VENU #36 FALL 2017

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE

36 29

Issue_ Issue_

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Still Life with Apples and Tulips, oil on canvas, 36” x 36”

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203.434.8655

julie@julieleff.com

ON THE FRONT LINES THREE REFLECTIONS ON IDENTITY SEPTEMBER 30 - JANUARY 28 Join us this coming season as we examine social consciousness and community participation.

World War I and the Lyme Art Colony A look at the significant role played by Connecticut-based artists in mobilizing public sentiment for America's entry into the war Childe Hassam, To the 101st (Massachusetts) Infantry, 1918. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in.

Collection of Jonathan L. Cohen

Oscar Fehrer: Reflecting and Reflections A retrospective considering the artist's contribution to the art world on both a local and international level Oscar Fehrer, Reflecting & Reflections, 1918. Oil on canvas, 43 x 39 in.

Florence Griswold Museum, Gift of Miss Catherine Fehrer and Miss Elizabeth Fehrer

A Room of Her Own (Ballad of Ruth Coxe) An exhibition of photography and installation elements by artist Pola Esther that conjures a complex and unconventional woman Pola Esther, Anger Takes Action (detail) 2015-17 (from In Her Clothes Series) 40x60 in archival digital print on fabric

96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme • 860.434.5542 • FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.org

November 3-5 Opening Night, Nov. 2 Navy Pier Pascal Oudet, courtesy of Kirsten Muenster Projects

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Generously supported by

Fall Issue_36

SPOTLIGHT 16

Artist Through the Eyes of Michael Wagner

20

Profile A Decade of Brand Communications Innovation

22

Book Review Laid-Back Living by the Water

24

Design The Fifth Year Anniversary of the WestEdge Design Show

26

Advertising A New Art Event Shines Light on Ad World’s Leading Artists

FEATURES

46 52

56

Clay is the New Yoga

A Q&A with Venü: Why the Arts Arena?

28

56

EVENTS + GATHERINGS

Cover Story An Intimate Conversation with Bernice Steinbaum ON THE COVER Detail of Enrique Gomez de Molina’s wall-mounted elephant, to view complete artwork, see page 10 6

16

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

46

Education Best Practices in Art Advisory

30

FCBUZZ The Cultural Alliance Celebrates it’s 2nd Annual ACE Awards

32

ArtsWestchester Artists Explore the State of the Vote

Fall Issue_36 Summer Issue_35

30 This 33 ArtsWestchester Museum Fall Exhibitions

34 31 35

season, there’s music in at the Florence Griswold the air to satisfy all tastes Gallery Richard Lytle: A Florida Winefest 27 years Retrospective of raising money for children’s charities Arts Arena New York City Welcomes the Arts Arena

STYLE 36 Floating Hospital The 8th 32

37 35

Annual Summer Soirée to Architecture A look at Help Homeless Families The Cunard Building Greenwich Polo Club StyleLuxury & Class Chic The Marketing showroom and hot buys Council of CT-Hudson this Summer Valley’s 3rd Family Polo Day

60 32 40

62

PULSE 72

Literature 50 Years of Literary Life in Venice, CA

74

Stage A Broadway Flop, and it’s Aftermath

DECORATIVE ARTS ARTS DECORATIVE On the the Block Block Selection A Selection 76 On 74 of Spring Summer Sales of Offerings

68

66

MARKETPLACE MARKETPLACE STYLE APPETITE 38 Style and Class Chic & 36 Wine Chardonnays Extravagant Styles for Fall beyond the wine store

37 The Golden Palate APPETITE

39 38 40 88

Wine, Dine, and Unwind The Golden Palate in Aspen The Italian Trifecta Fearless Chef Maxwell’s Fearless Chef Colt Taylor’s Chophouse modernizes Legacy at The Essex the dining experience CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE CULTURE//MAGAZINE CONTEMPORARY

