ZIMMER

ith scientific advances and growing access to information in recent years, we have become more cognizant about how we take care of ourselves. Many eat organically, avoid processed foods and double-check labels to make sure that no pesky preservatives sneak into our diets. But while we pay so much attention to the things we put into our bodies, we may forget—or not even know—about the potential harm in the products we rub into our skin and lather into our hair. Did you know that the U.S. has not passed a law to regulate chemicals in cosmetics and self-care products since 1938? On the other hand, the European Union, for example, sets up a series of hoops to jump through before any cosmetic hits the market. Manufacturers are required to pass a stringent safety test and complete a detailed report. Each and every chemical must be individually approved, down to the nanomaterials (substances found only in particles). The E.U. has banned more than 1,500 chemicals in cosmetics to ensure safety and prevent any negative effects. Now, let’s look at the United States: no official process whatsoever. We only partially ban 30 chemicals from cosmetic products. Cosmetics marketed and sold in the U.S. are not registered with the F.D.A. The responsibility for safety lies with the manufacturer, who is “consistently advised”—but not required—to perform safety testing. There are only three rules for the American cosmetic industry. One: a product cannot be outright poisonous. Two: it must be produced in sanitary conditions. Three: it must be correctly labeled. In other words, as long as the label lists an ingredient, it doesn’t have to be verified as safe. The F.D.A. regulates only colorant chemicals, and even then, it makes an exception for coal tar hair color, which has long been the cause of serious injury to eyes and life-threatening allergic reactions. It has also been linked to various forms of cancer, according to some studies. I hope to bring greater awareness to the growing concern regarding harmful substances in American cosmetics—and perhaps offer some safe alternatives to add to your beauty routine. I have found that a synergistic balance between science and nature can improve a self-care regimen. Now, allow me to introduce the powerful women who are working for a safer beauty scene around the world by producing natural, guaranteed safe products. ■

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WOMEN WHO ARE WORKING FOR A SAFER BEAUTY SCENE.

Susanne Kaufmann

Working as part of her family’s hotel business, she developed a spa and created her own line of products—at first made available only to hotel and spa guests. Susanne Kaufmann Products took off and is now marketed globally. She strives to provide natural skincare products that are both luxurious and healthy. (I especially love the Eye Crème Line A.)

Tata Harper Skincare

Following her father’s 2005 cancer diagnosis, she became intensely interested in healthy lifestyle changes. She studied the science of skincare ingredients and decided to develop a line of natural, high-end products—Tata Harper Skincare. On her company’s website, she says: “There’s nothing more beautiful than to have healthy glowing skin and to show it. I hope this trend continues to help other women, as it’s helped me.” Her Elixir Vitae Eye Serum is an especially popular product. I have personally become obsessed with Tata’s Daily Essentials Travel Set. It’s a great way to keep your skin healthy clean while on the go.

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

fter spending some time at the Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, it struck me that we Americans should certainly take a leaf out of the European book of health. We have at our disposal a multitude of incredible modalities aimed at keeping us well, and the database of knowledge about health and disease is growing at an exponential rate—but we don’t seem to embrace the same kinds of healthcare as they do overseas. Medical resorts of Europe, like the Dolder Grand, offer a spa vacation that doubles as an opportunity for an earnest assessment of one’s general well-being. Here, medical professionals combine traditional spa treatments with medical evaluation by qualified doctors to help assess what factors might be holding you back from living your best life. One of many medical wellness spas across the continent, there is no doubt that the Dolder Grand is perhaps the grandest of all. The historic building is flanked by two modern, beautifully designed wings and embraced by spectacular views of the city and the Alps, making the elevated location the ultimate setting for a medical assessment, treatment and recovery. (Not to mention that the owner of the hotel is an avid art collector, housing 124 works by 90 artists, including work by Salvador Dali and the massive 11-meter Big Retrospective Painting by Andy Warhol.) The 10,000-square-foot spa contains the Klinik Tiefenbrunnen as a part of the Double Check Swiss Academic Center for Checkups and Second Opinions, employing a team of doctors from specialists to

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

A holistic approach to medicine BY DR. KATHERINE BIRCHENOUGH

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

GORAN BOGICEVIC/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

aestheticians. While I wasn’t in the market for medical treatment during my visit, the lovely hosts did give us a full tour of the facilities, filling my head and heart with dreams for American healthcare! Alongside the Japanese pebble baths and alternating “hot rooms” and “ice rooms” that I enjoyed so much were other amenities for a health exam: blood work, imaging tests and anti-aging checks that measure hormones and metabolic markers. With American health care, convention has it that when you get sick, you go to the doctor, get diagnosed, and get treated for the “thing” that made you ill. In short, it is a “disease-centered” approach. But as the Dolder Grand’s medical brochure states, “A single doctor can no longer be the sole contact for all matters.” The cardiologist sees you for your heart, the neurologist for your brain, and the dentist for your teeth. But what if we’re missing something? What if your dental decay is affecting your heart valves, and causing mini-strokes? Who will take the time to put that picture together and determine the true root cause of what’s going on?

One would think that as a result so much knowledge and technology the rates of metabolic syndrome, cancer, autoimmune, and degenerative diseases would have gone down—but, in fact, in the U.S. it continues to increase. We seem to be living longer, but living sicker! A holistic approach to medicine, like that employed by the Klinik Tiefenbrunnen of the Dolder Grand, blurs the line between specialties, as it requires consideration of the entire body and its interrelated functions. The patient as a whole, including their lifestyle, work habits and individual health challenges, should be taken into account for true personalized medicine. With this approach, health and vitality is prolonged, and the onset of disease is delayed or even prevented well into old age. What we need is a true revolution in healthcare. We need doctors that act as partners to know us on a more personal basis. We need medical team members who talk to one another so nothing is missed. And we need you as the patient and consumer to speak up and ask for this. ■

ABOUT DR. BIRCHENOUGH Katherine Birchenough was the fourth MD in the state of South Carolina to be certified through the Institute for Functional Medicine. A South Carolina native, Dr. Birchenough is a University of South Carolina School of Medicine graduate, board-certified in pediatrics and emergency medicine and has recently devoted herself full-time to her wellness practice. Dr. Birchenough practiced traditional medicine for more than 12 years, diagnosing and treating diseases but not really getting to the root cause. Over the years, she watched as unhealthy environments and poor lifestyle choices affected the health of her peers and her patients, at one point even herself, and knew that something had to give. She realized the pursuit of health, beyond just the absence of disease, is a specialty in and of itself but wasn’t available to traditional medical students. This realization brought her to a new career path in functional medicine and has fueled her passion to treat the patient, not just the symptoms.

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

Named after the fan favorite film, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Café Budapest brings to life the artistically crafted landscapes of Wes Anderson’s cinematography, almost instantly creating an enigma of unbridled imagination and superior class. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY BIASOL: DESIGN STUDIO / PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES MORGAN

food&dining Curious, Subtle, Delicate, Robust, Strong and Greedy. These adjectives aren’t a part of a personality assessment test, but they can be taste-tested at one of London’s newest restaurants: Caractère.

The Grand Budapest Cafe IN SICHUAN, YOU’LL SEE MORE TEAHOUSES THAN SUNNY DAYS. – ancient proverb

BY MAKAYLA GAY

ivacious greens and yellows quilt together the “Country of Heaven,” or the Chengdu Plain, whose fields provide the China’s agriculture and whose reserve provides a lush home to 80 percent of the world’s Sichuan pandas. Enveloped on all sides by this exuberant greenery sits Chengdu, the brimming and trendy metropolitan capital of the Sichuan province. It is place of imagination and innovation—home to the world’s largest building, a hub for high-end shopping, the latest marketplace for luxury international brands, the next getaway for the world’s globetrotters. With heritage sites tucked amongst a growing number of culinary ventures and designer boutiques, Chengdu is a place suspended somewhere in time between its rich history and radiant future. Most newly constructed buildings are done in the traditional Sichuan style. It is the type of place where you can step from a Gucci shopfront and wander into an ancient temple only blocks away—a place where modernity and

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classicism cleave together in a brilliant display of craftsmanship. It is here that Chinese engineers envision the launch of an artificial moon to replace the light of street lamps. If all goes to plan, the satellite will begin to cascade a dusky glow upon the city in the year 2020. There is no lack of luxury lodging. At Chengdu’s center sits the Temple House, a hotel which melds two glass skyscrapers with a century-old restored building as its entryway. For travelers who crave nature and history, there is the Four Points by Sheridan in the southernmost part of the city, where you can take advantage of its golf course and proximity to the stunning Stone Elephant and Chaoyang Lakes. Just outside the city are pockets of Nong Ji Le, or “happy rural homes,” which afford more rustic experiences in a growing market of “rural tourism.” A quiet stopover in the village of Pengzhen is a must, where the village noodle maker regularly hangs her fresh-cut creations out to dry, and where you can find the most authentic of beverages at its resident 300-year-old teahouse (reportedly the oldest in the country and untouched by historical revisionism). It is clear that Chengdu, known for its relaxed atmosphere (and yes, the pandas), would make a superb habitat for a trendy new eatery. And so, restaurateur Homdy Zhong teamed up with award-winning Melbourne based design firm, Biasol, to open Café Budapest, an architectural tribute to the work of filmmaker Wes Anderson. It’s up-and-coming, it’s international and it’s a foodie’s paradise, melding the city’s classic “teahouse culture” and the ambience of a hip Melbourne coffee shop. ■

The Budapest Café menu is a quirky assortment of pastries, signature sodas and hot cocoa—the brainchild of a close-knit partnership between owner Homdy Zhong and his kitchen team. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY BIASOL: DESIGN STUDIO / PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES MORGAN

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

Recognized as the #1 Hotel in South Carolina in the CondĂŠ Nast Traveler 2019 Readersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Awards, The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina imbues southern charm with nautical chic interiors, sparkling pools, a spa and stunning waterfront views. Directly across the harbor from downtown Charleston, seasonal transportation via water taxi or a complimentary shuttle will transport you to this coastal retreat in minutes.

CharlestonHarborResort.com

graceful living

a RETURN to CRAFT BY RHONDA WILKINS

ummer is a time to unplug and unwind, to cherish time with loved ones and friends. It’s a time to get away from it all—including, just maybe, the fast pace and hyper-connectivity of technology. We crave the lightning speed of our phones, laptops and smart devices—Tap! Swish! Swipe! Message sent! Connection made!—but digital automation cannot replace the timelessness of handcrafted beauty and the care and love imbued in traditional arts that reach back into history. We may be witnessing a “new artisan economy” in the U.S., but in Europe, it’s a way of life that has never left. Allow me to show you some hidden gems to explore, and heritage brands to sport, on your next jaunt across the sea . . .

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland, Grindavik, Iceland

Stopover Spa Day

A layover in Iceland provides the perfect respite when traveling across the Atlantic. My favorite place to recharge is The Retreat, a private hotel and spa encircled by the legendary mineral-rich waters of the Blue Lagoon. They have an incredible restaurant featuring exquisite reinventions of Icelandic cuisine using only the finest, freshest local ingredients. (Their energizing ginger shot at breakfast is a must.) The spa has an amazing selection of holistic treatments, but my favorite by far is the massage while submerged in the silica-rich waters of a geothermic pool. (Reminder: It’s important to keep skin hydrated on long-haul flights. I absolutely adore this facial mist by Little Seed Farm.)

Little Seed Farm Facial Mist ($20)

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

SHOP & EXPLORE

Gucci Belted Dress with Poppy Print ($2,980)

Valentino Mini Bandana Twill Dress ($4,490)

From the Archives

I was delighted to see two of my favorite Italian fashion houses, Gucci and Valentino, revisit their archives for their Spring/Summer and Resort 2019 collections, resurrecting heritage patterns and prints and remixing classic looks but with a playful, modern twist.

The Old Masters

Milanese jewelry house Buccellati employs centuriesold Italian techniques to create some of the world’s finest jewelry. Designs are inspired by the great Renaissance masters from Botticelli to Donatello, who worked as goldsmiths before earning renown as sculptors, painters and architects. Each piece is uniquely engraved as a mark of the Buccellati artisans’ meticulous hand-craftsmanship.

Buccellati Macri Giglio 18-karat white and yellow gold diamond cuff ($35,500)

Timeless Luxury

Charles Oudin 18K White Gold Diamond Iris Retro Watch ($25,000)

Crafted exclusively in France, Charles Oudin watches combine luxury, technical excellence and a connection to the history of watchmaking itself. Founded more than 220 years ago, this haute horological firm has created pieces for kings, czars, empresses and the occasional Pope. Expert technique, the finest materials and artistry dating back centuries make a Charles Oudin watch a one-of-a-kind accessory.

Giovanni Baccani Borgo Ognissanti 22/R Florence, Italy

Decorative Design

Yuliya Magdych learned the craft of artisanal Ukrainian heritage embroidery from her mother. Her luxurious caftans marry this decorative tradition with modern sensibilities, perfect for a luncheon or an evening affair.

Yuliya Magdych Pansies Ruffle Midi Dress ($2,370)

Renaissance Revival

I happened upon this treasure trove while in Florence last summer. This shop still preserves original furniture made in 1903, from the days it was first opened by art enthusiast, Giovanni Baccani. Today, Baccani’s grandson and greatgrandson continue the Florentine craft tradition, specializing in gilded wood objects, including exquisite frames. To watch the father-son team use the same techniques employed by ancient craftsmen—by hand and tool, not stamped by machine—is a magical sight to see.

Executive Editor of Graceful Living, Rhonda Wilkins, is a former Senior Executive at Balmar Printing & Graphics in the Washington D.C Metro area and the wife of the late former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, C. Howard Wilkins Jr. Rhonda brings a wealth of knowledge in the fields of style, design, entertaining, travel and healthy living. Rhonda currently splits her time between Palm Beach, Florida and Europe.

SHOP & EXPLORE

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

Rowen Rose Fall-Winter 2019 Double Jeu collection. Opposite: Talented designer Emma Rowen Rose.

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

a rose is a rose is not a

The Storied Origins of Rowen Rose, Fashion’s Most Buzzed-About Brand Since Alexander McQueen. By Karen Fragala Smith

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

e mma Rowen Rose would like to tell you a story. A statuesque woman in a vinyl gown and white lacy thigh-high stockings is on the prowl. She works as a chambermaid for an eccentric family, and she is trying to solve a murder using the only tools at her disposal: her powers of seduction and capacity for deduction. Flash forward a season, and the heroine is a free-spirited Andalusian

woman trapped by the dictates of her tyrannical mother. She prances about the house in a high-waisted saffron gown or a halter-topped black pantsuit with lace gloves, her garb providing a temporary respite from her isolation. Most recently, for Fall/Winter 2019, the Rowen Rose heroine is a denizen of the night, known to seek her fortunes in casinos and speakeasies. We aren’t sure whether this beauty—in her embellished, Easter-egg hued dresses and coats—is a friend or foe, but that’s ok, because she’s not sure either. It’s easy to understand why Emma Raphaëlle Rotenberg, who is professionally known as Emma Rowen Rose, founder of an eponymous fashion

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

line, is the most buzzed-about new designer to emerge since 1993 when Alexander McQueen stormed through London. Like McQueen, Rose is a visual artist whose chosen medium is clothing. And while her designs are impeccably made and inherently wearable, Rose is not merely rolling out functional apparel; she is telling stories with immeasurable grace and wit. Her style is steeped in vintage references, yet refreshingly modern. She is elegant without being opulent and alluring without being overtly sexual. She is intelligent and complex and independent and bold. She detests vulgarity and rejects the dictates of fashion’s consumerist hierarchy.

Rowen Rosen Resort 2019— Chambermaid’s Diary collection. Opposite: Emma Rowen Rose.

I am

into introspection a lot, so I always question myself, my taste. I learned to be my own self a long time ago,” she told ELYSIAN from her home in Milan. “I do not want to think of elegance as a boring or traditionalist quality. My collections are always on the line: between conservative and sensual, between feminine and masculine. It is this complexity that I try to develop differently each season to portray the seductive mystery of the woman, her discreet charm.” Fashion’s 22-year-old prodigy—French by birth, Spanish and Polish by heritage and Italian by residency—has taken it upon

herself to redefine what it means to be a woman in 2019. She is reinterpreting the feminine archetype. If Rose’s stories about the chambermaid, the Andalusian and the casino queen have a ring of familiarity, then congratulate yourself on being an adept student of literature and film. Rose’s first collection for the 2019 Resort season is an homage to Le Journal d’une Femme de Chambre, the 1964 French film by Spanish director Luis Buñuel based on the 1900 work of picaresque fiction by Octave Mirbeau. Rose defines the collection’s heroine as “provocative but wise and delicate,” and her complexity is characterized using unique textured fabrics. The opaque vinyl jacket and dress are reminiscent

of Janet Leigh’s shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho; who could be more provocative yet delicate than a woman on the run with ill-begotten riches? A belted floor-length houndstooth dress imbues the heroine with a sense of purpose and determination: she is, after all, a self-appointed murder investigator. Seductive garb is her truthtelling serum, and the black bustier cocktail dress and yellow and white lace sundress are equal parts darkness and light. The collection’s pièce de résistance is an electric blue evening gown worn with a lace headwrap that’s suggestive of a bandage. We’re not sure if it represents our heroine’s triumph or her demise, but either way, she’ll live or die with great style.

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

“

Rowen Rose’s collections are enough outside your comfort zone to feel exhilarating but still refined enough to steer clear of costume territory. Her design language is instantly recognizable (strong shoulders, satins, houndstooth, plaids, rich jewel-toned hues) but not so proprietary that it wouldn’t flatter just about any woman.

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

”

for the Spring/Summer 2019 collection, Rose’s creative vision blossomed into 14 striking looks influenced by the Flamenco imagery of Southern Spain. This time, the narrative is an homage to La Casa de Bernarda Alba, the acclaimed play by Granada’s native son, Federico Garcia Lorca. Rose’s beloved lace and plaids are revisited in a fresh new way. A long-sleeved lace sheath dress doubles as a funeral shroud and a party dress, depending on how you style it (a familiar refrain with many of Rose’s pieces). They are classic enough to remain in one’s wardrobe in perpetuity yet jubilantly scream, “Now! Now! Now!” Case in point: a strapless yellow and red plaid evening gown with a high slit, lace trim and a mermaid silhouette. You could put it under the matching jacket for a playful day look or wear it with matching elbow-length gloves for full-on evening va-voom. The baby blue double-breasted satin blazer similarly moves smoothly from day to night and is a clear favorite of Rose’s judging by her personal Instagram feed. The season’s showstopping wattage is evenly divided between a satin forest-green gown

and the aforementioned high-waisted saffron dress. Inventive draping, lush hues and unexpected embellishments (in vinyl and lace) have emerged as signatures of Rose’s designs. Rowen Rose’s latest collection for Fall/Winter 2019 draws from Double Jeu (Double Dealing), the 1936 film by Sacha Guitry about a grifter with a penchant for casinos. She’s equal parts tacky and tasteful, and certain design elements in her wardrobe are reminiscent of Prada and Miu Miu, the lines created by Rose’s greatest modern design influence, Miuccia Prada. We never expected to be desirous of a pink fur-trimmed long-skirted suit, but here we are craving just that now that Rose made it a possibility. A broad-shouldered red and white crepe tier dress with a Rowen Rose logo belt? Yes, thank you. How about a blue vinyl coat trimmed in fur? That’ll work. A brown houndstooth pantsuit trimmed in vinyl? Bien sûr, ma chérie. Do you see what’s happening here? Rowen Rose’s collections are enough outside your comfort zone to feel exhilarating but refined enough to steer clear of costume territory. Her

design language is instantly recognizable (strong shoulders, satins, houndstooth, plaids, rich jewel-toned hues) but not so proprietary that it wouldn’t flatter just about any woman.

ose’s predisposition for paying homage to films and novels nearly obscures the most notable storyline of all: her own. Born in Paris into a multicultural home, Emma Rowen Rose spent her childhood captivated by art in all of its forms: film, painting, music, design, literature. During high school, she took night classes at the Ecole des Beaux Arts then studied design at the prestigious École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode (ESMOD) in Paris followed by another design program at the Istituto Marangoni in Milan. ”Schools teach you a lot about yourself,” Rose says, “but nothing is worth a real working experience.” From the age of 13, she

Rowen Rosen Spring-Summer 2019—Santa Cruz collection. Opposite: Rowen Rosen Resort 2019—Chambermaid’s Diary collection.