44 Cocktail Culture A Taste YACHTING of Autumn with Brockman’s Botanical Blend

62 Friends, fun and onAaVenü flotilla 45 adventure Venü Vines Sunset Wine Tasting

WELLBEING ART SPIRIT 66 Experience deeper and wellness on 60 healing A Renissance of Pastels the Island of Bali

YACHTING PULSE 66 SeaKeeper of the Year 70 Stage Kristen Blodgette honored at Bermuda 2017 Takes Center Stage

WELL-BEING FILM & 68 The Art of Spa: Healthy, ENTERTAINMENT Haute, & Hedonistic in Miami Peter Fox’s take on American Fango

72

78 Gordon Gordon Fine Fine Arts Arts 78 VENÜGRAM HEART & SOUL Featured Photograher 84 Changing 84 the world one Markbenefit Drew at a time

IN EVERY EVERY ISSUE ISSUE IN 10 Publisher’s Publisher’s Letter Letter 10 82 Gallery Gallery ++ Museum Museum Guide Guide 82

AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR Experience and Acquire Art from 50 International Art Galleries Representing 200 Leading Artists

VIP PREVIEW & CELEBRATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2018 EXHIBITION FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 THRU MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2018 Saratoga Springs, New York www.revealartfair.com | discover@revealartfair.com

I’m not sure who said, “you can’t go home again” – or why. But after meeting with several

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

of the artists featured in this issue, I’m pretty

Besides those of us lucky enough to live within driving distance of Essex, Connecticut, we know that artist Melissa Barberi is beyond

sure that saying doesn’t really apply anymore.

on the street beat for the past 23 years, is an

happy that her son, chef Colt Taylor, returned

Take our cover story about legendary

ace at drawing realistic mug shots that speak

home to Essex to open his new restaurant

gallerist Bernice Steinbaum who left a void

volumes about his celebrity suspects. Take a

this summer. Our tasting article on page 40

in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami

look at his painted profiles of unforgettable

will whet your appetite for the culinary nos-

when she closed her iconic BS gallery in

faces and figures and you’ll detect an eye

talgia we were blessed to indulge in when

2014. She has reopened again in Coconut

for detail not easily dismissed. When you

Colt pampered our palates again after a very

Grove, reinstating her mission and fashion

have a natural born gift for art like he has,

long 5-year hiatus. Welcome home Colt!

to celebrate the unifying thread of global

no longer how far or long you’ve strayed

Did you know that clay is the new yoga?

diversity and community in a new space

from your personal passion, you can always

Getting your hands on a tangible art form

she’s excited to call home. She’s once again

go home again.

that you feel as you create is a great way to

stirring souls and starting conversations with

And our Art Spirit, the indomitable artist

reconnect with your inner child while taking

her eye-catching collection of repurposed,

Dianne Bernhard, whom we welcome back

you away from the stresses of our adult

recycled art. When you are in Miami,

to Venü with a column dedicated to pastels?

world. Come play with clay on page 46.

perhaps visiting Venü during Art Week

She’s come home too, bringing with her a

Be sure to take a look at the Q & A

in December, you must stop in to get to

silver bowl full of color and commentary on

Venü posed to members of the Arts Arena

“know BS” and understand her take on

the history, technique and execution of pastel

recently, celebrating the tenth anniversary of

culture. Get ready for a head-turning trip!

paintings. Did you know pastel is one of the

its founding in Paris by bringing the unique

For Michael Wagner, home is where

world’s first pure art mediums, dating back

interdisciplinary nonprofit in the arts to New

the heart is. We are thrilled that he has

thousands of years, and able to look as glo-

York. Their answers underscore the impor-

resurrected a life-long talent too long under

riously fresh and colorful as if it were applied

tance of bringing cultural gifts home.

wraps. This uber-talented Connecticut cop,

yesterday? That’s a home run in our book!

There’s lots more to read and relish in the following pages. As you take a look at who’s doing what, where, when and with whom, take a moment to reignite your own home-grown dreams. It’s time to see where they take you.