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longed to become a design director at one of France’s top fashion houses, but last year, she decided that she had waited long enough to be romanced by Chanel or Givenchy, so she sold her car and used the proceeds to launch her own brand. The international explosion of her It Girl status following the launch of her debut collection, Femme de Chambre, was a complete surprise. “I wasn’t born an entrepreneur but now realize how much it fits me,” she says. “Gaining respect and recognition is extremely hard in the industry, from the public to the suppliers. Nothing is easy, but it is a beautiful challenge.” Rowen Rose was recently picked up by the legendary Galeries Lafayette on Paris’s Champs Elysées, and online luxury retailers such as Net-a-Porter, H. Lorenzo and Moda Operandi are all following suit. “All the production and all my suppliers are Italian, so it means quality, and obviously it comes with a price,” Rose explains. And even though Rowen Rose’s price points may be out of range for the typical 22-year-old consumer, compromising on craftsmanship or design is absolutely out of the question. Emma Rowen Rose knows what she

likes—and discriminating taste is the bedrock of her company.

the

cutting room floor of the fashion industry is littered with the shells of design houses that were hot one season and gone the next (Miguel Adrover, Zac Posen, Isaac Mizrahi). On the other hand, there are the fabled few who started designing frocks and decades later are billion-dollar lifestyle brands (Stella McCartney, Vera Wang, Tory Burch). We suspect that Rose has the moxie and talent to endure the long haul. She sees her company growing into an international brand, with handbags, sunglasses, perfume, and shoes on the roster. “I’d like to be as free as possible in my creative process, being able to create every garment I imagine without limits, designing accessories and even furniture,” says Rose. So stay tuned, fashionistas. There’s no telling where the Rowen Rose storyline will take us next, but it almost certainly will not be boring. ■

Rowen Rose Fall-Winter 2019 Double Jeu collection. Opposite: Talented designer Emma Rowen Rose.

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Rowen Rose Fall-Winter 2019 Double Jeu collection.

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“

I do not want to think of elegance as a boring or traditionalist quality. My collections are always on the line: between conservative and sensual, between feminine and masculine. It is this complexity that I try to develop differently each season to portray the seductive mystery of the woman, her discreet charm.

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Portrair of Grace Kelly taken by FRENCHMAN PHILIPPE Howell Conant circa. 1950s.CHARRIOL, FOUNDER OF THE LUXURY WATCH AND COURTESY HERITAGE AUCTIONS/HA.COM JEWELRY BRAND THAT BEARS HIS NAME

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

How Princess Grace of Monaco Ruled the World By Laurie Bogart Wiles

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I REMEMBER SEPTEMBER 13, 1982. The news was so unexpected, so unbearably disturbing, that the emotion it provoked seared the event into memory like a blistering brand on the skin. Princess Grace of Monaco had been in a car accident and died the next day. It happened again, on August 31, 1997, when news of a similar tragedy spread around the world like wildfire: another princess, Diana of England, was involved in a car crash and three hours later died from her injuries. Early reports about Princess Grace were vague and sporadic. Shortly after 10 in the morning, she was involved in a one-car accident on the road at Cap-d’Ail while driving her metallic green British Rover P6 3500 V8 from her family’s country estate and working farm, Roc Agel, just over the border in France, to the royal palace in Monaco. The day was new, the distance short—only 35 minutes’ drive between the family’s two homes. Weather was not a factor; the day was glorious, not a cloud in the sky, the air clear and fresh with the scent of coming autumn. The only passenger in the car was her youngest child, 17-year-old Stephanie. The brakes had failed but miraculously, the princesses had only sustained minor injuries. The news would rapidly change. At first, there were no photographs; then gut-wrenching pictures appeared on front pages of daily newspapers in every country and on television in special news reports. The car had left the narrow, winding, treacherous road high above the Mediterranean Sea at a hairpin curve called the “Devil’s Curse,” breaking through a retaining wall before plummeting down a 120-foot embankment. Princess Grace was driving along the same road she drove with a terrified Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 suspense movie masterpiece, To Catch a Thief, unfounded reports said, but this was sensationalism; she was not. She was driving along the CD37, the Route de La Tourbie, when she lost control of her car. The car had somersaulted and landed upside-down, crushed like a tin can. There was a plethora of conjecture: that Stephanie had been behind the wheel, that mother and daughter were engaged in a terrific argument; but the only truth that mattered finally came from the hospital: Princess Grace had suffered a brain hemorrhage while driving, blacked out and lost control of her car. Stephanie was injured; it was a miracle that either one had survived such a terrible accident, especially since neither wore seat belts. Seven years later, in a Chicago Tribune review of the biography, Rainier and Grace: An Intimate Portrait, by Jeffrey Robinson, Princess Stephanie recounted her memory of what happened: “‘I remember every minute of it,’ she said, trying to retain her composure. ‘It’s only in the last few years that I’ve been starting to cope with it. I had some professional help, and especially in the last eight months, I’ve been learning to deal with it. I still can’t go down that road, even if someone else is driving. I always ask them to take the other road. But at least I can talk about it without crying, although it’s hard for me to get it out in front of my dad. As far as I’m concerned, I can live with it. But I still can’t talk to my dad about it because I know it hurts him, and I don’t want to do that because I love him.’” Also, in the same book, is this interview with Grace’s oldest child, Princess Caroline: “Stephanie told me, ‘Mommy kept saying, I can’t stop. The brakes don’t work. I can’t stop.’ She said that Mommy was in a complete panic. Stephanie grabbed the hand brake. She told me right after the accident, ‘I pulled on

“

Grace Kelly in a movie still form Paramount’s 1955 production of Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. COURTESY HERITAGE AUCTIONS/HA.COM

Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly Backstage at the 28th Annual Academy Awards, Hollywood photograph by Allan Grant. COURTESY HERITAGE AUCTIONS/HA.COM

I am basically a feminist. I think that women can do anything they decide to do.

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”

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“

Mr. Hitchcock taught me everything about cinema. It was thanks to him that I understood that murder scenes should be shot like love scenes and love scenes like murder scenes.

”

the hand brake, but it wouldn’t stop. I tried, but I just couldn’t stop the car.’” The afternoon of the accident, a press release was issued from the palace that Princess Grace had suffered a minor brain hemorrhage and would make a full recovery. Then, abruptly came news of a second, far more serious brain hemorrhage, and the princess had been given Last Rights. Her husband of 25 years, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, eldest child, Princess Caroline, and only son, Prince Albert, were at her bedside. With no hope of recovery, Prince Rainier made the agonizing decision to remove his beloved wife from life support. Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco was dead at the age of 52.

Leading man, James Stewart, gives Grace Kelly pointers on how to use a camera while on the set of Rear Window (1954), a film many consider as to be one of Hitchcock’s best. COURTESY HERITAGE AUCTIONS/HA.COM

Opposite page: Kelly in a 1955 To Catch A Thief publicity still. SCREENPROD / PHOTONONSTOP / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

ONLY NOW, 47 YEARS AFTER HER TRAGIC LOSS, is it clear just why Princess Grace of Monaco, the former Grace Kelly of Philadelphia, meant so much to so many for so long. The few movies she made in her brief, award-winning Hollywood career were captivating, sublime and distinctive. She was the antithesis of Marilyn Monroe; Grace Kelly’s cool composure contrasted with Elizabeth Taylor’s seething magnetism; she possessed a genuine refinement that differed from Audrey Hepburn’s sprightly allure. Yes, Grace Kelly was unlike any other actress of her time—and though many have attempted to emulate her, none have ever come close. She had an enviable, peaches-and-cream complexion and a shimmering radiance to her face that required little or no foundation, even when sparingly applied by makeup artists on the movie set. She had elegance to her figure, naturalness to her demeanor, a kindness to her personality and a subdued passion—like fire under ice. Her clothes, her hairstyles were opulent in an unopulent way: the cut and wave of her helmet of thick, blonde hair was simple, sculpted and shone like molten gold, even when the wind’s fingers ran through her golden locks on a blustery day. The elegance of her clothes was in the simplicity of the cut and the luxury of the fabrics, nothing more. Few women could pull off the priceless jewels she wore as uncrowned queen of Hollywood and crown princess of Monaco, and even then her beauty outshone the precious stones. Like everyone else, I admired her. As a teenager during the ’60s, in those delicate, confusing, growing-up years when a young girl must figure out who she is and who she wants to be, Grace Kelly was a prime example. She inspired me to be well-dressed, well-groomed and ladylike—ambitions that set me far apart from the counterculture movement adopted by my hippy friends. And that is exactly how I, and my mother, wanted me to be, and on that common ground, my mother and I grew close in ways that otherwise might not have been possible. A woman who never missed her weekly appointment at Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Salon on Fifth Avenue in New York, Mom always said, “You don’t dress for yourself, you dress for others,” and “First impressions can never be erased.” Of course, she was right. GRACE KELLY, AS THE WORLD WOULD ATTEST, was one of the most beautiful and gifted creatures God had ever created, and she was privileged and blessed as few could possibly imagine.

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April 04, 1956: Prince Rainer and Grace Kelly pray during their wedding ceremony in Monaco’s Saint Nicholas Cathedral, surrounded by their guests.

KEYSTONE PICTURES USA/ZUMAPRESS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

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“Yes, that would be my ‘jumping-off point,’” I surmised when I set out to write this story. I had some small pretext that my story could rise above the fray. I never met Princess Grace, but we did have people in common. There was a friend, whose third-generation custom clothier company made the Kelly family’s equestrian outfits, and for Grace throughout her life. “Jodhpurs that are perfectly tailored and have the right ‘give’ in the right places are very difficult to measure and make,” Bob Ermilio of Ermilio Clothiers, New York, explained to me. “But we know how to do it right, and Princess Grace came only to us, every year, for her riding outfits.” Then there was a family friend from Long Island, a television executive whose mother was a sister of Grace. He and his wife and two children frequently visited his cousin in Monaco at Christmas and on important family occasions. My husband’s and my great friend, Rob Neff, and his family were seasonal neighbors of the Kelly family when, as children, they summered at the Jersey shore. “Grace was very shy and not as athletic as her sisters and ‘Kell,’ her only brother,” he recalled. “I was pretty young, but boy, did I look up to Kell. He was older than I and a tremendous athlete.”

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And the late actress Celeste Holm, whom I knew in her declining days. She had starred with “dear Grace” in High Society (1956). “She was delicious,” Celeste told me. “Such a kind and wonderful friend. She was unusual for an actress, you know. Grace had no ego.” But I came to fear that whatever I wrote about Princess Grace would be just that—another story, pieced together like a patchwork quilt from scraps of articles that had been published during her lifetime and long after. Countless tabloid journalists stroked their poisoned pens with gossip they had written about her. Conjecture became “facts” over time. How could anyone know what was true and what was not? Torn, I decided not to write about Princess Grace—but then I came across her last televised interview, two months before her untimely death, with Pierre Salinger on ABC’s 20/20: “I would like to be remembered as someone who accomplished useful deeds and who was a kind and loving person. I would like to leave the memory of a human being with a correct attitude and who did her best to help others.” That’s when I decided to give it a go; whatever I wrote would be as true as I could make it.

EVERY BIOGRAPHY HAS A BEGINNING, Grace Patricia Kelly was the half-Irish, half-German product of strong, resolute, hardworking, socially responsible people who never were tethered by their humble beginnings. She was born November 12, 1929, less than a month after Black Thursday, the worst stock market crash in the history of Wall Street. She was raised during the Great Depression, was 12 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor leading the United States to enter World War II and had just turned 16 when the war ended. This was America’s darkest period, and yet throughout, the Kelly family prospered and enjoyed a privileged life. Grace attended Ravenhill Academy, a private Catholic girls’ school, and graduated in 1947 from the Thaddeus Stevens School of Observation, a socially prestigious private school in the Poplar section of Philadelphia. She applied and was rejected by Bennington College in Vermont because of poor math grades. Furthermore, she didn’t inherit her parents’ athletic prowess, which her three other siblings had received. Rather, she auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, reciting a passage from her Uncle George’s 1923 play,

The Torch-Bearers, and was accepted. She graduated at the age of 19, and for her graduation performance, she played the role of Tracy Lord in the stage comedy The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry—a role she would reprise in the 1956 motion picture musical High Society (1956), the second of two films in which she would co-star with Bing Crosby and her only musical. At 27, Grace Patricia Kelly became Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco, wife of Prince Rainier, leaving behind a brief but celebrated career as one of Hollywood’s most popular stars. She had appeared in almost 60 television shows and many commercials before her 11 films, three with Alfred Hitchcock, the most of any of his leading ladies. Her leading men were among motion pictures’ most famous actors: Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, William Holden, Alec Guinness and Frank Sinatra. Her distinguished performances won her many awards, not the least of which was an Academy Award for Best Actress for her dramatic role in The Country Girl (1952), opposite Bing Crosby. After her marriage, she regretfully but dutifully cast acting aside and devoted herself to the life of a princess and wife alongside her husband,

Photo sheets from the 1956 Monaco wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III. COURTESY HERITAGE AUCTIONS/HA.COM

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Monaco’s Princess Grace, the former Grace Kelly, takes time out from her state responsibilities to read to her own children, Prince Albert, age 3, and Princess Caroline, age 4. BETTMANN CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES

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Prince Rainier III of Monaco. They had three children: Caroline, born in 1957; Albert, heir to the throne, born 14 months later; and Stephanie, born seven years after Albert. Despite reports to the contrary, they obviously were “hands-on” parents with Grace reportedly being the disciplinarian, as was her mother—and indeed, as are most mothers. She devoted much of her time to charity work: as president of the Monaco Red Cross, the Monaco chapter became one of the most active in the International Federation of Red Cross Societies. Princess Grace personally distributed care packages to the needy at Christmas, and with her husband, hosted the annual Monaco Red Cross Ball, one of the premier events on international society’s social calendar. In 1963, she founded AMADE, a non-profit association dedicated to child protection, education, health and emergency management around the world. She frequently visited residents in Monaco’s retirement homes and established Monaco’s first daycare center, spending time reading, singing and playing with local children. Reflecting her love of the arts, she established La Foundation Princesse Grace in support of the Princess Grace Dance Academy, and in 1966, initiated the International Monte-Carlo Ballets Festival, attracting the world’s leading dancers, musicians and artists to Monaco to perform. Reflecting her love of flowers, she founded the Monaco Garden Club, and her interest in artisan crafts produced Les Boutiques du Rocher, stores where arts and crafts by Monegasque people are sold. Even after her death, her charitable work continued when Prince Rainier founded the Princess Grace Foundation in America for emerging performing artists, and her children sustain their mother’s incredible charitable legacy, which continues to assist countless people in untold ways around the world. On September 7, 1976, Princess Grace appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, returning to acting after a 20-year hiatus. On September 8, The New York Times reported: “Princess Grace of Monaco, the former film star Grace Kelly of Philadelphia, made a triumphant return to the entertainment world at the Edinburgh International Festival last night. “Princess Grace was one of the three performers in a poetry recital entitled The American Heritage, arranged as a tribute to the United States Bicentennial. The capacity audience of 300 in Edinburgh’s St. Cecilia’s Hall gave an enthusiastic reception to readings from poets whose work mirrored the progress of the United States from the earliest Colonial days. “Starting with the works of Anne Bradsheet, one of America’s first poets and a Quaker immigrant born in England in 1612, the readings ranged through the 19th‐century classics of American literature to such 20th‐century figures as Carl Sandburg, Ogden Nash, T. S. Eliot and Robert Frost.”

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THEN PRINCESS GRACE’S LIFE CAME TO A CRASHING END on that tragic morning of September 13, 1982. “A witness to the accident said that he was 50 yards behind the Rover, nearing that very steep, sharp curve, when he saw the Rover swerve violently, zigzagging across both lanes. Then the car straightened out and shot ahead very fast. He knew the road and knew that the bend was coming up and, in those two or three seconds when he didn’t see any brake lights on, he realized what was going to happen,” Jeffrey Robinson reported in his biography. The police found no skid marks on the road, confirming the witness’s report that the car had accelerated. (I myself witnessed a similar situation. A woman in her 60s suffered a stroke while driving. Her stiffened leg floored the accelerator pedal, and the out-of-control car crashed into a tree. Like Grace, she died, and her husband, the sole passenger, survived with minor injuries, as did Stephanie.) Neither Princess Grace nor Princess Stephanie were wearing seat belts. Grace had a severe cut on her scalp and was pinned by the steering column into the rear seat. Doctors confirmed Princess Grace had suffered a minor stroke while driving, corroborating Stephanie’s account that her mother complained of a severe headache before the accident. Once again, there are conflicting reports about whether she was conscious after the crash or not, but even if she had been, she lapsed into a coma from which she would never awaken. Princess Grace sustained a second stroke in the hospital that proved fatal, dismissing all hope of recovery. Thirty-six hours after the accident, surrounded by her husband and two eldest children, Her Serene Highness Grace of Monaco died. She was 52. Close to 100 million people watched her televised funeral. Actor James Stewart, with whom she famously starred in two motion pictures, the Hitchcock thriller Rear Window (1954) and High Society (1956), gave this eulogy at the private memorial service held for Princess Grace in Beverly Hills: “You know, I just love Grace Kelly. Not because she was a princess, not because she was an actress, not because she was my friend, but because she was just about the nicest lady I ever met. Grace brought into my life as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of its own. No question, I’ll miss her, we’ll all miss her. God bless you, Princess Grace.” Her distraught husband, Prince Rainier, never remarried. He survived his wife by 23 years, dying in April 2005 at the age of 81. Shortly before her death, Princess Grace was quoted to say, “Fairytales tell imaginary stories. Me, I’m a living person. I exist. If the story of my life as a real woman were to be told one day, people would at last discover the real being that I am.” ■

I certainly don’t think of my life as a fairy tale. I think of myself as a modern, contemporary woman who has had to deal with all kinds of problems that many women today have to deal with.

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Grace Kelly during the making To Catch a Thief (1954). PICTURELUX / THE HOLLYWOOD ARCHIVE / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

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Mirage Gstaad is built on the Videmanette mountain near the town of Gstaad, Switzerland. It’s made from wood and steel with a mirrored aluminum finish. This covers the entire exterior and most of the interior. The striking structure reflects the slowly changing landscape around it. PHOTOGRAPH BY TORVIOLL JASHARI

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

Everything might be bigger in Texas, but for interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer, the smallness of the Swiss village of Gstaad is magic to her soul.

the Designer Destination By Angela Caraway-Carlton

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hile flat, metropolitan Dallas, Texas and the soaring, snow-draped mountains of quaint Gstaad, Switzerland, could hardly be more different, the two distinctive places that renowned interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer calls home often feel warmly familiar. “As a Texan, we have a love and a reverence for the land, and it’s very similar in Switzerland with the farmers,” says Nussbaumer. “When we were last in Gstaad, we were walking through the woods to the [Mirage] exhibit, and we passed this family of farmers eating their lunch outside, and they were all yodeling together. The soulfulness of their voices—it was magical.” “Magical” is a word that Nussbaumer uses time and again to describe Gstaad, an idyllic village in southwest Switzerland known for its powdery slopes, gingerbread-brown chalets, opulent resorts—and a reputation for drawing a flashy, jet-set crowd of royals and celebs. Although Nussbaumer was born and raised in Texas, she’s always had a family connection with the picturesque Alpine village; growing up, her uncle had a home there, and later, she met and married Swiss movie producer Bernard Nussbaumer, whose family owns Institut Le Rosey in Gstaad, one of the most prestigious and expensive boarding schools in the world. All four of their children attended the private school, and since marrying 36 years ago, Nussbaumer has spent every Christmas in Gstaad, often staying through winter, and then summering there as well.

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DAFINCHI/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

“When I married my husband, no one had even heard about Gstaad. I would say only since Instagram happened did Gstaad come on the map. In all the years I’ve been there, I’d never met an American there until recently,” says Nussbaumer, joking that her children would be upset that she’s telling more people about the cherished escape they wish could remain secret. “It’s a fairy-tale wonderland,” she gushes, “a little village where everyone knows each other, and it feels like nothing bad can ever happen there.”

Sweet Swiss Serenity

What does happen for Nussbaumer in the serenity of Gstaad? The acclaimed interior designer unleashes passions that she rarely dabbles in, due to a demanding work schedule and constant globetrotting. Peek at her Instagram, and you’ll see Nussbaumer has an extreme case of wanderlust, always traveling for new design inspiration—her latest journeys include Morocco and an upcoming trip to Uzbekistan. While at home in Dallas, she’s busy transforming clients’ homes and running her vibrant showroom, Ceylon et Cie, chock-full of her furniture collection of the same name, her beloved line of fabrics and textiles (a modern interpretation of classic ikats and indigenous patterns and prints) and treasures from around the world. Known for as a trailblazer, always immersed in new and various projects,

GEVISION/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Above: Old city center of Gstaad town, famous ski resort in canton Bern, Switzerland. Opposite page: Lake Lauenen in the ObersimmentalSaanen administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Right: Men playing alphorns, a Swiss folk instrument traditionally used to call cows from the pasture. COURTESY GSTAAD SAANENLAND TOURISMUS

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Michelle Nussbaumer is known for her eclectic patternfilled interior design. Below & opposite: A view into Nussbaumer’s 300-year-old chalet in Gstaad.

this year Nussbaumer will also introduce a new line with luxe Vervain and expand her Rock Candy jewelry line. Additionally, she’s now writing her second book—about the restoration of a family hacienda in Mexico— that’s due out in 2020. Her first book, Wanderlust: Interiors That Bring the World Home, was released in 2016. But while visiting her sanctuary in Gstaad, Nussbaumer embraces the village’s signature motto: “Come Up, Slow Down.” She indulges in her love of painting and forages for mushrooms to cook decadent mushroom risotto and plucks fresh vegetables from her expansive garden. “It’s one of the rare places that I like to cook. The produce is just so fresh and beautiful,” she says. “Life just slows down there, and you always want to be outside. I always have this feeling like the birds in

Europe sing more than in America.” Drawn to the area’s pristine environment, Nussbaumer deepens her connection to nature by riding horses, embarking on sleigh and dog-sled rides in winter or taking long hikes. With its moorland landscapes, deep gorges and valleys and sky-high mountaintops, Gstaad is billed as a hiker’s paradise in summer. Some of her favorites are the Lauenensee Loop Trail, an easy, beautiful walk along famous Lake Lauenen, or Wasserngrat, Gstaad’s smallest ski area recognized for the region’s steepest ski run, “Tiger Run.” Furthermore, Wasserngrat Mountain Restaurant is known for its rustic-chic vibe, breathtaking vistas and delicious fondue. “In the summer, you can hike up and have lunch, or in the winter, you can hike up and ski down if you’re really brave,” she advises. Like any good European knows, day spas are a valued ritual, and Nussbaumer suggests unwinding at Six Senses Spa at The Alpina Gstaad, a five-star hotel, where the design and treatments are influenced by the Alps and Asia. A day there means alternating between hot and cold plunge pools in the sprawling indoor pool complex or basking in the Himalayan salt room or color therapy room.

Home Swiss Home

Unlike her Dallas residence, which Nussbaumer describes as an English country home, her Gstaad getaway is a 300-year-old chalet with low ceilings, old Swiss painted furniture and Italian antiques splashed with her

Terrace of Wasserngrat Restaurant , a unique location at the heart of stunning mountain scenery.

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much-loved patterns and color. “It’s this flowery, crazy explosion,” she says. “It’s often very snowy, so I brought the garden in. It’s so happy in there.” Both homes are draped with fabrics she’s designed, antique carpets and layers of her life—paintings by her children, her husband’s photography and items she’s amassed from around the world. Not surprisingly, years of living in Europe, especially her time in Rome, has inspired Nussbaumer to infuse a sense of easy formality into her design style. “In Europe, rooms are not for show; they’re meant to be used. They have a more personal style. It’s not a trend or something they’ve seen on Pinterest. They use items they’ve collected or inherited,” Nussbaumer explains. “So, I try to help my clients feel like their house is a personal space, created with things they love, their memories and history, yet still a modern house. I think it needs to be personal to them, not personal to me.” While many nights in Gstaad are spent with family and friends gathered around the dinner table of her sprawling chalet, Nussbaumer always makes time for date night at the landmark Gstaad Palace—a grand stone castle perched on a hill overlooking the village—for dancing and dinner at Le Grill, where jackets and ties are required for men. “It feels like you’ve stepped into a Cary Grant movie,” says Nussbaumer, adding that lunch on the hotel’s terrace on a sunny day is also a must. For afternoon tea, or drinks after 5, you’ll find her at Hotel Olden,

a boutique hotel where the old bar is always packed with a well-heeled crowd; for dinner, 16 Art-Bar-Restaurant, an off-the-beaten-path eatery (formerly a bell factory) in the village of Saanen, where the entire menu is in German and you must book ahead; or Restaurant du Cerf, known for its dreamy truffle fondue and where beautiful music is played on a saw and villagers pop in to serenade the crowd with their yodeling. It’s always those extravagant yet simple things that keep Nussbaumer dreaming of her next stay in Gstaad. “I’m always sad to leave; life is just beautiful and simple there,” Nussbaumer admits. “I always have a little Europe in my soul.”

Nussbaumer’s Other Must-See Activities

Mirage. An exhibit by American artist Doug Aitken, this ranch-style house is clad in mirrors and reflects its surrounding landscape. As the seasons shift, so does the art installation, reflecting snow-covered mountains in the winter and green pastures in the summer. The Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad. In the summer, Nussbaumer says locals spend almost every day at one of the most exclusive polo competitions in the world. Altezze e Musica. Created by Princess Caroline Murat, this music festival takes place every winter and features composers and conductors from all over the world performing in venues from churches to homes. ■

A hidden gem in the picturesque village of Saanen near Gstaad. 16 Art-Bar Restaurant is located in a building that was once a bell foundry.

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The Alpina Gstaad is a luxury hotel in Switzerland for the world’s most discerning travelers, a fresh interpretation of Alpine chic. Above: The artful entrance to The Alpina Gstaad. Right: Pool at Six Senses Spa at The Alpina Gstaad. COURTESY THE ALPINA GSTAAD

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Architecture of the Messe Basel New Hall in Basel, Switzerland designed by Herzog & de Meuron. DIEGOMARIOTTINIW / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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The World’s Greatest Art Fair By Debra Spark

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“

Being part of Basel Art Fair is like having a chance encounter with a man-eating tiger; you can admire its beauty from the safety of a high branch, or you can put your head into its mouth and feel the dangerous heat. I like to do both.

you are interested in collecting contemporary art on any level, you have to visit Basel,” Mary Sabbatino says, the vice president and partner of Manhattan’s prestigious Galerie Lelong & Co. She’s not talking about the city, but Art Basel, the shorthand term for three art fairs: Art Basel (Basel), Art Basel (Hong Kong) and Art Basel (Miami Beach). The nomenclature (with its parenthetical redundancy or contradiction) doesn’t make much sense without a little history. In 1970, three years after they’d attended a Cologne art fair, gallerists Trudi Bruckner, Balz Hilt and Ernst Beyeler decided to create an international fair in their home city of Basel. In the half century since, Art Basel has become a brand with a sweep extending to additional annual fairs as well as ancillary programming in partner cities and (in conjunction with the Swiss multinational investment bank UBS) a major annual economic report assessing the art market. Hong Kong and Miami Beach might be important to the art market. The same could

”

— LUBAINA HIMID

be said for other fairs like New York’s Armory Show and London’s and New York’s Frieze. But Art Basel (Basel), typically held for a week in mid-June, is still “it”—the big cheese, the Queen Bee, the most esteemed venue for selling modern and contemporary art. A gallery or dealer with a booth at Art Basel has arrived. Even so, the fair is high-stakes, expensive to show at and attracts an intimidatingly discriminating and monied audience. “Everyone” will be at Basel: museum directors, high-level collectors, the best galleries in the world. And they will be there in high numbers. In 2018, 290 galleries from 35 countries showed approximately 4,000 artists to an estimated 95,000 visitors. At minimum, gallerists or dealers want to earn back their investment. With a booth costing from $10,000 to $200,000—plus additional cash outlays for travel, exorbitant hotel and food prices and shipping costs— that’s no small feat. And, in truth, no one

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wants “at minimum.” Hopes are always for more: a platform for the artists and, perhaps, the gallery itself. (The only bargain, Sabbatino notes, is Switzerland’s vaunted rail system, though she prefers to rent a bike. Others commute from France or Germany.) The language around the fair—the sense that Basel is where all the monied muckymucks are—might make some uneasy. If you want to meet the 1%—or the 1% of the 1%—here they are. It’s easy to find write-ups mocking the fairs and the attendant wealth or making hay over the ridiculous prices or the nature of the wheeling and dealing. Easy, too, to have some roll-your-eyes curiosity about what fetches the highest price at any given fair. Last year, the Basel fair began with Hauser & Wirth selling Joan Mitchell’s Composition for $14 million. In Hong Kong, a William de Kooning went for $35 million. Miami Beach, in particular, has a reputation for glitzy celebrity parties. It’s all a scene in the way

the art world can be a scene. (Though Nadja Sayej, author of Biennial Bitch: Adventures of an Arts Reporter, describes Switzerland as staid, “the corporate bank of art fairs.”) And yet, Art Basel is also very much for high-powered lovers of art. An insider’s view gives you a sense of the excitement, particularly of Basel (Basel), which has the gravitas of its 50-year history behind it. “The first time you go as an art dealer, you are kind of starry eyed, as you cannot believe you have entered the hallowed halls of Art Basel as an exhibitor,” says Sabbatino. “You are aware you are part of a continuum of art and art dealers supporting quality who are in the game for the long term and the right reasons.” And those reasons are? “To choose artists to represent and promote who have a role in history,” says Sabbatino without missing a beat. And, indeed, Basel can transform a successful artist into an art star.

itness the trajectory of Lubaina Himid, a pioneering member of the 1980s and 1990s British Black Arts Movement, whose work includes colorful paintings on cut out, found object and other surfaces. Her subject is Black History, erasure, domesticity and politics. Born in Zanzibar but based in Lancashire, Himid had (before Basel) a background in theatre design, a solid artistic career with impressive museum acquisitions and solo shows in the UK. Even so, she didn’t have consistent gallery representation until 2013, when London’s Hollybush Gardens took her on. Four years later, at age 63, she was the first woman of color, as well as the oldest person, to win Britain’s prestigious Turner Prize. In 2018, Hollybush Gardens directors Lisa Panting and Malin Stahl decided to devote their entire Art Basel booth to Himid’s work.

Top & bottom photographs: Galerie Lelong exhibition space, Art Basel 2018. © ART BASEL

Middle photograph: Mary Sabbatino currator of Galerie Lelong, a contemporary art gallery in New York. COURTESY GALERIE LELONG & CO., NEW YORK

Left: Visitors crowd the entrance of Art Basel, Switzerland.

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Parcours, Contemporary Fine Arts, Galerie Baerbel Graesslin, Georg Herold.

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From top: Lisa Panting, director of Hollybush Gardens. This Londonbased gallery represents 2017 Turner Prize-winner Lubaina Himid and will be showing her work at this year’s fair in Basel. COURTESY OF HOLLYBUSH GARDENS / PHOTOGRAPH BY ANNE TETZLAFF

Lubaina Himid, How Do You Spell Change?, 2018. Acrylic and pencil on paper. 72 x 102 cm. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND HOLLYBUSH GARDENS / PHOTOGRAPH BY GAVIN RENSHAW

Lubaina Himid on view at the Hollybush Gardens exhibit during Art Basel 2018. © ART BASEL

Opposite: Zilia Sánchez Construcción Sublime Dos (Topología Erótica Series), 1990 Acrylic on canvas mounted on wood structure. © ZILIA SÁNCHEZ; COURTESY GALERIE LELONG & CO., NEW YORK

“In Basel, you’re up against the best,” says Panting, “and there’s no guarantee that you’re going to generate energy around a presentation.” Still, Himid was a hit. “She has a visual language that appeals to a wide range of people from young, cutting-edge curators to more mature museum audiences,” says Panting. The gallery sold everything at impressive prices. Venues in Los Angles and Vancouver acquired work, and Himid went on to international acclaim. 2019 will see a debut show at Manhattan’s New Museum, a solo show at the Frans Hals Museum in the Netherlands, a display for the Tate and a commission for Manhattan’s High Line. Himid’s own take on the fair? “Being part of Basel Art Fair is like having a chance encounter with a maneating tiger; you can admire its beauty from the safety of a high branch, or you can put your head into its mouth and feel the dangerous heat. I like to do both.” Himid’s work will be back at Hollybush Gardens’ booth at Art Basel 2019, along with Charlotte Prodger (winner of the

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2018 Turner Prize) and Andrea Büttner. But a chance to present at the fair one year is no guarantee of participation the next. Even Galerie Lelong, which has shown at every fair since 1970, has to reapply annually. This requirement, along with the fair’s consistently high standards, keeps things fresh, as does a section of the fair called “Statements” for solo projects by emerging artists.

ineteen of the galleries at Art Basel in 2019 will be new to the fair. This year, Marc Spiegler, Art Basel’s global director, is particularly excited about showcasing an iteration of “Aggregate,” Romanian artist Alexandra Pirici’s performative environment, which will be staged in a geodesic-dome-inspired space on the plaza outside the Art Basel exhibition halls. Many have described the four-hour work as “moving,” and Spiegler (after an Argentinian version) found it “spell-binding, one of the best pieces I have seen over the last years.” This live, choreographed piece

has the audience and 60 performers interact as the performers spontaneously initiate a movement from a series of previously rehearsed enactments that utilize shared cultural referents.

ate Werble Gallery has been operating in Manhattan for 10 years, since Werble was 27. This year, she will be coming to Art Basel for the third time with a film installation and works on paper by Cauleen Smith, an interdisciplinary artist who sources from “science fiction, Afrofuturism and activism” to find ways of “understanding the new world order,” as Werble puts it. Jaqueline Martin founded Galeria Jaqueline Martin in 2011. She has exhibited at the fair in Miami Beach but not in Switzerland. In 2019, she will present a solo show of Hudinilson Urbano, Jr., a multimedia artist exploring issues of gender, politics and the body, whose career suffered under the hardships and aftermath of the Brazilian dictatorship in the mid-to-late 20th century.

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Cauleen Smith Sojourner (video still), 2018. Digital video, color, sound; run time: 22 minutes, 41 seconds; edition of 5 with 2 AP COURTESY OF THE ARTIST, CORBETT VS. DEMPSEY, CHICAGO, AND KATE WERBLE GALLERY, NEW YORK

Opposite: Kate Werble PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILY ASSYRIAN, COURTESY KATE WERBLE GALLERY, NEW YORK

What advice might a fair veteran have for Basel’s many newcomers? Panting is philosophical. She’s there to learn by watching how other galleries present themselves. “It’s a fantastic peer opportunity in the best sense,” says Panting. Participants say the fair is exhausting, but Sabbatino has developed a way of handling the event, which is considerably longer for exhibitors than visitors. (The fair starts on Tuesday, with installation normally taking place on the Friday before the show. Public days are Thursday through Saturday.) Art Basel is a marathon, but with the 5K of simply working in a Manhattan gallery and the longer races of other art fairs, these are miles Sabbatino has run before. Sabbatino always spends the Monday before the fair visiting Liste, a former brewery with galleries showing the work of younger artists. Liste is a short walk from Messe Basel, the name for the exhibition halls where Art Basel takes place. With its narrow staircase, Liste— not officially part of Art Basel but a concurrent event—gets crowded, but Sabbatino goes anyway, as she always finds work by artists she wants to watch and often something to purchase for herself. Monday evening, she attends the opening of “Unlimited,” an exhibition hall for oversized pieces. Seeing so many large-scale works in one place is “consistently exciting,” says Sabbatino. In 2018, two of the 72 pieces on display were by artists Lelong represents: Alfred Jar’s 100 Times Nguyen (multiple photographic prints of a young Vietnamese girl from a Hong Kong refugee camp) and Yoko Ono’s Mend (a performance piece and installation with table, shelving, broken

ceramics, glue and scissors, all serving as metaphor for mending the world). Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the fair are private for “VIPs,” and to get a special ticket, a collector needs to be invited by a gallery. For her own browsing, Sabbatino likes to devote one whole day to the first floor of the fair, another to the second, while trying to squeeze in a film when she can. (Panel discussions are also on offer.) Sabbatino also recommends reserving a day for Basel itself. “Parcours” is a series of public artworks throughout the city that anyone, even those without a ticket to Art Basel, can see. The Kunstmuseum Basel, with work from the old masters on, hosts an early breakfast for dealers, so they can race through the museum and then get back to the fair. And even though it can be challenging to fit in—

after all, Sabbatino also has to be at her booth—she tries to get to the Schaulager for contemporary art. No one is going to argue that Art Basel is an event for the world’s under-served, and yet, in 2019, if there is a theme to the work to be represented by the female gallerists referenced here, it is that of repair. Martin is trying to balance the effects of Urbano’s repression by making his achievements more visible. Much of the work to be presented rejects colonial, received or politically repressive notions about black men and women, gender and the body. The artists are exploring truer, sometimes more playful or simply more culturally coherent, identities. And the gallerists, in turn, are using the spotlight of the fair for the full flowering of their artists’ identities and, perhaps, destinies. ■

Beyond the art fair, Basel is home to a number of cultural institutions, including The Kunstmuseum Basel, which houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland, and is listed as a heritage site of national significance. PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIAN SALINAS

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Alfredo Jaar A Hundred Times Nguyen, 1994 Twenty-four pigment prints, ink and collage on museum board, matrix print, video Pigment prints, each: 25 x 54 inches (63.5 x 137 cm) Collage: 18 x 17 15/16 inches (45.7 x 45.6 cm) Matrix print: 33 3/4 x 66 inches (85.7 x 167.6 cm) Video: loop, no sound, 60” monitor Overall dimensions variable Edition of 3 with 2 APs

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W INSPIRING WOMEN Our Inspiring Women have been selected because each has carved out a unique path through life that is recognized by others as exceptional. You will see a commonality in the interviews. These remarkable women have achieved greatness by following their internal compasses while facing the circumstances they are dealt in life. None had a road map.

I N T E R V I E W S B Y K A R E N F L OY D For video interviews, visit elysianwomen.com

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Jane HoldernessRoddam

Born: Charmouth, Dorset, United Kingdom Resides: West Kington, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

British event rider who was the first British woman to ride in the Olympic three-day event team; Brooke foundation trustee; Won the Queen’s Award for equestrianism in 2009; Two-time winner of the Badminton Horse Trials in 1968 and 1978; Appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in 1998 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2004.

LOU KENNEDY

JENNIFER JUSTICE

Born: Centralia, Washington Resides: New York, New York

President of Corporate Development at Superfly; Former EVP of Strategic Marketing at Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company as well as his former personal entertainment lawyer for 17 years; known as the personal lawyer for Jay Z for almost two decades; Co-founder of the Justice Department, a female focused advisory and legal firm which works to forge opportunities for women.

SHOP & EXPLORE

Born: Kingsport, Tennessee Resides: Lexington, South Carolina

President and CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals; 2018-2019 Chair of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce; Winner of the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) award for outstanding leadership in manufacturing; Helped establish the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center in conjunction with the USC School of Pharmacy.

SUSAN L. TAYLOR

Born: Harlem, New York Resides: New York, New York

Former Editor-in-Chief of Essence magazine (1981-2000); First African-American woman to win the Henry Johnson Fisher Award, the Magazine Publishers of America’s highest award; Founder & CEO of CARES Mentoring Movement; 2006 winner of the NAACP’s President’s Award; Member of the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame.

Known as the Galloping Nurse, Jane Holderness-Roddam could ride a horse before she could walk. The first ever British female eventer to compete on the Olympic level, she and her team would gallop to Gold at the 1978 Mexico City Olympics. She is also a two-time winner at the Badminton Horse Trials (1968 and 1978) and one-time champ of the Burghley Horse Trials in 1976. On top of it all, Jane also served as a lady-in-waiting for Princess Anne for more than 30 years, built a career as a nurse and authored more than 20 books about equestrianism. She now serves as an active trustee of The Brooke Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to educating poor villagers on proper horse care.

Jane HoldernessRoddam

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, AUTHOR & EQUINE ACTIVIST

Jane Bullen is your maiden name, but you are known as Jane HoldernessRoddam. Is this a matriname (family name inherited from your husband’s mother)? Yes. In the old days, if a woman succeeded with land then she took the name of the person she married, as well as hers, because she was the landowner. In fact, Bullen was actually Symes-Bullen. I think Holderness-Roddam was my husband’s grandmother who married a Roddam, and so the Holderness and the Roddam became joined. Occasionally, you see people with three different names. I know somebody with five names. A similar thing happens with multigenerational women landholders.

You are one of six children. How many brothers and how many sisters?

Three brothers, all older. I have one sister older than me and one younger.

How old were you when she died? I was 16.

Your younger sister was how old? 13.

Did that affect you both?

Yes, it did. I was a weekly boarder at school. When we knew it was getting near the end for my mother, my younger sister came to the school. That was helpful for both of us because we were at that age. My next sister was five years older. She left school and ran the stud for my parents. It was tough, but we were well prepared for it, I suppose, if you can ever be prepared for something like that. My mother was always very open about her breast cancer, but then it went to her spine.

Both of your sisters were accomplished equestrians?

Did your father remarry?

Where did your love of horses come from?

What drew you to nursing?

Yes, and my middle brother as well.

I think it was my parents really. My father was in the cavalry regiment in the First World War. He was very much involved with horses. My mother and her sister had a small circus, which they used to entertain the troops. They had a wonderful little pony they taught to lie down, blow out candles, count and do all sorts of things.