Tracey Thomas Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

ON THE COVER Enrique Gomez de Molina’s wall-mounted elephant, with gallery owner, Bernice Steinbaum. The life-size Elephant is shaped with foam, and covered with shimmering skin created from iridescent beetle wings. Cover and photo left by Armando Colls.

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHEIF Tracey Thomas PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHEIF Tracey Thomas CREATIVE DIRECTOR Nichole D’Auria I Nisu Creative CREATIVE DIRECTOR FEATURES EDITORI Nisu Creative Nichole D’Auria Cindy Clarke FEATURES EDITOR FILM & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR CindyJ. Clarke Peter Fox DECORATIVE ARTS EDITOREDITOR FILM & ENTERTAINMENT Matthew Peter J. Sturtevant Fox MARKET EDITOR DECORATIVE ARTS EDITOR Tiffany Dahlen Matthew Sturtevant

Yoram Yoram Gal Old Jaffa, Jaffa, Israel Israel Old www.yoramgal.co.il www.yoramgal.co.il yoramgalart@gmail.com yoramgalart@gmail.com UScell: cell: 480-993-4198 480-993-4198 US

FLORIDA CONTENT EDITOR MANAGING LIFESTYLE EDITOR Daisy Olivera Sandra Guibord COPY EDITORS COPYSullivan, EDITORS Susan Marc J. Miller Susan Sullivan, Marc J. Miller CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susana Baker, Jennifer Bangser, Jeff Blumenfeld, Fred Bollaci, Judy Chapman, CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cindy Clarke, Cooper, Footz, Peter Fox, Phillip James Dodd, Susana Baker,Kim Fred Bollaci,Nona Rebecca Brianceau, Molly Canfield, Judy Chapman, Deb Karazin Owens, Janet Langsem, Olivera, & Sara Preiser, Cindy Clarke, Sandra Guibord, DavidDaisy Green, JanetMonty Langsem, Megan Reilly, William WilliamSquier, Squier,Matthew MatthewSturtevant, Sturtevant,Tanja MarkYokum Tungate, Rex Weiner, Nancy Yates CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER INTERN David Heischrek / DHPA.com Stephanie McCarthy PUBLISHING PARTNER circle PUBLISHING PARTNER circle REGIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jamie Lewis NATIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR NATIONAL Susie Earls ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Susie Earls ADVISORY BOARD ADVISORY BOARD Nona Footz Nona Footz LEGALCOUNSEL COUNSEL LEGAL AlanNeigher, Neigher,Sheryle SheryleLevine Levine(Byelas (Byelas&&Neigher, Neigher,Westport, Westport,CT) CT) Alan DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION Thomas ThomasCossuto, Cossuto,Man ManInInMotion, Motion,LLC LLC OFFICE OFFICE 840 Reef Road, 2nd Floor, Fairfield, CT 06824 840 Reef Road, 2nd Floor, Fairfield, CT 06824 ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@venumagazine.com ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@venumagazine.com EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTION editorial@venumagazine.com EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTION editorial@venumagazine.com SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@venumagazine.com SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@venumagazine.com THE SMALL PRINT: No responsibility can be taken for the quality and accuracy of the reproductions, as this is dependent upon the artwork and material supplied. No responsibility can be taken for THE SMALL PRINT: can bethe taken fortothe quality reproductions, typographical errors. No Theresponsibility publishers reserve right refuse andand editaccuracy materialofasthe presented. this isand dependent upon the artwork and supplied. responsibility canopinions be takeninfor Allasprices specifications to advertise are material subject to change No without notice. The typographical publishers reserve right to refuse and edit material as presented. this publication errors. are notThe necessarily those of thethe publisher.

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SPOTLIGHT:

Profile

A Line Up of Unforgettable Faces Through the Eyes of Michael Wagner Written by Cindy Clarke Photography by Christine Elmore

I HADN’T EXPECTED TO SEE HIM THERE. From the moment I looked into his trademark blue eyes, larger than life as befit a celebrity of his status, I felt a deep personal connection to Bill Murray. I had seen him, of course, on screen in a dozen or so movies, where he characteristically made me laugh out loud at antics, comedically timed and comments, sarcastically delivered. But never before had I pictured him that up close, the lines on his face so intimately real that I had the feeling that if I reached out and touched them, they would feel as soft as they looked.