Was your mother an accomplished equestrian?

Yes, but she was actually more known for being an equestrian artist and illustrator of books. She illustrated about 40 children’s books in the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s.

She was a very bright and lovely woman.

Yes, she was. Sadly, she died when she was 51, very young, from cancer. She influenced us tremendously and taught us a lot growing up about the values of life.

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No. He died a couple of years later.

My mother was a nurse, and I was very influenced by her so off I went into nursing. My younger sister went to a secretarial college after school. Our eldest sister kept an eye on us and arranged for us to have a little flat in her mother-in-law’s house, which was great.

When did you begin riding?

I rode a horse before I could walk. Actually, I was bone idle as a child, so I think they plumped me on a horse for exercise.

You began competing at what age? Three, I think.

You are considered one of the great matriarchs of the equestrian world. What was the first serious competition that you won? That’s a difficult question, actually. I suppose when I was a

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teenager, the Pony Club Championships, Junior Championships. I won lots of showing classes, but that was not very difficult because they were judging the pony. I was just a steerer on top. I would say The Pony Cup Championships first and then winning Badminton and Burghley.

Was the Badminton Horse Trial your “coming out?” I think it was, yes. Definitely.

Tell us about your horse, Our Nobby.

Our Nobby was amazing. He arrived on our doorstep with a farmer who asked if we wanted to buy an ass. He was not an ass actually. He was a pony. He was a little weedy thing. He gave the whole stable ringworm about two weeks after we bought him, so he wasn’t very popular. My mother really bought him to sell to our next door neighbor’s son, but we couldn’t because Nobby got ringworm. We bought him for 120 pounds. He was the one that took me from the Pony Club right through to the Olympics. He was an amazing animal.

Your love affair with Our Nobby was one of a kind. Why?

We grew up together. He had arrived before my mother died. In a way, he was a link to her and helped me through that process. Inevitably, it’s the same sort of relationship with any animal, isn’t it? You bond with them in a special way when something like that happens. We had our good and our bad times. He was very nappy. He could be very naughty. There were times when my brother, who was 6’2”, couldn’t get him to go where he was meant to go. I remember my brother wanted to go to the right, and Our Nobby took him to the left. My brother’s legs practically touched the ground. He was so much bigger than the pony. Nobby had a difficult streak. But through time and help from my oldest sister, Jenny, we eventually got him thinking forwards rather than backwards. That created a bond because we got there by a compromise. Life was one big compromise with him. He taught me a lot. Hopefully, I taught him a bit too in the end.

How many years did Nobby compete?

He competed until he was 13. I retired him from top competition after the Olympics. He went on until he was 27. Nobby was the schoolmaster for some of our students. If he didn’t want to go where they wanted him to go, he just wouldn’t. They often would come up and say, “We can’t get Nobby down the drive.” Nobby would come back, and the look on his face would tell you a lot.

He had tremendous willpower.

He did, yes. He did. He did. He was extremely obstinate. It’s all about partnership with these top competition animals. The partnership between horse and rider becomes a complete bond. Each knows how the other will react. It was quite revealing to see how sensitive some riders were toward what Nobby was doing. You could often tell who was going to be a good rider, and who wasn’t going to be, by Nobby’s reaction to them.

The Galloping Nurse was a name you were given because of what happened the night before the Badminton Horse Trials?

Typically, the night before a competition is the time when you reflect on what you must do. I always try and plan my ride. I ride every fence as I hoped it was going to appear. Of course, it never quite works like that because the unexpected always happens. The horse slips or something—some object is not where you thought it was going to be or the fence looks different when you come to it. So it’s quite difficult, but I think it is helpful if you have the plan in mind. My brothers and sisters taught me to have a Plan B so that you are never caught off guard by something going wrong, which inevitably happens, however good you are. So, I liked to go

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through everything mentally and try to get a good night’s sleep. My brother’s advice is to have a very good breakfast the morning of the competition so that your body can cope with the challenge. You also rely on your groom to do the same for your horse.

What happened the night before you won the Badminton Horse Trials?

I came off the nightshift on the Thursday morning, and then I drove down to Bebington, which is about a hundred-mile drive from London. I missed the briefing, which was usually on the Thursday morning. I remember everybody saying, “It’s the biggest course ever, and you’ve never seen anything like it.” Later on, I learned that every year somebody makes that comment. But at the time, it seemed daunting which made me more determined to show everybody that we could do it. That’s the great thing about being young and stupid. You think you are better than anybody in the world, and you can just do these things.

That same year you were selected for the Olympics in Mexico. Who were the other women chosen at the time?

There were three women on the “Long List,” as it was called. Any one of us could have been the first, but I was the one that was chosen because that was the year I won Badminton. And then the next selection sort of trial, the final trial, was the Burghley Horse Trials in September. In those days, it was what was called long format with all the roads and tracks and steeplechase. It was a 17-mile competition, which you would never really dream of doing just before something like the Olympics. Their advice was simple: “You don’t need to go fast.” I only had one gear in those days, and with Nobby, everything was just gallop. However hard I tried to slow him, it took more energy out of him trying to slow down. So, I just left him to it in the end. We finished third in the Burghley Horse Trials and were selected to go on that performance. So, that was amazing.

You were the first woman to compete for Great Britain. Were you ever frightened? No, I wasn’t. I had great confidence. I think I was a little cocky at that age. I had great confidence that Nobby could do anything; I think that’s a great thing. I’ve since learned how important that partnership is because I had other horses subsequently. They weren’t as good, and I did get nervous with them because I didn’t have that supreme trust that is vital to a good partnership.

How did you build that trust with him?

It was slightly trial and error. Making mistakes is probably the best

Queen Elizabeth presents the trophy for Jane’s unprecedented win at Badminton. Opposite page: Jane racing in the famous Paul Mellon Colours at Newbury in 1973

What happened the night before you won the Badminton Horse Trials? I missed the briefing, which was usually on the Thursday morning. I remember everybody saying, “It’s the biggest course ever, and you’ve never seen anything like it.” Later on, I learned that every year somebody makes that comment. But at the time, it seemed daunting which made me more determined to show everybody that we could do it. That’s the great thing about being young and stupid. You think you are better than anybody in the world, and you can just do these things.

way to learn. He also was incredibly clever. He was very athletic, which made up for his size. He could put in that little extra sort of effort where a bigger horse wouldn’t be quite so lucky, I suppose. Having grown-up with him, I had even more time to build upon that partnership.

Tell me about the Olympic gold medal team for Great Britain.

We were a bit of a strange team, really, because we had the Galloping Grandfather, Derek Allhusen. He was 56, which was considered quite old back then. We had the Galloping Sergeant, Ben Jones, who was training in the Army at the time. We had the Golden Wonder, Richard Meade, who was very good looking and dashing with golden hair and all the rest of it. He was everybody’s heartthrob. And then there was myself, the Galloping Nurse. We were a pretty strange bunch of people, and I don’t think anybody gave an awful lot of hope for us to take the gold. But they were quietly confident we wouldn’t let Britain down. They felt we were fairly able to get around. They were a great team, and they looked after me so well. They were very protective of me. I was put in the safe slot, second, because the first one was the pathfinder. I was the dodgy one. Nobody quite knew what was going to happen. The other two were the safe ones. So, you needed to get three out of the four of you safely around. I did have two falls. So, I was the dodgy one in a way, although I held the second fastest time along with America’s Jimmy Wofford, in spite of my two falls. I finished 18th after the dressage; every fall is 60 penalties. Nowadays, you’re eliminated if you fall. They wouldn’t let you continue. But, in those days, you could carry on, falling off as often as you liked till you got to the end. It was an amazing team effort really. It—the competition—would have been stopped nowadays because

of health and safety. They had these terrible floods in Mexico, and the whole course flooded. They would have monsoon rains in the morning, and then it would bake dry in the afternoon.

You were the first woman from any country to win an eventing gold medal? Yes, that’s right.

Were you surprised?

No. It was only afterwards, when everybody said, “Oh, gosh, you’re the first woman,” and this, that and the other, that I realized what I had done. Somehow it didn’t seem real because quite a lot of girls did compete and had done so in Britain for quite a long time. It was only when people started to talk about it a lot later that it set in. Being known as the Galloping Nurse was really much more of a story than the fact I was the first woman. The fact that I was a training nurse competing was more interesting. Eight years later, you won the Burghley Horse Trials but not with Our Nobby.

Burghley, yes. It was actually ten years later. My second really good horse was Warrior. An American named Suzy Hart owned him from Far Hills, New Jersey. She was a wonderful owner. She got this horse for me after she’d seen me ride in Mexico, and my brother was great friend of hers. She said, “I’d like to get Jane a horse.” She allowed him to compete as a British horse, which was really wonderful. So, he competed for Britain although he was American owned, and he won both Badminton and Burghley. He won Burghley in ‘76 and then Badminton in ‘78.

Was the experience the same on Warrior as it was with Our Nobby?

No, completely different. He was a very, very good jumper. It’s not that Our Nobby wasn’t, but he was just quick and fast and didn’t think about what he was doing. He just went instinctually. Warrior was very

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much a thinking horse. I really had to learn to think as quickly as he did because he would never put himself into any dangerous situation. He would stop quite often if everything wasn’t quite right. Thanks to him, I learned to ride properly. I had luck on my side with Our Nobby. However, Warrior was the one that made me into a rider because everything had to be right, and then he would do everything right.

You received the Commander of the British Empire?

Yes, it is an honor you are given. Somebody must put your name forward. At the time, I was chairman of horse trials, and we were going through some very bad patches—horse rider fatalities and awful things like that. We also had foot and mouth. The sport nearly collapsed in the UK. Apparently somebody thought I handled it well, so I was awarded the CBE for that.

You serve as lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne. How did that happen?

She rang up and asked me to be one of her ladies-in-waiting way back 30-odd years ago. It was a bit of a surprise because I wasn’t quite sure whether it was her or not ringing up because I hadn’t spoken to her on the phone ever before. It took a bit of time to be certain it was her and to grasp what she was asking of me. She asked whether

I would be one of her ladies, and she gave me the weekend to think about it. I rang up a couple of the other ladies-in-waiting. So, with fear and trembling, I went back and said yes.

What does it mean to be a lady-in-waiting for a princess?

You are a companion on her official visits. You also deal with any issues that might arise and try to make sure the program is run according to the timing of her schedule, which has to be exact. If the princess has two or three engagements in a day, you can’t run over on the first one and then shortcut the second. Timing and schedules can be quite important if flights and things like that are involved because one mistake upsets the whole system. A companion is also somebody for her to enjoy a bit of a laugh with. We might experience very funny situations, sad situations, some dodgy situations or whatever. All sorts of things can happen. Another responsibility is to make sure that everybody that should meet the princess are included in the day, because some people will always hang back, and some people will always push themselves forward. A lady-in-waiting must manage the events to ensure everyone is included. Nine ladies-in-waiting. How are you organized and managed? Is it by the day? Twice a year, we have a get together and go through her entire program. Princess Anne likes certain ladies that are particularly

Jane in Senegal on a trip with the Brooke Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to educating poor villagers on proper horse care. Jane became a trustee in the organization in 2013.

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involved in some of her charities to do those things with her. Most of us are fairly horsey, but I would go with her to all the FEI meetings when she was president of the International Equestrian Federation. That was great fun because we met different people and went to different parts of the world. We all share the days, but she always likes people that are particularly involved in whatever the program is at that time to accompany her. It makes it more interesting, though you never know what you’re going to be doing from one day to the next. It’s extraordinary. It is usually a one-day thing unless you go on a foreign trip with her. The longest I ever travelled was an amazing 22-day trip soon after I started. We went to five different countries and did something like 80 different engagements. We met kings, queens, prime ministers and presidents. I did not have a clue what I was doing, but I learned as we went along. She is always very patient.

Do you consider the Princess a friend? Yes, I think I would. I have known her for a long time.

One of the ways that you are known to “pay it forward” is with The Brooke Foundation. You serve as a board member for Brooke and so much more for that organization. How did that come about?

I am not quite sure how it came about. I think somebody in The Brooke asked me to go for an interview, which I did. Previously, I had been with the World Horse Welfare, a similar organization; it started just before The Brooke. Because of the War, all the injured horses were going to slaughter for meat. It has been an ongoing thing for the World Horse Welfare to try and stop that trade. The Brooke has a slightly different approach, a more philanthropic approach, I think. I was very impressed with the way they managed everything, and I looked thoroughly into what they were doing. The mission wasn’t just sending money out for this, that and the other. It was actually going in the field, so to speak, finding out what the problems were and really looking into how they could help. The focus was not just the animals but also the communities and the people that looked after those animals or didn’t, as the case may be. Finding out why and what could be done about an issue really impressed me. I think what they do is phenomenal. They really find out what the best approach is looking forward. I think that’s very impressive. I have only been on the one trip with The Brooke because of timing. I was going on a trip to India and Pakistan, but sadly, it had to be canceled for security reasons. Hopefully, I will go next year. They have another trip, and I will try to go to that one because the work is in the brick kilns, which is particularly difficult for the animals and the local communities. They have problems with poverty, lack of education and how to look after animals and themselves, in a lot of cases. Some of it is so elementary. But to these people, they traditionally (for years and years and centuries) have done things a certain way and have never been shown another way. The world has changed, and it can change even in the poorest communities. I think the work The Brooke does is very impressive. They have a very good team of people that go around all over the place and make a difference. What life lesson might you share with a young woman just coming into her own? I would tell her to think about what she wants to do and how she wants to do it. I would remind her that she must work at it and achieve it herself. Do not expect everybody else to help her with her success. She must go out and do things for herself. She must learn by her mistakes and then put those lessons into practice. If she is a rider, learn from mistakes and relate it back to how she rides horses. I think the system has given too much help too young. That’s difficult for the young because they expect people to do things for them. I would say to her that is not real life. You have got to get out and really push yourself hard, help other people and don’t expect success to come to you without really working for it. ■

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American Made

• hiver 2018 • readelysian.com

Born with what she calls a compulsion to achieve, Jennifer Justice went from humble beginnings to graduation from the University of Washington. An opportunity to attend Cornell University Law School sent her flying across the country to the east coast, thus setting her feet on a path that would lead her to become one of the most highly respected attorneys in the music business— including representing Jay-Z for almost two decades. Today, as co-founder and CEO of The Justice Department, she focuses her talents on helping women build businesses and succeed.

Jennifer Justice

ATTORNEY, MUSIC INDUSTRY EXPERT & WOMEN’S BUSINESS ADVOCATE

You were born in Centralia, Washington. Tell me about your mother and father. They were very young, 16 years old, when they had their first child and only 19 when they learned they were pregnant with me. My father worked at a supermarket. I don’t know that my mother was working at the time.

You are the second child of three children. Are your parents together today? No, they were getting divorced when I was born.

Your mother remarried three times; do you remember how many times you moved? Before the third grade, probably six or seven times.

And after the third grade?

We stayed in Centralia for six years. When my mother remarried, we moved to Yakima, Washington.

Where were you living during your teenage years, and what were they like?

My teens were split between Centralia and then Yakima. I was a cheerleader and on the dance team, all normal teenage activities. I was very social and outgoing.

You were a good kid?

I don’t know about that. I liked to have fun, and I went out a lot. I wasn’t a “stay at home” type, but I did well in school. My grades were really, really good. I liked to push boundaries though.

You attended the University of Washington for your undergraduate degree and completed law school at Cornell.

Yes. They gave me scholarships and grants. I signed up for financial aid et cetera because my parents had no money. I was given work study grants, and basically, the four years of undergraduate school were free. I think it was like $8,000. I was very lucky.

You tested exceptionally well and achieved success in school. Why?

Both of my parents were very smart. I was just born with a compulsion that I had to do exceptionally well. Academia came naturally to me. When I applied myself, I would achieve.

Did you envision yourself as a lawyer doing the type of work that you do now? No, not at all. I didn’t know what I might end up doing. I certainly did not have any kind of vision. There were no mentors or examples of success to show me what it was possible for me to do. Some of my friends’ parents were in business, but I didn’t really understand what that meant. So, becoming a lawyer was more de facto because I didn’t know what else to do after school.

You moved from the west coast to the east coast for law school. How did Cornell come about?

When you take the LSAT, you sign up for the LSDAS, a service that aggregates data about you, including your financial status. I was solicited by Cornell to apply with a fee waiver since it was too expensive to even apply to those schools. I was accepted, and a few weeks later, I was given a scholarship. It was like a gift. I had to say yes, right?

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Did you assimilate well at Cornell? Was the transition easy?

I had never been to the east coast, never flown cross country before. I landed at night in Ithaca, New York, and I didn’t know anybody. It was very clear that a lot of these kids had totally different backgrounds and upbringing than me. Many had parents who had attended law school, undergraduate or even prep school there. (I didn’t even know what prep school was.) I thought if you were sent to boarding school, you did something bad, that your parents didn’t like you. I didn’t know that attending prep school was a good thing. It was just a whole different world. I showed up wearing patched Levi’s and Adidas. I literally looked the part, straight out of a grunge video. They asked, “Oh, so you are from Seattle?” “How did you know?” I laughed.

Q Did you make friends there?

Yes, I made friends. It is a small school with approximately 180 in the freshman class. None of us really knew each other even though some may have had similar backgrounds. However, we were all in it together.

After you passed the bar, you worked at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, which is a big Wall Street firm. How was that experience?

It was good, and I’m still in touch with them today. They are very interested in making sure their lawyers are happy. If you’re not, they like to help you find a new space. I have talked to many of their associates about other things they may want to do. I was a litigation associate, which is not at all what I ended up practicing. I learned a lot of interesting things as far as big firms go. I probably had a better experience than most people.

You have two amazing six-year-olds. Did you transfer that professional loneliness into their wellbeing?

The reason I chose to have kids was because I came from so little and then came this far. There had to be more than just being able to buy another handbag or going on another amazing vacation. So, passing that along to children was a big thing. Since they were born, I haven’t ever felt that kind of loneliness. For me, it literally was about building your tribe.

You waited before you had your children.

I wanted to really be sure. For so many people, it is not a conscious decision. It’s just like, “Oh, I’ll just have kids.” But it is a sacrifice. There are a lot of compromises, especially if you live in New York with crazy, fun, fast-paced lives. You have to be willing to stop. You know, things change.

Can you take me through the steps of being a single mother and share the experience?

Once I decide something, I just do it. When I think back, I ask myself, “How did I do that?” It was an out-of-body experience. I had them by IVF, with a sperm donor. My mom was a single mother for the most part, and most of the women in my family have at some point been single moms. I was just a single mom with some means. It was easier because I was able to hire people, which made it a lot more convenient. I shouldn’t say easier. It’s hard. But there is a different convenience level with means. I didn’t know any better, so being a single mother wasn’t as daunting to me. So many people have told me they could never be a single parent. The reality is with the current divorce rate, about 50 percent of the population is a single parent at one time or another.

Can you take me through the steps of being a single mother and share the experience?

Your life sounds very dreamlike, very unchallenged. Was it?

No, it wasn’t unchallenged at all. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had something defined as the Impostor Syndrome. I would ask myself, “Why am I here?” I didn’t relate to anybody. I thought nobody had my background or understood what it was like not to have money or know people or have family that had gone to school. My mother didn’t graduate from high school. It was very odd. It wasn’t until I moved to New York that I understood that there were people of all shapes and sizes, different in every way, that fit everything. I don’t mean literally shapes and sizes, but people that were different and had backgrounds similar to mine.

Did you ever tell anyone that you were lonely?

I had a law school boyfriend. He knew I was pretty miserable for a while. My second year of law school, I met two women: one from Oregon and one from upstate New York. The three of us became very fast friends. They helped me assimilate more into law school and like it a little bit more. It was essentially “finding your tribe,” your footing on your own, versus having your parent’s network of friends or having people you grew up with doing the same thing. It probably took me longer to find that network. I had come this far, and I certainly couldn’t stop. I just had to go through it and get to the other side.

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How do you feel when you visit your parent’s home in Washington state?

It’s like a foreign place. It is where I grew up, and I understand it. It’s just that my life is so different now. I don’t really know how to explain it. I grew up there in a completely different situation where basic day-to-day needs were something that you had to think about. Here, those needs are taken for granted. It almost makes me feel guilty when I go back there, living the lifestyle that I live, because it is how most people live.

When you visit your parent’s respective homes in Washington next month, what will you get out of it?

I think it’s great for the kids to see them, see where I’m from and understand where they are from ultimately.

Do you think that it will bring them perspective as well? Hopefully. I don’t know at this age, but yes. A little bit.

Do you have nephews and nieces around the same age?

No. I have nieces and nephews, but my sister had kids when she was very young. One of my nieces has kids older than mine.

Did you feel that your mother loved you the same way you love your babies?

Yes, but could you imagine being 16 years old and having kids? I know 16-year-old girls, and it is crazy to think about a 16-year-old mother who is also trying to be her own person, trying to figure out who she is. How can you raise a child and be an adult figure when you are just a child?

Jennifer Justice with her twins, Jack and Nico. She says that her humble upbringing and extremely prosperous career inspired her to want to pass her successes along.

Do you feel guilty for your success?

Yes. I think it’s real. Like when you spend a ridiculous amount of money on a pair of shoes and realize that is somebody’s rent for months on end. I try to “meet in the middle” and put it in perspective and acknowledge the privileges that I have now.

How did you end up with your law firm, advocating for women in the world of celebrity?

From a very young age, I recognized that women weren’t treated the same as men. We didn’t get access to the same things. I never understood why. I always wanted to rebel when I was told I couldn’t get something, or I couldn’t do something. It wasn’t like I was encouraged to go to college. It was quite the opposite because our family didn’t do those kinds of things. So, of course, I chose to go to college, law school and live 3,000 miles away in New York. It doesn’t matter what kind of wealth a woman has either; they all face barriers. No matter how high up you get, it doesn’t change.

You have the backs of women because no one had your back?

I just know that I’m a very good advocate for other people. I’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s easy for me to protect my clients and make sure that they’re getting the best possible service or deal; whatever it is that I’m doing for them. I know that I’m good at it. I really believe that if women and men were equal, the world would just be a much better place.

How many clients do you carry at any given point?

I have about 40 to 50. But clients have differing needs at different times. Work load varies with individual’s needs.

What is the percentage of female to male? 95 percent female.

Yet, you are known for having represented Jay-Z for almost two decades.

That was a different incarnation when I was representing just musicians. At that point, it was probably 80 percent men, to 20 percent women. I represented him individually when I was at a firm called Carroll Guido & Groffman, and then I went to Roc Nation and helped him build that with a whole team. It was 17 years total.

Once I decide something, I just do it. When I think back, I ask myself, “How did I do that?” It was an out-of-body experience. I had them by IVF, with a sperm donor. My mom was a single mother for the most part, and most of the women in my family have at some point been single moms. I was just a single mom with some means. It was easier because I was able to hire people, which made it a lot more convenient. I shouldn’t say easier. It’s hard. But there is a different convenience level with means. I didn’t know any better, so being a single mother wasn’t as daunting to me. So many people have told me they could never be a single parent. The reality is with the current divorce rate about 50 percent of the population is a single parent at one time or another. readelysian.com • été 2019 •

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So, tell me about Jay-Z.

I always did well with musical clients because we mostly came from the same kind of background. Usually, they did not have a lot of money, came from a broken home, with no father figure around all the time. They were never in a position to hire a lawyer. You understand what I mean? And that’s an intimidating thing, right? Having to hire a lawyer? Can you imagine having to do that? I don’t even know how to interview a lawyer. So, it was always great working with him because he is an extremely loyal person, extremely demanding and very smart. Jay-Z is one of those rare breeds that literally has the “complete” brain (half business and half creative), and it’s usually one or the other. He has always been truly visionary and demanded excellence and pushed us. For him, there is no such thing as a “standard deal” or the idea that “this is just how things are.” We were always doing state-of-the-art, first-class deals and ground breaking stuff.

If you were to say something to Jay-Z, what would it be? Thank you.

Has there been anyone, other than Jay-Z, that was a game changer for you?

There have been people throughout my life who have supported me. But, that experience with Jay-Z is probably the most profound.

What differentiates you from a typical attorney focused on the women centric genre? The Justice Department, your firm’s name, does it bring business?

I have been advocating for my clients for 20 years. It doesn’t intimidate me anymore. No one can really intimidate me. I stand up for my clients and understand where art meets commerce. That sweet spot is what they need, and it helps me see a brighter vision for them. First and foremost, I’m a business lawyer and a business person. I build a bigger vision for my clients. I get clients through word of mouth, so the name is not the draw. I’ve had a whole client base before. My two cofounders are well known in their fields of expertise: one in tax investment, one in tech startups and social impact and me in entertainment. We had all been practicing law the last 20 years, advising men and making them a lot of money. We had a front row seat in how they do business with each other. We decided to overthrow the patriarchy basically. We were having dinners together, and people, mostly women, were asking us individually to represent them or consult for them. So, we decided to just do it and really focus on helping women build their businesses and succeed. Unfortunately, it’s just not what women are taught. Growing up, we’re not trained the way men are. We

don’t play team sports, which is big because it really teaches you how work with others to achieve a goal and gives you confidence. We don’t get those day-to-day lessons. And when you graduate from college, women don’t typically have college roommates or the dad network either. Our firm wants to be a conduit for women and be available in all the different services. We offer corporate development, business strategy and development and legal services. Those services are provided from female founders to executives, brands, talent and creatives.

Is this your last job?

I think so. It’s really humbling because we’ve got a lot of amazing outreach, people wanting to hire us, et cetera. It’s become abundantly clear that they feel more comfortable with female representation. A lot of women feel more comfortable being vulnerable about what they do and don’t know about business around other women. We want to help them get the best deals. If they’re not feeling comfortable telling an attorney their vulnerabilities, how could they possibly be getting the best deals?

What is your biggest fear?

I have a poverty mentality. I grew up with nothing. I’m always scared of not having anything. For me now, it’s more about being able to provide for the kids. That’s really it.

Where will you be 15 years from now?

In more of an advisory capacity, serving on some boards perhaps. I want to continue my work, but not on a day-to-day basis, because hopefully by then, we’ve grown this company into something really big. We don’t want to remain just the three of us. We want to grow the company while helping a lot of women and make ourselves redundant. That’s the goal, right? We are not talking about female founders or female law firms. We’re talking about law firms equally represented; that is the ultimate goal.

Is there any talent just unbelievably gifted?

Jay-Z because he thinks with both sides of his brain in a way that most people don’t. They get stuck in either the creative or business end. He was always pushing us as a visionary. I was extremely fortunate to work with him for so long and see that. It’s hard to compare others to him. I mean, of the clients that I have right now, Margo is obviously extremely talented. She is multidimensional and very creative. I represent another band called Mondo Cozmo that are just guys. Phenomenal songwriters whose words go right to your core and are so relatable. They are amazing.

What piece of advice can you give our cover model Margo from your life experiences that legitimately may help her?

Jennifer Justice represented Jay-Z for 17 years. She says that he was a visionary and always pushed against the status quo.

I was very fortunate to be working with somebody like Jay-Z in the beginning. He wasn’t who he is today. We all grew up together. I think we all felt a little bit entitled. So, no matter what, you have to stay humble and thankful and grateful for every step along the way because you just never know where you will end up. Go along for the ride knowing that you’re very lucky to be where you are. That’s something that I wish I had known earlier. We were privileged to be hanging out with the crew that we were hanging out with. People read about these people in magazines. When you’re in it every day, it just seems normal and natural.

And then one day you lift your head up…

Yes. And you say to yourself that this is crazy. I should be more thankful for where I am today, be more humble about the whole experience and learn to not take anything for granted. ■

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For more than 18 years, Lou Kennedy has worked for Nephron Pharmaceuticals. In 2007, Lou assumed the lead position as the company’s CEO. Experiencing mercuric growth, doubling the employee base in less than two years and completing a $12 million expansion in March of 2019 for an additional 50,000 square feet, Lou seeks the best high-tech equipment (95 percent of which heralds from Germany or Switzerland) to fill the state of the art facility.

Lou Kennedy

CEO & OWNER OF NEPHRON PHARMACEUTICALS CORP.

You are an only child. Was your mother an educator?

Yes. My mother was a schoolteacher for 40 years. She was great with very unruly little boys and was an amazing first grade teacher for that reason. I think she was more comfortable around males. I probably have a little bit of that tendency. She is a very loyal woman and very protective of her family. She is also very direct and expects a lot. I believe that 100 percent of the reason I am a perfectionist and hard worker is because she expected a lot. That is not to say she was pushy. She would say, “I’m okay with any of your results, it just needs to be the very best you can give.” She never said, “I expect As.” She just expected me to live inside the rulebook.

You were recently inducted into the S.C. Public School Graduates and S.C. Educator Hall Fame.

Yes, I am proud of that award. I have no idea who nominated me. I get very tired of hearing that we need to work on education in South Carolina. I agree. We should always strive to be better. We have a lot of opportunity to improve, but we also have a lot of success. When we continually talk about what’s wrong, we don’t celebrate what’s right. There are quite a few of us that turned out to be okay, and we were educated here in South Carolina. Let’s talk about that. Not just what’s wrong, but what’s right.

Why did you major in journalism at the University of South Carolina?

Originally, I thought I might like to be a food writer or a television chef. This was before Paula Dean. I love to cook and bake. But broadcast probably wasn’t an option for me with this accent. I looked at advertising and the public relations side, and thought public relations was a good fit. I have a marketing minor from the business school because I am wired like a salesman or a marketer. I cannot stop thinking about how to create things.

You are the consummate creator with a competitive edge?

There is no question that winning and competition is a huge motivating force in every aspect of life. I hate to lose. The creative

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part is just in my DNA. It is my therapy and release. I absolutely love any kind of art and design. When I was a new single mom, for a short time, I supported my daughter and me in part, through painting. I feel like we should quit talking about STEM and talk about STEAM because it’s a proven fact that, when you weave the arts into the equation, you are more productive. I believe it gives us a better outcome when we think about things with both the left and the right brain.

You met your husband at a football game in 2000?

That’s right. South Carolina Gamecocks beat Georgia. It was a great year and not always the outcome when those two teams play. We met in the fall of 2000 at a local restaurant owned by his fraternity brother.

Was it something that happened immediately, or was it a friendship that evolved over time?

Well, my girlfriend who set us up called me the next day and said, “What did you think about our friend, Bill?” I said, “I’m a tall girl. He’s not so tall. I’m younger. He’s older. He’s probably not my type. I’m probably not his type. I don’t know.” She said this famous line: “Let’s review your type. How’s that working for you?” I said, “You have a point. If he calls me, I’ll definitely go out with him and see where it goes.” About the third or fourth date, we began talking more frequently about his business, politics and life.

So, it was his mind? His brain is amazing.

Tell me about Nephron and you becoming CEO and president of the company. When I first met my husband, I asked him what he did for a living. He said, “I’m a pharmacist, and I have a manufacturing facility.” As any mom will tell you, if your child has ever been on a medication, you immediately become an expert on that disease and medication. When he told me that he made albuterol, like any mom, I immediately

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said, “My child has had bronchitis and has been on albuterol.” I am also wired like a marketer, so I asked, “Who are your customers? Who do you sell to? Who do you market to?” His old company only had three customers: a nationwide home care company and a couple of other home care companies that worked out non-competes. The entire conversation happened within ten minutes after I met him. “Why don’t you diversify? I mean, three customers? Doesn’t it seem like you might need to expand on that?” I can’t help myself. This is just how I think. When we started dating, he said, “I really love single moms who get no child support or alimony. They work harder than anybody else to support their kids, and they’re the best employees.” I remember saying, “Thanks, I guess.” And I said, “I would never work with you if we are to continue dating.” About a year and a half later, I finally realized that it would make a lot of sense if we worked in the same place, so that if we wanted to go to a football game or anything, we’d be on roughly the same schedule. When I started with Nephron, he asked me to build a sales force so that we could diversify and move into other classes of trade, like hospitals. Later on, in 2006, we entered into the pharmacy or retail class of trade. The sales force was my baby. I had absolutely no clue how to build a sales force. I decided that if I liked to sell and I liked to close, I would fly around the country and meet people who have a similar work ethic. It seemed to me that should work, and it did. I do the sales training, and we grew the company very, very quickly. Now, it is much harder to carve out time. We started adding equipment and machinery, and in 2006, we opened Nephron up to the retail class of trade. By 2007, he asked me to take over as CEO. I learned very quickly that, as a right brain gal, I had a lot to learn about a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant. I am very comfortable selling, but I had to learn about the company. I had to get into our chemistry and microbiology labs and learn what it means to do an assay test, what osmolarity means and a few other things. I began to review each department to see how I could “put my stamp” on it—boost efficiency, lower costs, and in particular, make improvements in the area of quality. I began very grassroots and just rolled up my sleeves.

Tell me about the sales force.

We have sales reps all over the country, some with bigger territories than others. We have an inside sales force of about 20 who support the approximately 20 outside folks.

Marketing?

I love it. Because that’s my background, we do everything inhouse from the original idea to creating the marketing collaterals. You have to remember too, that the 21-year-old part of our business is in the generics business. We don’t do the same type of marketing as a larger branded pharma might where you market directly to the consumer. We market to certain channels through conferences as well as directly to the hospitals. We offer valueadded service around their needs through samples.

How many products?

We have 25 in the 21-year-old part of our business, which are all respiratory, nebulizer solutions. In the two-year-old division of our company, we have about 45.

How many employees does Nephron have?

We’re about to hit a thousand. We have four shifts and lots of automation here. When you walk through our facility, you don’t see too many people, unless you’re in our labs, because they’re doing a lot of regulatory functions and review of paperwork and things like that. It doesn’t look like a factory might have 50 years ago.

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How do you and your husband divide the workload? Is it by skill, or do you share everything?

We absolutely can finish each other sentences. We share everything, but his focus is on business development. He looks at new products, companies to work with, licensing or purchasing product. He also focuses on the development of new products here in-house. We have a lot of European equipment here. When we were building this facility, he really focused on global currency for conversion purposes. He easily saved us 25 percent on our equipment costs just by doing that.

Your equipment comes from Switzerland and Germany?

Yes, I would say 95 percent of all the equipment that you see in this facility comes from Germany or Switzerland. We consider them our sister locations. Our packaging equipment comes from Bosch, which is located in Schaffhausen outside of Zurich, Wilco, Maropack in Zell, along with Rommelag in Germany. I am very impressed by the technology from that part of our world. The automation is amazing. We are currently looking at new equipment from other vendors in that area.

From 2000 to 2007, Nephron experienced tremendous growth.

I hate to say it, but we’ve been in tremendous growth mode for the last 19 years that I’ve worked with this company, truly. Beginning in January of 2017, we marketed $5,000 in products. Last month (2019), we shipped over 11 million. So, in two short years, we have grown exponentially. We just finished a $12 million expansion and received the certificate of occupancy for an additional 50,000 square feet of clean rooms and more office space last week. We had 425 employees last December, and we have almost a thousand now. Explosive growth is all I know.

Lou Kennedy and Joe Wilson, U.S. Representative for South Carolina, at Nephron Pharmaceutical headquarters in Lexington County, South Carolina.

Q What lesson can you share with young women from the wisdom you have garnered through life’s ups and downs?

Does it scare you? No, I love it.

Do you ever have fear?

There’s one time of the year that we have all of the employees come together over a three-day period. It’s called Current Good Manufacturing Practices Training. When they are all together like that, I look out, and I see how many people are counting on me to make good decisions, and I get a lump in my throat. These are decisions that affect their families, their family’s insurance. Good decisions have to be made. You’ve got to lead the right way. I never think about it on a daily basis, but, at that particular time of the year, it’s very—I don’t know. I become very conscious of the responsibility. It’s right in your face.

It is a huge responsibility.

I don’t think about it every day. I push forward and want to win. But when I see those people, it’s a reminder that winning is good, and you’ve got to make the right decisions.

What brings you joy?

Well, a big win on the South Carolina football field is a big joyful thing. Nephron is a really young company, and it’s a joy to watch everybody that works in the various departments grow and achieve new and greater skills and knowledge. My daughter works here, and it is great to see her accomplishments.

Talk to me about manufacturing. What’s the biggest manufacturing challenge that you have in the 21st century in the United States of America?

Up until Trump made it into The White House, the single biggest challenges were the regulatory hurdles. Since Trump has been in office, they have really focused on deregulation and making the FDA easier to navigate. So, my answer’s a little different than it would have been two and a half years ago. You can purchase the automated equipment, and you can drive efficiencies. Those things are pretty easy. But because you have no control, it is still hard to navigate the regulatory waters.

I think I read a quote that either you gave or was attributed to you: “I’m a New Yorker with a Southern accent.”

Yes, I definitely have this accent, but in every other way, I’m like a New Yorker. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that.

Do you have investors in this company, or is it private?

No. It’s private. My two stepdaughters, my husband and I own it outright.

Do you ever consider anything about divesting?

No, I would never want to take this company public. I don’t want to answer to anybody other than myself and my husband at this juncture in life.

What’s a 503B?

That is the new division of our company, which is the title of the regulations that Congress passed in 2013 in response to what happened in Boston with the New England Compounding Center. Some of their injectable medications were contaminated, and many people who were using those medications contracted spinal meningitis and died. Congress decided that it was time for the FDA to govern sterile compounding, while allowing the boards of pharmacy to still be involved. The ultimate governance would move to the Federal Government. 503B regulation sets forth the standards they expect. 503B sterile compounding is whatever the manufacturers, big pharma, generic pharma, must

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do to be considered a current good manufacturing practice facility. It is the assurance that, if you get any medication that was made by a sterile compounder, it was done in an environment like manufacturing.

How is the 503B doing?

It is the division of our company that’s grown the fastest. In January two years ago, our sales were $5,000, and now we are at eleven million in a month.

What do want to be remembered for?

Leaving this place better than I found it. Making sure that women in the South know that it’s okay to be a breadwinner. It’s okay to do things other than having a M-R-S Degree. It’s okay to work really hard. It’s okay to be a mother and a businesswoman; they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. We have a long way to go in many parts of the Southeast paving the way for women to work as hard as you and I do, have a family and be proud of both.

Have you instilled that in your daughter?

Well, I’ve tried to model that, and I have talked about it ad nauseam. Who knows what will happen when I’m no longer on the planet. But, she’s seen it by example. I wish she’d embrace it a little more because I took so long to really get started on this part of my life. I was in my late 30s before I started to get it right, and those were such great wasted years of working hard but not in the right way. I was losing a lot of my youth working really hard but not accumulating any wealth or doing the right things with it.

Tell me about that because your life seems so charmed.

I had a great upbringing, and then I made a poor choice in a husband. I got a great daughter out of it, but I made a poor choice in the sense of trying to build a happy home life, accumulate wealth and do something for my child’s future. Until I got out of that situation, which was extremely difficult, I had some really lean years. And I’ll tell you, I am forever thankful for those almost ten years because I believe it helped me to have an unofficial PhD in psychology. I have a zero-bullshit tolerance. I don’t allow any lying around me. I will fire people for a lie. I just don’t tolerate cheating or lying.

Were you abused? Oh, verbally for sure.

Do you feel all of that made you what you are?

Yes. I actually was called names. I had to ask people what they meant because I didn’t know some of those nasty words until I was called them. I’d have to say, “What does that mean?”

Were there drugs involved? Yes.

So, you’re familiar with addiction? Painfully so. Both drugs and alcohol.

Addiction is something you are sensitive to, but surviving it also made you who you are?

Yes, it helps me in everything I do today because I know what sets people off and what doesn’t. I can read temperament very well. It is like a PhD in psychology.

What lesson can you share with young women from the wisdom you have garnered through life’s ups and downs?

Always put your whole heart into anything that you do. Tackle anything with all the effort you can muster. Focus on winning or achieving, whatever needs to be done, and do it a hundred-plus percent every time. There’s no way you can’t have a great life if you do that. There’s no way. And faith is important. Have confidence and faith in yourself or God or your higher power, whatever you need, to muster that kind of resolve. Have a work ethic. That’s been so lost. I find a lot of the younger folks that I interviewed can’t self-start. They can’t make a decision without a syllabus or a roadmap. They don’t have problem solving skills, and I think if we could, as parents, get out of the way and let our kids fail a little bit, let them trip up a little bit, make their own decisions, we’d be doing them a better service. And then I would tell you that as a lady in the Southeast and a mom in the Southeast, we have a lot of opportunity to inspire young ladies to do anything they want. Not just certain career paths, but to be able to make it okay to be a working mom or a working woman without kids. A woman who can be married or be single, and it’s okay. There shouldn’t be just one cookie-cutter way of doing things. ■

ELYSIAN Publisher Karen Floyd interviews Lou Kennedy in the conference room at Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

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Tackle anything with all the effort you can muster. Focus on winning or achieving, whatever needs to be done, and do it a hundred plus percent every time.There’s no way you can’t have a great life if you do that.There’s no way.

PRIVILEGED ACCESS TO THE MOST DISTINCTIVE JEWELS

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• hiver 2018 • readelysian.com

When her line of cosmetics for women of color caught the eye of editors at Essence magazine, Susan Taylor had no idea that she would one day lead the publication as Editorin-Chief. Having grown circulation to 1.5 million, she left the business after 37 years to create the National CARES Mentoring Movement, a nonprofit devoted to transforming the lives of underprivileged black children through mentorship and inspiration.

FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF ESSENCE

Susan L. Taylor Who most influenced you growing up?

My grandmother. I am a grandmother now, and my granddaughter hopefully feels as much love for me as I did for my grand. As grandmothers, we have more time and greater patience. I am wiser and more balanced today than I was when raising my daughter. I grew up in a one-bedroom Harlem tenement; my father had a ladies’ boutique on the street level in a busy, commercial area. We lived on the second floor of a five-story building, walk-up with maybe 50 families. My grandmother would drive in every summer and take my brother and me to her home in Englewood, New Jersey, which I thought was a mansion. It was a beautiful home. I had my own room. When she asked what we wanted for dinner, we would get on our bikes and ride into town and choose what we wanted her to cook for us. Mother would take us to beaches, to lakes in Upstate New York and to the Hamptons. Not in the glorious Hamptons, where we now have a home, but to the Shinnecock Reservation where she’d rent rooms for the family. She exposed me to a world far beyond what my parents offered.

Your family originally came from the Caribbean. Your father was in mercantile. What about your grandmother?

Grandmother was a businesswoman. Long before I was born, she had a tailor shop and a bar. She also helped my uncle buy a building and open a liquor store. My great grandmother, who I’m named after, had a soda business in Trinidad and a hot pepper sauce business in Harlem. I come from an entrepreneurial family.

Editor-in-Chief of Essence magazine…how did you enter the world of publishing?

Publishing found me. Originally, my career was in cosmetics. I thought I wanted to be an actress. I looked up on a screen one day and saw Dorothy Dandridge playing Carmen Jones. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I said, “Oh, I want to do that.” But I’d never even been in a play, and I wasn’t a good actor but still won roles. I was understudying the lead actress in a three-character play at the Booth Theatre on Broadway. I could not get the inane

part in my head, and the lead was on stage the entire play. I said, “Lord, if you let me out of this one, I promise I’ll find my métier, because surely this is not it.” I was the only person who was happy that the play closed on opening night. Twenty years later, I looked down at that Broadway theatre from my office at Essence.

From acting to cosmetology school and eventually Editor-inChief of Essence magazine. What an interesting journey?

Well, in 1970 when Essence was created, black women who had journalism degrees were not interested in writing about anything as mundane as beauty. I was a cosmetologist at the time and had created a line of custom blended cosmetics for women of color which came to the attention of the Essence editors. When I heard about an opportunity at Essence, I applied for the position with a lot of confidence. Confidence as a 24-year old was easily mustered. At times, I have to work hard at it. At the time, I was married to a man who had two beauty salons, so I didn’t need the job. I came in looking like a beauty editor, even though I didn’t know exactly what that post entailed. I knew the fundamentals of the makeup of our skin and hair and what they needed to be healthy and to thrive, and that impressed the Editor-in-Chief. I had found my passion and did a good job as beauty editor, so they expanded my role to include the fashion editor position. We were building a brand new publication, and I built a high-performance team—so needed because magazinemaking is a collaborative effort. I served as fashion and beauty editor for 10 years. Then for one year, we were under the leadership of a chief editor who was super smart but didn’t understood what our readers were looking for. Respectfully, I never mention a name. She missed the boat, and the magazine lost a tremendous amount of circulation. Because I was in charge of images, the covers and fashion and beauty pages, the style aesthetic of the magazine, our publisher believed I could guide the publication from cover to cover. Not just with style, but with all the content. He gave me the chance to be the Editor-in-Chief.

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At the onset of your tenure with Essence, did you envision that you would one day be the Editor-in-Chief for Essence magazine? Never.

What kind of pressure did you experience serving in that post?

You know, I enjoyed it…life, work and everything. But I always tell young people to not be fooled, that there is no work that’s not difficult. Managing people, deadlines, making decisions every moment of the day is challenging. And leadership is lonely. We have to pursue our passion. I love editing. I loved trying to understand what our audience needed and asking the questions that would keep me informed and the magazine relevant. Like you’re asking me. You seek out people who care deeply about your mission and vision, remain nimble, share the light with the team. You don’t always need to be right and apologize when it’s called for. And primarily you’ve got to find people who write brilliantly. I enjoyed every moment as Editor-in-Chief of the magazine.

What is the most potent life challenge you have had to date?

It was the breakup of my first marriage. I was a young mother. I was married three years before my daughter was born. The breakup happened when my baby was six weeks old. It was devastating. I had no man. No money. I had a cosmetics business that was gone. He had a girlfriend. He asked me to “not talk about him” publicly, because he was a hairdresser and it would hurt his business. He wasn’t a great hair designer at all, but the women lined up because he was so handsome.

How long did it take you to rebound from that?

It threw me out on my own. I am the person I am today because of that shake-up. I have come to see that everything in our lives— even the most painful or shameful things—are all in divine order. The truth, I was living with the pain of poverty, more than the pain of a marriage gone. During that first marriage was the only time in my life that I didn’t have to work. But I am a worker. I love it! And in hindsight, I never would have advanced my life if I hadn’t been thrown onto myself.

Have you ever wanted to quit publishing work? Never. Ever.

Did you ever worry about your work not being successful?

Never. You worry less when you are younger. I worry now more than I did then. In our twenties and thirties, we are often naïve, fearless, confident that we can do anything. I got the job by walking into the Editor-in-Chief ’s office and saying, “If you give me an opportunity to do your beauty pages, I’ll be the best beauty editor you could possibly find.” She believed me because I believed me. Today, I would never have such confidence.

Was your strength in the publication’s aesthetics content or finance?

Not finance. I absolutely gravitated to the aesthetics because it was my interest from the time I founded a cosmetics company and then at Essence, where I had the responsibility for working with style teams and art directors for my pages, which as fashion and beauty editor, was the majority of the magazine. When I became Editor-in-Chief, I was more representative of the reader than any of the editors because they had all graduated from college. I had not gone to college at that point. Right after high school, I went to acting school. From there, I built my cosmetics company. I went to college after I became the chief editor of Essence magazine. Many of the readers’ lives were very much like my own. Many were single moms, juggling the personal and the professional, trying to hold it all together, balance it all.

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How did “In the Spirit” come about?

I stepped into the Editor-in-Chief position not wanting to write a monthly editorial. The person I was succeeding (not the one who lost the job) who really created the foundation that I built upon, Marcie Ann Gillespie, was brilliant, as were her editorials. She wrote about politics and women’s issues. I said there’s no way, as a fashion and beauty editor (who at the time only had a commercial high school diploma), I could step in and write as brilliantly as she did. I tried to excuse myself from that task, but our publisher said, “Oh, no, you have to write a monthly editorial.” I paused and thought about what was most important to me. Even though I was worried, I decided to write about what I was really pursuing: spiritual knowledge and growth. It was the path that I was on, and the one that I’m still on. My editorial was called “In the Spirit,” and it became, surprisingly, the most popular feature in the magazine.

What was Essence’s circulation when you left?

Our readership was 8 million. Circulation was about 1.5 million. It was just print at that time. We weren’t counting digital. Now, they’re counting everything.

Was there one person during your tenure at Essence that made more of a difference than anyone else? Who and why?

Marcia Ann Gillespie, who was the Editor-in-Chief for nine years. She wasn’t the chief editor when I was hired but the managing editor then. Later, when I became fashion and beauty editor, I didn’t feel confident in my writing, though I spoke well. I am from a Caribbean family that was part of the British system in Trinidad and St. Kitts, where my dad was from. You are taught to write well and speak well, but I felt I couldn’t write. Marcia Ann Gillespie said, “If you can speak, you can write.” That pushed me when I was writing the fashion and beauty pages. It really encouraged me. So, Marcia Ann Gillespie was my greatest encouragement.

You are now in the not-for-profit space. Tell me about the National CARES Mentoring Movement.

You asked me about choices. I think life takes us where we need to be. New Orleans is the site of the Essence Festival. Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city and devastated many of the lives of people and families of those who worked with us. I let the Essence family know that we had to do more, “We cannot go back into New Orleans and have the kind of party we have done in the past. It has to be a party with a deeper purpose.” I was on vacation in Zanzibar on the East Coast of Africa. In meditation, I asked myself, “What should we request of the hundreds of thousands of people who come to New Orleans for the Essence Music Festival? What might we ask of them?” I just knew it was to take care of vulnerable children, and that is what we did that next year. Although the movement was founded as Essence Cares, it is now called the National CARES Mentoring Movement because I couldn’t allow people use the Essence name. Very simply, we’re asking able AfricanAmericans to help mentor our vulnerable children. We recruit, train and then deploy mentors to youth-serving organizations. We are hoping to bring this effort to Spartanburg. When the call goes out for mentors, it is white women who are typically the first responders, followed by white men and then black women and then black men. White women lead because many more are stay-at-home moms, and many have more support and therefore more free time. We need more black mentors. We don’t turn away any child in need. We don’t turn away any qualified mentor. However, we are devoted to filling that pipeline with desperately needed African-American mentors, so the multitudes of black children struggling in poverty will know there is a community of able African Americans who care about them and will not let them fall.

Who most influenced you growing up? My grandmother. Why and how?

Susan Taylor, former Editor-inChief of Essence, along with Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Amina Baraka, Angela Davis and friends celebrating Toni Morrison’s 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. Morrison was the first American woman to win in 55 years and the first African American to ever win this coveted award.

How difficult was the transition from serving as Editor in Chief of a hugely successful private publication/brand to leading a significant not-for-profit?

We launched Essence Cares in Atlanta, and it was moving along brilliantly. I really didn’t know much about the nonprofit world. At the time, I was still working at Essence, and it wasn’t just the magazine. Essence was also the music festival, eyewear and hosiery. The brand became ubiquitous. When I learned that 80 percent of black fourth graders were reading below grade level, I was incredulous. I called Marian Wright Edelman at the Children’s Defense Fund. I said, “This cannot be true.” She said “African-Americans are losing ground in literacy. In fact, the whole nation is.” I was outraged. And I thought, I’ve been at Essence 37 years. They don’t need me anymore. My community does. With a high-performance team, we took what was a single magazine and built a brand that exploded and is the most respected in Black America. With a high-performance and support of foundations and donors who realize that poverty is “the shame of the nation,” and want to change that, we are breaking the intergenerational cycle of impoverishment. It wasn’t a difficult choice at all, but it is hard work.

Your focus is a much broader vision than just the National Cares Mentoring Movement?

It is “America the Beautiful.” I want it to be so. We sing it, we say it. I want it to come from the heart because we’re living it. We can’t live and be America the Beautiful when we have a third of black children living in poverty, and one in seven of all children living in poverty. We never

see white poverty. If you haven’t read Hillbilly Elegy, it would be worth reading. It’s the story about what poverty does to white people. It is the same story told always but only about black poverty. Poverty hurts, no matter our race. When a person doesn’t have access to education, in today’s economy, they are denied a way to take care of themselves and their families well. Education is the barrier. And we can change that! This has been a debate in our nation since Plessy v. Ferguson, which was supposed to foster separate but equal access to all things. But access has never been equal. It would break your heart to see the young people and children in the schools where we work, who come to school having slept in shelters. They can only stay in some shelters for three months, and then their families must move out and move on. Consequently, they must change schools. These young people live in poverty and are surrounded by violence. They are homeless and hungry. Yet, they are measured by the same yardstick that our children are measured by. It’s unjust, terribly unfair. This is not about politics or parties. It’s about children, people’s lives. We are building bipartisan support and caring political leaders will help to fix it. Everybody has a heart, and nobody in this nation, no matter what our politics, wants to see innocent children suffering and living with hunger. So, that’s what I’m working on. National CARES is in 58 cities where our programmatic work is devoted to this effort. We are helping our young ones to override the disparities in education.

What are you creating to help make change?

I’m trying to create a “Marshall Plan” for Black America that will help lift black children out of poverty. We need to access hundreds

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I grew up in a one-bedroom Harlem tenement; my father had a ladies’ boutique on the street level in a busy, commercial area. We lived on the second floor of a five-story building, walk-up with maybe 50 families. My grandmother would drive in every summer and take my brother and me to her home in Englewood, New Jersey, which I thought was a mansion. It was a beautiful home. I had my own room. When she asked what we wanted for dinner, we would get on our bikes and ride into town and choose what we wanted her to cook for us. Mother would take us to beaches, to lakes in Upstate New York and to the Hamptons. Not in the glorious Hamptons, where we now have a home, but to the Shinnecock Reservation where she’d rent rooms for the family. She exposed me to a world far beyond what my parents offered. of millions of dollars over time through the federal government, foundations and caring super-wealthy Americans. In the Senate and in the House, our representatives will come to open their hearts and not feel that people sinking in intergenerational poverty and receiving government support do not deserve it because they “should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.” The U.S. Census Bureau defines extreme poverty as an annual income of $12,195 for a family of four with two related children. Not even a single individual can live anywhere in this country with so little. The disparity in education is what keeps black and white people in poverty. It leads to depression and the slow death of addiction that comes from trying to ease the pain. Property taxes fuel public education, and if you’re living in a poor community, where no one owns a home, there is no property tax. As a result, schools are gravely under-resourced, teachers are overwhelmed and the children are hopeless and sad to the bone. They know they’ve been abandoned by the larger society, written off. We’ve must work together as caring Americans, who believe in democracy, and write them in! We will create America the Beautiful.

What is the first step and goal of America the Beautiful?

We don’t talk about poverty. We don’t talk about race. We don’t talk about what African Americans did to create the wealth of the Western Hemisphere. We don’t talk about the disparity in education. We’re not talking about it. What we do is we blame, and we shame. To me, the most important word in our language is understanding. Understanding! If we understand what African Americans have suffered through. What we lost is indescribable. We were taken by force from our homeland in chains. We suffered brutality beyond the telling, enslavement over 250 years, our free labor that built the wealth of the Western Hemisphere. If we understand what white Americans were fleeing from in Europe, we can understand the propensity to take and to build. But to justify the brutality rendered against the Indigenous people and African people the idea that we were “less than,” that we were inhuman, was adopted to ease the conscious. That belief persists today. Without blaming and shaming, these are the discussions that must be had so America can heal and thrive—which we cannot with so much greed and marginalization. Understanding moves the spirit to wisdom and love, the possibility for healing. Do you know what this is, Karen? It’s the 400th year this August of the first Africans’ arrival at Jamestown or Hampton, Virginia. The place of arrival is debated. It is time we look the history, own it and heal it. No more anger. Let us work toward becoming what we all want in our hearts: peace, joy, a way forward for ourselves and our families. America the Beautiful—it’s the example that the rest of the world needs. Let’s link arms and aims and step toward it!

What have you learned in your life’s journey you might share with young women?

Susan Taylor attends For the Love of Our Children National CARES Mentoring Movement Gala at Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, February 2019. PHOTOGRAPH BY LEV RADIN

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Know that you are enough! You are more than you seem and you see. More than your looks, your education and stuff we believe makes us desirable. You were born on purpose with a purpose that may change over time and that you should strive to fulfill. Self-awareness is the key to our growth and happiness. Don’t be a people pleaser. Women come out of the womb and believe we are here to serve all others but not ourselves. So take charge of your life. Learn to love you, what God made. What others feel about you is none of your business. It’s what you feel about you, that you affirm yourself, have a vision for your future and what you want for your life, that as you strive in that direction leads to fulfillment. And when it comes to seeking and settling with a partner, remember that their gifts—as is true for you—are on the inside. The shell, the exterior. It fades. At 73, I don’t look like I did at 33, but I am wiser, happier and more aware of the truth. Pain is information. It’s not to knock us down. The most profound question I believe we must ask when walking through a storm, which we all do, whether we are president or a street sweeper, is: “What have you come to teach me? What is this situation pushing me to change in my life?” Pause around that, take that information, be with it in the silence. The answer will come—that’s the promise. Draw closer to the Holy Spirit that is alive in you. Be with It, stay open to change, change, change. It’s a natural and important part of life, and keep stepping forward. ■

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ART BAR-RESTAURANT SAANEN

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MITTELGÄSSLI 16 3792 SAANEN

readelysian.com+41 • été 2019 33 748 16•16 | contact@16eme.ch www.16eme.ch

Petrol, Hahn, ringl +pit, 1931 COURTESY OF ART BASEL/ JORGE MARA - LA RUCHE

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The Remarkable world of Grete Stern BY LATRIA GRAHAM

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Self-portrait of Grete Stern, 1956. Below: Her 1948 controversial work, Articulos electricios par el hogar (Electrical appliances for the home). COURTESY OF ART BASEL/ JORGE MARA - LA RUCHE

rete Stern always identified as an artist. From the time she was a small child, her mother enjoyed showing Grete’s talents to friends. Born on May 9, 1904 in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany, she became a skilled musician, playing piano and guitar. When it was time to go off for an education, Stern attended Kunstgewerbeschule (Am Weissenhof) in Stuttgart, studying graphic design under Ernst Schneidler. In 1926, she began working as a freelance graphic design and advertising artist in her hometown of Wuppertal. (Her early work demonstrates some of the collage work she would later refine as a photographer.) In DLH from 1925, a woman in a red hat stares upward at a plane soaring perilously close to her face—the proximity and scale is an illusion but created so seamlessly that this encounter between ordinary things seems surreal. A serendipitous encounter with a new art form would change the direction of Stern’s life. “One day, I saw an exposition of photographs,” Stern recalled in the 1995 documentary Ringl and Pit by Juan Mandelbaum. “I had never thought about [photography], you see. It was Outerbridge and Weston.” Paul Outerbridge and Edward Weston’s work in the mode of photography showed her the shortcomings of her graphic design work: “I was always interested in being able to design faces. What I could do didn’t satisfy myself. When I saw those pictures, I knew at once that I wanted to learn that. So I left my mother and went to Berlin.” It was 1927. A small inheritance allowed Stern to give up her job, acquire a small apartment, purchase a Linhof camera and pay for private lessons with Walter Peterhans, famed German photographer and teacher at the Bauhaus.

n 1929, Ellen Auerbach was also searching for a new start. Raised in a conservative family that provided little financial or emotional encouragement for her art, Auerbach studied sculpture at the Academy of Art in Stuttgart. Two years into

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her practice, she decided to change modes to photography. She came to the city with her 9x12cm camera, a token of appreciation from an uncle, who cherished the sculptured bust that she created in his likeness, and sought out a teacher. She also found Peterhans and tried to get him to take her on as a student, but he insisted he already had one—by the name of Grete Stern. After some convincing, Peterhans took on Auerbach too. Stern would show her the basics, and he would teach her technique. “She looked grown up—I felt like a small child next to her,” Auerbach remembered in the documentary. “She just impressed me, and I was a little scared of her because she had more strength—she was more serious than I was.” In this way, Ellen Auerbach met Grete Stern, and in a few short years, they would use their innovative style to change the commercial advertising landscape in central Europe. Under Peterhans, the pair would learn the basics of what would be known as the Bauhaus basic design philosophy— lighting, geometry and the place where form and function merge. He taught his students to find beauty in the commonplace. In 1930, when their instructor moved to Dessau to become the master of photography at the Bauhaus School for art and design, Auerbach and Stern chose not to follow. Instead, they

Silent pain. About 400,000 babies born in the U.S. this year will become victims of child sexual abuse. Almost 70 percent of all reported sexual assaults (including those on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under. South Carolina ranks as the nation’s sixth-worst state with regard to its domesticviolence homicide rate. To learn more about Silent Tears, please visit silenttearssc.org

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decided to open their own photography studio. “There were women photographers,” Stern said of the time period. “But that two would work together,” Auerbach interjected, “and make the pictures together, that amazes everybody.” Their enterprise needed a name. They decided against Ellen and Grete because that immediately noted gender in a male-dominated field. Using their last names sounded too commercial for their bohemian undertaking. The women eventually decided on Ringl+Pit, based on their childhood nicknames—Stern was Ringl and Auerbach, Pit. Every photograph is signed with both names, and the women worked together so closely that sometimes they could not remember who took the photograph or whose body parts were used to model the products in the pictures. Their studio dabbled in portraiture, advertising and fashion photography. The studio soon established itself as among the most innovative in Berlin. Its portraits were renowned for their originality, and manufacturers of everything from cigarettes to petroleum products went there. Stern and Auerbach designed book jackets and enjoyed creating publicity spreads that appeared in the most prominent magazines of the day.

he early 1930s were marked by experimentation and change because of the great political upheaval and turmoil taking place in the Weimar Republic, where the women lived. Indeed, the concept of the “Western woman” was undergoing a radical shift. Stern and Auerbach were part of the first generation of women who could move to the cities, work and lead independent lives—dubbed the “new woman” movement. Embodied by flappers and actresses like Marlene Dietrich, this “new woman” bought her own wares instead of appealing to her husband to buy them for her—and that changed the nature of advertising campaigns. The Ringl+Pit collaboration represented a departure from

Sueño (dream) Nº 12, 1948. COURTESY ART BASEL/ JORGE MARA - LA RUCHE

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Dream 31, Made in England. Like her husband Horacio Coppola, Stern helped modernize the visual arts in Argentina and in fact presented the first exhibition of modern photographic art in Buenos Aires, in 1935. COURTESY ART BASEL/ JORGE MARA - LA RUCHE

current styles by combining objects, mannequins and cut-up figures in a whimsical fashion. The pair experimented with a mix of photomontage, collage and typography, crafted in a studio setting. They brought their playful and Dada-inflected graphic style to ad campaigns for hair dye and perfumes. Using mannequins, wigs and other symbols of femininity, Stern and Auerbach worked to question the artifice and masquerade of feminine identity. In the 1930s, Ringl+Pit’s work received positive reviews in the magazine Gebrauchsgraphik. Pétrole Hahn, a 1931 advertisement for a hair lotion, features an old nightgown, a mannequin head and a real hand. Komol, created in 1932, was also an advertisement for a hair lotion. The work won first prize at the Deuxiême Exposition Internationale de la Photographie et du Cinéma in Brussels. Stern’s graphic design specialty and Auerbach’s humorous and ironic touches added a subtle irony in their work about what was accepted and expected of women. In 1933, the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany meant that Berlin was no longer safe for two Jewish female photographers, so their physical studio was disassembled. Ellen relocated to Palestine, and Grete moved to London with her soon-to-behusband and fellow photographer, Horacio Coppola. Ahead of the Abyssinian War in 1936, Auerbach visited Stern in London. They collaborated on a few commissions. One advertisement, for a maternity hospital, was their final work together. It became increasingly clear that London would not be a safe haven. Commissions ceased, and the creative landscape became more and more limited. Ellen Auerbach made her way to the United States, landing in Philadelphia. Grete Stern and Horatio Coppola made their way to Buenos Aires, Coppola’s hometown.

n the summer of 1935, two months after arriving in Argentina, Stern and Coppola mounted an exhibition in the offices of the avant-garde magazine Sur, which called their work “the first serious exhibition of photographic art in Buenos Aires.” Before this, portraits and even landscapes were done with flat lighting, simple poses and untouched negatives. The Bauhaus School’s sensibility shook up Argentina’s stilted approach

Silent tears.

Six years ago, Silent Tears launched as a way to systematically address the pervasive and complex issues associated with child sexual abuse in South Carolina – considering best practices, the fragmented support system for victims, the culture and politics of South Carolina, and a lack of attention to the issue. To learn more about Silent Tears, please visit silenttearssc.org

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Stern and Auerbach were part of the first generation of women who could move to the cities, work and lead independent lives—dubbed the “new woman” movement. Embodied by flappers and actresses like Marlene Dietrich, this “new woman” bought her own wares instead of appealing to her husband to buy them for her—and that changed the nature of advertising campaigns.

and established Coppola and Stern as two of the founders of Argentine modern photography. The couple built a house by progressive architect Vladimiro Acosta in the Ramos Mejía neighborhood. Their address became a mecca for a new group of writers and artists, including Madi, a coalition of artists who stood in opposition to Juan Domingo Perón. Their marriage produced a daughter, Silvia, and a son, Andres. In Buenos Aires, Stern took numerous portraits of the city’s intelligentsia, including writers like Amparo Alvajar, Jorge Luis Borges and Pablo Neruda. In addition to her iconic portraits of Bertolt Brecht and Karl Korsch, she photographed a number of painters and dancers, many of whom were also in exile for being anti-Fascist. Stern and Coppola operated a graphic design, photography and advertising studio in Buenos Aires from 1937 to 1943. Although they attempted to create a modern studio, their way of working was too far ahead for the city’s sensibilities, and it folded. After the couple divorced in 1943, Coppola abandoned photography. Stern continued to live in the house they built, surrounded herself with contemporary artists and continued to take their portraits. The work she created after her divorce is arguably her most famous. In 1948, popular Argentinian women’s magazine Idilio commissioned a series of illustrations called Sueños, or Dreams, for their weekly column titled “El psicoanálisis le ayudará” or “Psychoanalysis will help you.” The section invited readers to submit their dreams for analysis, and their musings would be illustrated with a photomontage by Stern. The resulting work portrays women’s dreams, co-opted by the unfulfilled promises of the Peronist regime with a disembodied urgency and surrealist strangeness. Anxiety, domination and entrapment were common themes. Bodies are shrunken or enlarged. Distorted perspectives give the effect of insecurity. These protofeminist works and Alice in Wonderland-like scenes were a creative outlet for her thoughts and impressions of life as a woman in her adopted country, translating the unconscious fears and desires of its

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predominantly female readership into clever, compelling images. In Dream 44, a woman sits in a bird cage, fan in front of her face. No door is visible. In Dream 32, a female mountaineer is dangling on a rope, hanging from a cliff in her floral summer dress and 3-inch heels. In Household Electronics, created in 1949, a woman’s silhouette props up a lampshade as a man reaches to “turn on” the tiny, elegantly dressed woman. Her allusions to bondage and predation suggest that the source of most dilemmas is male authority. Household Electronics is one of her most famous collages. Stern added to her Sueños series until 1951, producing around 150 photomontages of repressed and oppressed women struggling in Argentina’s male-dominated culture. When that commission ended, she took a job with the Buenos Aires urbanplanning agency, documenting the city’s architecture using her photography skills for what she called “a social function.” In 1958, Stern became an Argentine citizen, and the next year she relocated to Resistencia to work as the photography teacher at the National University of the Northeast. In the 1960s, her interest in native cultures led her to produce various photographic documentaries in the Gran Chaco region. She worked for the city’s fine arts museum until 1970 and continued to teach until 1985, when she retired from photography altogether. In 1993, a historical book entitled Ringl + Pit was published in Germany. An exhibition of the same name toured a number of German cities as well as London. Filmmaker Juan Mandelbaum made a documentary about Ellen Auerbach and Grete Stern, entitled “Ringl and Pit” in 1995, and the old friends are reunited on screen, still filled with that visceral magnetism that made them artists, talking about the ways they played on the traditional codes of commercial photography to produce innovative and humorous images. Grete Stern died in Buenos Aires in 1999, at the age of 95. (Auerbach died in 2004 in New York City.) Several retrospective exhibitions of Stern’s work have been held in Buenos Aires, Berlin, London and New York among other cities. ■

Das Korsett (corset), 1929. COURTESY ART BASEL/ JORGE MARA - LA RUCHE

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In Ghana, Lensational is collaborating with KickStart Ghana, a UK and Ghanaian registered charity/NGO based in Ho, to offer teenage girls photography workshops as an extra-curricular education opportunity, enabling the girls to tell their own stories through the powerful tool of photography and encouraging them to stay committed to their educational aspirations. IMAGE COURTESY LENSATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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The Power of the Lens

ix years ago, Leeh Ann Hidalgo was not exactly happy. And why should she be? In 2012, she’d moved to Hong Kong from the Philippines to take a job as a domestic worker. She’d come to support her family back home: a mother and four siblings. No one was suggesting good times ahead. Domestic work in Hong Kong is famously low-paying, domestic workers famously ill-treated. After a year in the country, Leeh Ann was feeling “bored and homesick,” she says. One day, while searching for groups on social media, she discovered Lensational. The organization was offering a photography workshop, cameras supplied. She decided to attend, joining approximately 15 other Indonesian and Filipino domestic workers for classes.

AN INNOVATIVE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR IS IMPROVING THE WORLD … IN HER DOWN TIME

BY DEBRA SPARK

And her life changed. Not completely, but definitely for the better.

y any measure, Lensational is a feel-good story about a feelbad situation. The not-for-profit provides cameras and training to marginalized women in African and Asian developing countries, so they can document their lives and receive the therapeutic benefit of self-expression, as well as the personal rewards of exhibiting and monetizing their art work. The class that Leeh Ann found online was conducted, as all Lensational workshops are, by a volunteer photographer who had been screened and trained. Leeh Ann found herself drawn to street photography, often producing images that served as metaphor for her disconnection from the outside world. Ironically, the photography became a way of mitigating that very isolation. Leeh Ann now had a way to connect to the city. Eventually, she sold and exhibited some work, was hired for a few photography gigs and even taught a photography workshop (in partnership with Lensational) back in the Philippines. All this hasn’t been enough for Leeh Ann to find permanent work as a photographer, but on a recent April day, she did two things that might not have been possible without the skills and confidence she acquired through Lensational: she spoke at Hong Kong’s Legislative Council about the status of migrant workers, and she used her day off to photograph Chinese market vendors on break. “I see myself in them. We have different jobs, but we are going through the same thing,” says Leeh Ann. In Hong Kong, Lensational’s workshops targeted domestic workers. In Bangladesh, the daughters of textile workers. In Pakistan, the children of sex workers. In Vietnam, the disabled. In Ghana, young girls denied education. In Nepal, women-led farms. Through research into each country, Lensational identifies a central problem for women. Education? Access to health care? Human trafficking? Clean water? (They never pick

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Lensational founder, Bonnie Chiu.

“marginalized status,” since that is a given.) Lensational then works (often with an on-the-ground partner organization) to resource women struggling with that issue. The goals are grand, but the business model is relatively simple. The organization 1) gives participants recycled cameras, 2) offers photography and video workshops, 3) sells participants’ photographs online (via Lensational’s website or through corporate sales partners, dividing profits 50/50, with Lensational’s 50 percent going back to programming) and 4) uses its partnerships to provide additional training for interested students. With such a wide international reach and lofty ambitions, you might expect the organization to be run by a social entrepreneur bigwig. And it is, but that entrepreneur happens to be the superarticulate, uber-smart, profoundly compassionate, entirely humble Bonnie Chiu, a 26-year-old woman raised in Hong Kong and now based in London. With a volunteer staff, she runs Lensational in her “free” time, which is not all that free. Bonnie works 50 hours a week for the Social Investment Consultancy, an international firm that advises on social innovation and impact investing, with a particular focus on diversity and inclusion. No wonder Forbes gave Bonnie a 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur in Europe award in 2017. Bonnie has always been inclined to give. At 16, as part of a student social entrepreneurship program, she started her first business, making reusable coffee cups with design-it-yourself interiors. Thirty-five percent of the profits went to Make-aWish-Foundation. From the start, doing good and art were intertwined. The focus on gender equality came later, as she segued from an all-girls school into Global Business Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and then a masters program in International Relations and Affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Through her studies, she grew increasingly concerned about the international plight of women and was struck by the fact that women represent two-thirds of the illiterate population. Her own grandmother, an Indonesian refugee to Hong Kong, grew up poor and did not know how to read and write—yet Bonnie knew how wise she was. The more Bonnie learned, the more she contextualized her grandmother’s experience within the global female experience.

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onnie grew up middle-class with access to education. Her parents both worked full-time—Hong Kong is pricey!— with “in-house” childcare provided by her grandmother, just 48 when Bonnie was born. When Bonnie tells Lensational’s origin story, she talks about a visit to Turkey, where (despite a language barrier) she was able to communicate with some local girls who seemed interested in her camera. She was struck by the boundary-crossing power of the lens, but the roots for Lensational—cleverly launched on International Women’s Day in 2013—were growing much earlier. Bonnie got her first camera (a Cannon G-10) around the time her grandmother started photographing the orchids she tended at home. Here was a way her grandmother could communicate about her world and what she most loved. What is Lensational but putting cameras in the hands of women, so they too can communicate about their world? As of now, Lensational has taught 800 women in 23 countries. Initially, Lensational focused on pilot projects. Now, fewer projects are going on at any one time, but those projects are more involved. Lensational is continuing its work with domestic workers in Hong

Bonnie with a Lensational student in Pakistan. IMAGE COURTESY LENSATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Silent needs. In April 2019, Silent Tears Founder Bob Castellani and his family announced plans to donate $5 million to fund the capital needs of organizations that are on the frontlines across the state, including 17 Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Advocacy Centers, as well as rape crisis and domestic violence centers. To learn more about Silent Tears, please visit silenttearssc.org

Kong while working on projects in Kenya, Ghana and Sri Lanka. When possible, Lensational partners with a local organization already working with women and girls, adding value to existing efforts. Lydia Kibandi Wanjiku, Lensational’s program manager in Kenya, has worked on two such projects. She first worked with Lensational in Mathare (one of the country’s largest slums). There, Lensational partnered with the Mathare Foundation, which empowers children through photography and sports. Now, Lydia is focusing on an animal poaching project in the Masai Mara. The International Animal Welfare Fund wanted to create “female engagement teams in Masai to use the power of women to protect elephants in the region,” says Bonnie. Equipping women with digital phones and photography lessons, Lensational helped women train the lens on the animals. Kenya has “an incredibly patriarchal culture,” says Bonnie, “and one unintended consequence of the project is that it helped demystify technology” for women who “don’t believe they can use technology.” In the past, they simply relied on their husbands.

o date, Lensational has had better luck selling to corporations than on its online platform. And though it would be hard to argue that anything is more important than money in an impoverished community, the biggest value may be Lensational’s art exhibitions, especially in areas where they have been a particular success, as with an exhibition in India, where Lensational partnered with a photography festival. “The pride in exhibiting in public space is incredible,” says Bonnie, “as is recognition from the press and the opportunity to speak directly to the press.” In India, oversized exhibition images were featured at metro stations, promoting public awareness of the project and what the women had achieved. Beyond emotional and economic empowerment, Lensational’s “citizen photojournalists,” as Bonnie calls them, are speaking to the world. Some former participants are genuine artists. Some are not as talented. Whatever the case, their images are now online, and their voices and visions have a chance to be heard and seen, to travel far and to land anywhere. Even before your eyes. ■

Clockwise, from top left: Encapsulated by Leeh Ann Hidalgo, Market Vendor by Naw Aye Aye Thet, The Photographer by Millicent Lodenyi, Unknown and Imprisoned by Leeh Ann Hidalgo IMAGES COURTESY LENSATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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Silent no longer. Silent Tears is proud to partner with ELYSIAN Impact, the philanthropic arm of ELYSIAN. The grant awards in South Carolina will be the first in a program of ELYSIAN Impact Partner Initiatives, creating a template that will be replicated and rolled out across mission-driven and charitable organizations nationwide. To learn more about Silent Tears, please visit silenttearssc.org

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Your Home is Your Castle

nyone who’s ever faced the daunting task of decorating an entire house knows it’s no vacation. Unless it actually is. Tour Decor in Dallas can customize a trip to Europe that allows you to find everything you need for your home and savor the process at the same time. Lea Kellogg Barfield (graduate of the Christie’s School for the Fine and Decorative Arts in London), interior designer Margaret Chambers, ASID, RID, and marketing director Trevor Ede are pros at mixing business—antique buying—with pleasure. They plan—down to the tiniest detail—antique- and art-buying trips,

FURNISH IT LIKE ONE ON A MAGICAL TOUR DECOR BUYING TRIP TO EUROPE

BY PAGE LEGGETT

and then accompany their clients on the trek to ensure that every piece purchased will be a perfect fit. They take care of shipping it all overseas and having it delivered and set up in clients’ homes. They also ensure their clients—whether a couple, an individual, motherdaughter duo or corporate client—aren’t overwhelmed by the shopping spree. They build in time to decompress—in luxury surroundings, naturally. “We begin by getting to know the client, their home and their style and the kind of experience they want,” Barfield said. “Some clients want to do this in a grand way. We have access to a 17th-century hunting lodge in Belgium. The dining room has murals showcasing horses and the hunt. “For people who want something charming, we know all the off-thebeaten-path little hotels,” she continued. “We also have a number of private homes—from villas to charming farmhouses—accessible only to us.” Sometimes the owners of those properties are willing to sell their furniture to guests. Tour Decor lodging goes well beyond what you’d find on VRBO. “There’s a historic home in England where we’ve stayed,” Barfield continued. “The owner cooks for us! In other cases, we know private chefs we can hire.” It all adds up to a one-of-a-kind “working vacation”—with more emphasis on the vacation.

On a mission

These trips are, first and foremost, buying trips. So, Tour Decor focuses on the business at hand. The team scopes out the project first. They’ll review floorplans, blueprints, photos of the home—and Pinterest boards and old magazine clippings clients have been saving. “This is not guesswork,” Chambers said. “We have exact measurements. We know what we need before we begin planning the trip. Trevor will create an image of the room and then Photoshop in the pieces we’re

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looking for. We’ll know—on the spot—if a piece is going to work.” The journey to giving your new (or remodeled) home a history begins with defining your style. That dictates the destination. Some projects can best be sourced in cities—Paris and London, for instance. Other clients may best be served by scouring private residences and warehouses in Belgium, the French countryside and Sweden. Every trip is entirely customized to the client. A trip to England is likely what’s called for if you’re furnishing a large Tudor-style home. But it’s not right for every project. “Sweden is full of whimsical and fun pieces,” Chambers said. “And clients looking for an eclectic feel might find Belgium the go-to spot.” And the stops—markets, dealers’ warehouses, shops, private homes— have all been carefully vetted. “We’ll sometimes run into antique dealers we know from the U.S.,” Chambers said. “They’re never very happy to see us. European antiques can be marked up three or four times the original sales price once they’re brought back to America.”

Location, location, location

Knowing where to go is key. Often that means visiting a dealer’s home that isn’t open to the public. But sometimes, clients want to go to one of the famous markets—Portobello Road in London, for instance, where more than a thousand dealers offer everything from ashtrays to armoires, or Les Puces in Paris—the largest flea market in the world and home to 2,500 stalls. You could spend days wandering the aisles on your own and still not find what you’re looking for (or find it and wonder if you’d overpaid). Tour Decor experts help clients avoid looking endlessly for a proverbial needle in a haystack. They make the best use of the client’s time. Antiques are rarely in pristine condition—especially when they’re found in a warehouse or attic rather than a tony shop. Chambers and Barfield can have chests and tables refinished or sofas and chairs reupholstered. Your “instant heirlooms” won’t be delivered until they’re in exceptional condition. The three partners have learned the hard way: if you love it, buy it. Like fishermen rehashing an old “the one that got away” story, they reminisced about a red lacquered 18th-century side table they found in a small shop in Paris . . . but didn’t buy. The next time they encountered it, it was at a Dallas antique show with a $5,000 price tag. It had been a fraction of that when they first saw it. They’re prepared to advise clients: “Buy it now.” Or, they may recommend waiting, knowing a better deal can be had elsewhere. “We get the best prices,” Chambers said matter-of-factly. “We’re repeat customers and have built relationships with the people we’re buying from.” They’re too genteel to call it haggling, but they have their ways. “We’re polite about it,” Chambers said. “In some cases, we might say, ‘This is a little outside our price range,’ and the dealer might say, ‘Well, I can go a little lower.’” “Lea’s a graduate of Christie’s,” Ede adds. “She knows the value of an item. She knows if it’s offered at a good price. Clients have peace of mind with Lea.”

From top: Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris—wonderful for educational sightseeing for clients. • Beautiful 18thCentury Chinoiserie reverse-glass painting depicting a sake ceremony. • Private architectural sourcing warehouse located on a large country estate in Belgium where we source 18th and 19th Century doors, flooring, paneling, fireplaces and statuary. COURTESY TOUR DECOR

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Little black book Any trip to Europe—even one with a busy buying agenda—should involve time to recharge and refuel, preferably over a bottle of wine and a great meal. Tour Decor delivers. “We’ve spent years building up our sources,” Ede said. “We have relationships with concierges. We know hotels down to individual rooms. We know the best places to stay, the great cafes, super-upscale Michelinstarred restaurants. We also know, through our networks, the new, hot places that are just opening. We’ve done all the research to build up our little black book.” If clients want a secluded retreat, the Tour Decor team has an array to choose from. If clients prefer to live like locals, the team can book them a furnished apartment in the heart of town. “We know the best neighborhoods,” Barfield said. “If a client wants an apartment as home base, we’ll be sure it’s stocked with fresh food from the local markets, including cheese and wine.” Antiquing is an aerobic sport. A full day of it can be exhilarating and exhausting. The Tour Decor team may suggest clients go out for a nice dinner, while they hang back and review the day’s purchases, noting what’s been procured and what’s left on the list. If clients want to review the day’s haul with them, then the entire group may gather for cocktails—in a garden folly, perhaps—to assess the day’s plunder. The team keeps track of everything purchased, every dollar spent, every item yet to be found. Clients don’t need to worry about keeping up with a list. Or with shipping everything back home. It’s all taken care of.

More for less

“As we keep track of each item and the total tally, clients are often surprised by how much they’ve gotten for a total far less than they were expecting,” Ede said. “You can really stretch your dollar on one of our trips.” “Because we buy direct, and the client is not paying for dealer profit or brick-and-mortar expenses of a retail shop, the savings are extremely attractive,” Barfield added. “The quantity of choice in Europe is without parallel.” Tour Decor is all about the experience. “This is not just going to a showroom,” Chambers said. “We’re helping create wonderful memories.” You could acquire fine antiques plenty of places, but Tour Decor trips are about more than acquisitions. They’re for people who wish to surround themselves with lasting mementos collected on an unforgettable excursion. “When people build a new home,” Chambers continued, “it doesn’t have a soul yet. But the owners can give it one by adding antique front doors, a carved mantel, wood paneling from an old farmhouse . . . the kind of soul new furniture can never offer.” Everyone’s home tells a story. A home outfitted on a Tour Decor trip is more like a fairy tale. With a very happy ending. ■ Furnish your home and pamper yourself at the same time. Tour Decor helps clients find everything they need (at often stellar prices) for a whole-house decorating project and also soak in local flavor at the most exclusive inns, chateaux and private homes. For more information visit tour-decor.com

From top: Private dining room in an 18th-Century historic residence available for intimate dinner parties . • Pair of pink ormolu-mounted Rococo elephants with turbaned riders, typical of Tour Decor accessory buying . • Monumental Neoclassical marble basin sourced in France, a perfect element for a building project. COURTESY TOUR DECOR

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Private London flat available as a home base for Tour Decor clients antiquing in England.

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THE INNOVATIVE CURATOR SHARES MORE ABOUT HER NONTRADITIONAL APPROACH TO EXHIBITING ARTWORK, HER TIME CURATING ART ACROSS THE ATLANTIC IN LONDON AND HER PHILOSOPHY ON NURTURING EMERGING TALENT.

Seeing Art in a New Light with Stephanie Baptist

Bobb Willis Installation in MediumTings, Baptist’s Brooklyn art gallery. Stephanie Baptist portrait . PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON ANDREWS

BY LATRIA GRAHAM

efore the establishment of museums, art was created to be enjoyed by patrons in their homes. Now whitewalled exhibition spaces, often devoid of any context, make it hard to imagine the art as something created to live in spaces inhabited by people. That’s where Stephanie Baptist’s work comes in. The independent cultural producer and editor from New Jersey founded Medium Tings, a conceptual art incubator in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in 2017. She wanted to give emerging artists a place to showcase their work while introducing the community around her to contemporary art. On Sundays, her living room, on the second story of a brownstone, becomes an art gallery. There are no security guards to examine visitors’ every move, and the intimate atmosphere facilitates free flowing conversation, giving communities that often don’t intersect during the workweek the chance to interact through the medium of art. Ecru-colored walls offer a hint of warmth, and verdant houseplants punctuate the place, changing the way observers look at and analyze art. Baptist entered the art world as an aspiring photographer and then spent seven years working as a photography agent in New York City. Her clients did commercial work but also spent time cultivating their fine art aesthetic. Representing those artists led Baptist to spend more time in museums and contemporary art galleries. Her curiosity led her to make a transatlantic change, and she landed in London, where she earned an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths University of London. After graduation, she worked as head of exhibitions and public programs for Tiwani Contemporary, an art gallery dedicated to African and diaspora art in London, “There’s a much larger African diaspora community in London,” she explained. “So, their focus is much more from an African art perspective, and I think in the U.S.A. it’s much more an African-American Black art perspective; a lot of the topics and themes run parallel. At times, New York looks at art from a commercial financial perspective, and in London, I felt there was a little bit more room for flexibility or more of a focus on an ability to have a little bit more creativity in terms of the unique individual spaces.”

ven though she wouldn’t launch her own venture for several years, Baptist was already looking at the philosophies of exhibition space and how it is used in contemporary gallery settings. Four years later, she returned to New York City as the program director for En Foco, a non-profit organization that nurtures fine art and documentary photographers of Latino, African and Asian heritage and native peoples of the Americas and the Pacific. Baptist spent years searching for what she considered her dream job, serving as a contributing editor for Another Africa, a London/N.Y. correspondent for Contemporary, while also working as an independent cultural producer for various commercial and art-led projects for brands and design studios. Little did she know she would have to create her own niche, building her organization from the ground up. She created a nurturing space that allowed artists to experiment, made art accessible to

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people that don’t often visit galleries, welcomed art enthusiasts and was friendly to first-time art buyers. Baptist realized there were few people of color in the spaces she occupied—in the United States, people of the African diaspora make up only 4 percent of museum staff. Often her industry excludes people of certain races and class, limiting opportunities for dialogue around the work being displayed. “The art market, or rather the commercial-ness of art, is centered around money,” Baptist says matter-of-factly. “It’s less about the actual product so much as it’s like this cultural capital. I think that I’ve been very interested in building cultural capital from the very beginning.” Enter her brainchild: Medium Tings. Even the project’s name is multifunctional. Medium refers to the types of art Baptist curates— photography, painting, video and sculpture installations have graced this space. Medium also refers to the size of the art. “The work has to be able to fit into my living room,” Baptist laughs, “or else it won’t work.” Tings is Caribbean slang for “thing” and evokes the Caribbean roots of the community where the project is based, on Eastern Parkway. Every Labor Day, the Caribbean Day Parade comes down the block, the festivities steeped in pride, music blasting, people dancing, celebrating their heritage and commitment to their culture and each other. Stephanie Baptist wanted to bring a bit of that into her living room.

eciding to open her living space on a Sunday was another intentional choice. “Sundays are meant to be easy, comfortable days that bring people together. People gather together at church. People fellowship at brunch. Sunday was very important just to initiate Medium Tings

underneath this kind of umbrella because it was about bringing people together. I chose Sunday afternoons because people could come after church, and viewing the artwork could be a family thing. It’s a way to unwind,” Baptist says. Opening up your home to strangers might seem like a dangerous idea, particularly in a place like New York City—about eight million call the municipality home. Baptist looked at the project in a different light: “I started thinking about the concept of what makes a person a stranger and how communities are built. I see what I do as building a micro community in a micro space and that has the power to grow into something larger and more impactful. I never had a moment in which I would feel frightened that I was opening up my doors. I sit on the couch with people I didn’t know and didn’t realize we could have a conversation for an hour. I’ve had a wide range of individuals in the space, from the art novice to the art historian. There’s this idea of integration or this idea of breaking down walls. “ Baptist also points out that art viewers have to be open enough to walk into an unknown person’s home—the entire experiment is a trust exercise of sorts. ”The audience was just as open as me, opening up my space. So there was this beautiful kind of exchange. The energy is so vibrant, and I always feel recharged after each one.”

ne of the largest impacts Baptist sees in her space is that a lot of art enthusiasts become first-time art buyers. That helps create an economy that can exist in opposition to an environment that doesn’t necessarily open up its doors to allow for young spaces or young creators. When most people hear the phrase “art patron,” they think about museums and people on corporate boards or benefactors who give lots of

There is a simplicity to the space within Baptist’s gallery. Each installation is given the air by which to allow the art to speak to the viewer as pictured below for Arielle Bobb-Willis photography.

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Bilder Sagen Mehr Wie Worte Capturing Unique Moments BERGRESTAURANT WASSERNGRAT 3780 GSTAAD +41 33 744 96 22 info@wasserngrat.ch www.wasserngrat.ch

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If Keisha Jumped Off a Bridge Would You Do it Too by Ayana Evans. PHOTOGRAPH BY JACKIEFURTADO

money and get their name on a plaque. Baptist shows people that they can be art enthusiasts on a smaller scale, allowing buyers to invest in their peers and contemporaries. Baptist’s process of curating an exhibition evolves organically, and sometimes she chooses which artists to feature based on a subject or theme she has in mind, but often it comes down to intuition. Many of the chosen creators don’t come from the typical art school background or have a curriculum vitae filled with exhibitions and awards. “It’s really important to create platforms and new opportunities for artists of color,” Baptist says. “A lot of them are self-taught artists, and there are also some formally trained, but they’re both valid and deserving of recognition. These professional opportunities, such as giving them a solo gallery, show both as a way to expand their practice but also to begin to understand the market.” She sees being able to nurture artists and provide guidance as integral but adds that being fully transparent with creators about selling work is just as important. “They’re learning how to talk about their practice; many self-taught artists are not familiar with the vernacular of what we might call ‘art language.’ So I encourage them to start with what they were feeling when they sat down to make a particular art piece and explain that vernacular begins within yourself.” Baptist is bringing that same sincere energy to Instagram, another vehicle for conversation. Medium Tings is active on the platform and has a devoted following. “I think art has a really powerful way of conveying things without using dialogue. So I think that from that perspective Instagram is very much both a diary but can also be this collection of stories and narratives about where we are today in the world and what’s happening,” she says.

aptist mentions a number of artists she’s featured— Mohamed Abbagana, Wole Lagunju and Arielle BobbWillis to name a few—and how their works are used to create conversation: “When I see a piece that I want to post on Instagram, the work is a conduit to put my words together. Many a times when I look at an art piece, I think about a song. I might think about something I read. So, there’s a direct conversation that I’m having in my mind when I see a piece of art. If it moves me, it’s probably tapping into other things I’m thinking about. When I post it online, it’s more of, ‘Do you want to engage in this conversation with me? Cause this is what I’m thinking about.’ It isn’t just like a. . . . it’s a personal thing, but it’s also very much for everyone.” Even though the project has an online presence, Baptist insists that there are bigger things in the works for her art exhibition concept. “I’m working on expanding the online offerings,” Baptist says. “I’m trying to make this a larger online boutique. I want to make this a platform and present the opportunity to collaborate with other practitioners—where we could curate a selection of goods to open up the dialogue and make the digital space an international conversation.” While she works on the digital presence of Medium Tings, Baptist is also on the lookout for a new, larger gallery space. “When you’re renting, you’re at the mercy of landlords. I’m very much in the throes of trying to figure out all of the logistics for relocating to a new space,” Baptist says. Still, she is grateful for all that the Medium Tings project has given her. “Touching one person is more than enough for me. The idea that hundreds of people have walked into my space is a gift.”■

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SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL

South Carolina

Arts

Leading the way for female-led art organizations.

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PERSON IN URBANSCAPES / COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART

• été 2019 • readelysian.com

SPOLETO FESTIVAL CHARLESTON

NEEMA FINE ART GALLERY

THE GIBBES MUSEUM OF ART

Neema Fine Art Gallery

Neema Fine Art Gallery is prominently located at 3 Broad Street, in Charleston’s French Quarter, and serves as a venue for original works by African American artists around the state. Meisha Johnson—who can often be seen with her four-year-old daughter, Sabina, in tow—is the owner of Neema, which opened in 2019. Featured artists at Neema include those who thrive in rural and hidden communities, and others from South Carolina’s growing urban areas. April Harrison is a Greenville artist who began painting late in her life, following the death of her mother. The art is playful, redemptive, and therapeutic. It’s unabashedly about things of the heart – relationships, love and family. Harrison dreamed of being an illustrator early in her career, and now, at 64, her first book is being released by Random House. Natalie Daise is a self-taught artist from New York now living in the coastal town of Beaufort. Her career has been defined by her advocacy of Gullah heritage preservation. Highlights of her work include Collard Queen, which depicts a strong woman, tailored in leafy greens, against a gold backdrop. Rosa and Winton Eugene are a self-taught married team from Cowpens who make pottery. Their vases at Neema feature birds given detail enough to identify the species. Their 30-year career was recognized in 2018 by the McKissick Museum, in Columbia, with a major retrospective. Sweetgrass basket demonstrations and information sessions take place each Thursday at Neema, with a rotating group of women who are masters of their craft.

The Gibbes Museum of Art

The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston has worked to expand its collection of art by African Americans, and that effort is displayed in New Acquisitions Featuring Works by African American Artists, on view until June 16. “ In the last 10 years, we have been proud to have doubled the number of works by African American artists and look forward to continuing to build our collection to reflect Charleston’s diverse population,” says Angela Mack, Executive Director and Chief Curator. Concurrent with Spoleto this year, the Gibbes will be displaying Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem. The exhibit includes the work of more than 50 artists from the 1920s to the present, many with deep ties to the American South.

The Johnson Collection

The Gibbes Museum of Art welcomes traveling exhibitions from around the world. But one of the most exciting collections to be featured at the museum in the coming months hails from the Upstate city of Spartanburg. The Johnson Collection’s Central to Their Lives: Southern Women Artists opens in January 2020. The Johnson Collection is one of the premier collections of art in the Southeast. A uniquely situated, private enterprise run by a husband-andwife team, the collection began with a regional focus but has expanded to include works by major international artists and is recognized by curators of major art institutions far beyond the Palmetto State. The Johnsons seek to bring their vast personal collection to the public and use their patronage to bring South Carolina artists the scholarly attention they deserve. They send their traveling exhibitions to museums around the country free of charge, thanks to the Johnsons’ vision.

SONGSUMMER BY TURNER HELEN / THE JOHNSON COLLECTION - CENTRAL TO THEIR LIVES, SPARTANBURG

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AUSTIN BOND PHOTOGRAPHY

BROOKGREEN GARDENS

Brookgreen Gardens and the Pee Dee

Brookgreen Gardens, near Myrtle Beach, has been named one of the top 10 gardens in America by TripAdvisor. It is also a wonderful place to see figurative sculpture. Brookgreen is a refuge from development, with more than 9,000 acres in conservation, from the beach to the Waccamaw River. Art and nature are inherently intertwined at Brookgreen Gardens. Another destination on the coastal plain is Lake City, in the Pee Dee region of the state. Businesswoman Darla Moore, with an exuberant style, has created a garden paradise she shares with the public at Moore Farms Botanical Garden. The nine-day annual festival, ArtFields, takes place at venues throughout the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic downtown. Programming continues throughout the year, with exhibitions in June, 2019 in two local gallery spaces, Jones-Carter Gallery and TRAX Visual Art Center.

ARTFIELDS, LAKE CITY

NEW COLLECTION GALLERIES / COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART

GULLAH GEECHEE HERITAGE

COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART

Gullah Geechee Heritage

Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission is designated a National Heritage Area, a federal program to promote education, stewardship, sustainable economic growth, and other measures to protect the cultural and natural resources of the region. Executive Director Heather Hodges began her career as a lawyer in Washington, D.C., where she was recognized by Georgetown Law School as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow, awarded to lawyers committed to women’s rights. She’s also a photographer and documentary filmmaker who studies music and dance culture in many African, Afro-Latino and Hispanic countries, and the regional traditions found in the American South from Texas to Georgia. The Commission has produced three documentary films and hosts a mobile film festival. Hodges says: “Despite the presence of their ancestors in this country since the late 1600’s, the Gullah Geechee people have rarely been depicted on film or in popular culture. They are keen to both have their stories told and to see representations of their important culture.” Gullah Geechee cultural festivals taking place this summer include Daufuskie Days (June 22, 2019) and Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival (July 13, 2019). Daufuskie Days showcases those “who have lived on Daufuskie Island for decades and who love sharing their personal stories of growing up Gullah Geechee,” Hodges says. Organizations such as the Gullah Geechee Corridor are doing important work documenting culture and arts that other institutions have historically neglected.

Columbia Museum of Art

It’s a balancing act for many museums: They seek to bring notable work from around the world to local and regional audiences while serving as a platform to elevate the artistry and traditions of the communities they serve. The permanent collection is one way that institutions are patrons to local artists. The Columbia Museum of Art recently reinstalled its permanent collections, with a strong focus on women and artists of color. Meanwhile, curator Catherine Walworth is excited about bringing the work of Mimi Kato, a Japanese-born artist currently residing in Cleveland, to the state’s capital city. The exhibit will feature works from a new series titled Wild Corporation, which includes a Japanese language tour with the artist on opening day. On the horizon in 2020 are major exhibitions of African American art and contemporary Indian art.

The arts are thriving in South Carolina. The Palmetto State boasts original and ambitious talent and is fortunate to be home to museums and galleries that foster homegrown art while showcasing impressive traveling exhibits. For more information visit DiscoverSouthCarolina.com.

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â&#x20AC;˘ printemps 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ readelysian.com

PAVING THE WAY TO SUCCESS.

ELYSIAN, one of our cherished core values is to build bridges between women of different generations. We are strong believers in ascendant mentoring and the mission of passing the baton to the next generation. Our cover model, Margot, and our featured profile subject, Jennifer Justice, have cultivated precisely this type of relationship. “As an artist and a creative, I’ve never felt more safe and more sane than being in the hands of JJ,” says Margot. “Not just because she’s an incredible lawyer—but because her mission in life is to uplift women and do whatever is necessary to help them succeed. There’s nothing more important than having a badass woman in your corner, and I feel very grateful to have than in JJ.” The mythical origins of Jennifer Justice—co-founder of the femalefocused advisory and legal firm The Justice Dept, and former Executive VP of Roc Nation—are not writ large in the annals of rap music (like Roc’s Jay-Z). But her meteoric rise is just as compelling as the saga of any modern music mogul. Born in the Pacific Northwest to a teen mom who relied on public assistance to make ends meet, JJ buckled down in school and scored impressively enough on the LSAT to be recruited by Cornell Law. Before Cornell, she was an undergraduate hanging out in Seattle during the Grunge Era. She became acquainted with members of Pearl Jam and Nirvana and learned that their lawyers were both women. Mic drop. It was then that she knew she wanted to be an entertainment lawyer. After graduating from Cornell, JJ worked briefly in corporate law and eventually made her way to the prestigious entertainment firm of Carroll, Guido & Groffman, where she became a partner within three years. One of her clients was a young Brooklyn rapper named Jay-Z, whose prolific career gave Justice an endless stream of deals to negotiate. When Jay-Z founded Roc Nation a decade later in 2008, he tapped JJ to serve as EVP of Strategic Marketing and Business Development. After giving birth to twins via IVF, JJ began to think about what kind of legacy she wanted to leave behind for the next generation. After a stint as the President of Corporate Development at the live concert production house, Superfly, she decided to partner with some like minds to found The Justice Dept, a female-focused advisory and legal firm that works with entrepreneurs, executives, and artists, including Margot the violinist. “Whenever we have our discussions, it’s all about women being successful, women being financially successful – very successful,” says Margot. But JJ’s guidance extends far beyond contracts and business development. “I think you always have to stay humble and thankful, and grateful for every step along the way,” says JJ. “You just never know where you’re gonna end up, and you go along for the ride knowing that you’re very lucky to be where you are. That’s something that I wish I would have known a while back: always stay humble and grateful.” On the other hand, JJ is known for being a staunch advocate for her clients and never folding before their best deal is on the table. “Historically, women have always been the problem-solvers of the universe,” says Margot. Indeed, for a woman whose name and eponymous company are dedicated to problem-solving, it is virtually impossible for her clients—and the industry at-large—to think of Jennifer Justice as anything less than a superhero. ■

Cover model and musician Call Me Margo with ELYSIAN Inspiring Woman and attorney Jennifer Justice. PHOTOGRAPHY BY U + A / UNGANO-AGRIODIMAS.COM

readelysian.com • été 2019 •

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Call Me Margot is wearing Marc Jacobs blue high collar blouse and blue wool blazer; marcjacobs.com.

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• été 2019 • readelysian.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY U + A / UNGANO-AGRIODIMAS.COM

aitlin Moe started playing the violin at age 4 and spent her teen years playing in string quartets and winning musical competitions. By the time she was 18, she was traveling the world as a professional musician. India. Japan. Russia. Argentina. When the tour ended, she decided to move to New York in search of her next big break. She arrived in the city without knowing a soul and found herself lurking in doorways around the theatre district, violin in hand, telling passersby that she was willing to play for free. “The music scene in New York is very community oriented,” she told ELYSIAN. “There isn’t that whole scarcity thing where someone is afraid you’re going to take their job. People help each other out.” Before long, Caitlin was the violinist of choice for superstars including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson. And under the stage name “Margot,” she joined with DJ Mia Moretti to form “The Dolls,” a musical duo that has performed everywhere from Paris Fashion Week to the concert halls of Bangkok. In 2014, she launched her solo career as a vocalist and songwriter with the haunting song No One’s Gonna Miss You. Margot and ELYISIAN Inspiring Woman Jennifer Justice have some big projects in the works that they’ll be announcing over the next few months. But no matter which direction the multi-faceted violinist, singer and songwriter ventures in her career, she is confident having JJ on her side to navigate the terrain and negotiate the contracts. Margot may have been willing to play violin for free when she first arrived in New York, but these days she is commanding what she deserves as a musician. JJ’s raison d’etre is to ensure that a woman is paid her worth, and Margot’s talent is one in a million. ■

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