I looked around at other stars in the Michael Wagner’s studio.

“There’s a kinship that develops when you are around like-minded artists.

It helps you thrive.”

Among them Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Bono, Iggy Pop, Bruce Springsteen, Christopher Walken, Madonna and others, who each

stared back at me with expressions classically theirs, signature facial

life played out in beautiful, intimate settings that he often sketched

features speaking volumes about their indelible influence on the pop

and painted. He honed his artistic skills at school, going in a graphic

canvas of our lives. The spirit of a bearded, braided Willie Nelson was

design direction rather than the fine arts one he had originally signed

there too, as was Prince, being Prince with pursed lips and feminine

up for. “I took one painting class in college as part of my university’s

fingers brushing his made-up cheeks, a smoking Kurt Cobain, gun

core curriculum,” he told me, remembering that his teacher was

in hand, reminded me of a life cut short as did Marilyn Monroe, still

anything but encouraging. “I think I received a D from him due to my

young and ravishing as we picture her in our mind’s eye even though

‘unimaginative’ use of one particular Hunter green color that truly

she’s been gone some 55 years.

captivated me and never took another painting class again.” He

I asked the artist, Michael Wagner, a painter by passion and a

did, however, walk away with plum accolades from the school as he

policeman by profession, how he was able to so poignantly articulate

designed winning logos for their art programs and awed attendees

this line up of cultural icons with such clarity of depth and emotion.

with his entries during college art shows.

Was he born with a trained eye for detail or did he learn it on the job?

His first jobs in the real world centered on his aptitude in graphic

Both, he told me. An art major in college, he grew up in the small

design and subsequent interest in custom video storytelling. He

Amish town of rural Belleville, Pennsylvania, population 1,800, where

worked in creative services roles for General Electric and Champion CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

17

SPOTLIGHT:

Profile

International, relishing his exposure to some to the top talent in the

“My experience in his workshops gave me the confidence to

advertising world. He was lucky, he said, to learn from other artists

grow into my own art and open my own studio, something I wouldn’t

during his 12-year tenure in the corporate arena. “The companies I

have dared to dream of doing a few years ago,” he said. He joined

worked for attracted incredible artists who wanted to affiliate their

the Stamford Loft Artists Association in March of 2017, hoping to

work with the high-profile campaigns and visibility that both GE and

emulate on a more permanent basis what he experiences in Germany

Champion were known for. I learn best by watching others do their

every year. “There’s a kinship that develops when you are around

jobs. I am able to incorporate their skills into my work, fine tuning

like-minded artists. It helps you thrive.”

them for my purposes.”

That’s exactly how he developed the realist painting skills on display in his studio, I learned. A long-time fan of German realist

Michael Wagner left his filmmaking role at Champion International

painter Sebastian Krüger, Michael has spent the last five years under

and joined the Stamford police department 21 years ago, a career

his tutelage in an annual week-long master painting class in Germany,

that had always interested him. A marathon runner, he had gotten

not in the traditional teacher-student role, but rather in a mentor,

to know and like the streets of Stamford where he ran during his time

protégée relationship where the working skills of the more established

off from work. He liked its diversity and sense of community, thinking

artist serve as the lesson plan for the inspired apprentice in a paint-

it would be a great city to be a cop.

as-you-go master painting class.

18

And thrive he has, even though he had not been a professional artist for more than 20+ years.

He also wanted his voice to be heard, a voice that was stifled

“I have been a big Krüger fan for the past 12 years. He is an

in the small town he grew up in, silenced in the painting class that

incredible artist. He started off as a caricaturist and became the best-

derailed his passion in college, rerouted during his corporate career

known caricaturist in Europe. Then he changed gears and went into

and revitalized during his years on police force.

super hyper realistic painting and was also wildly successful. Having

“Deep down inside, I wanted to create art from my life experi-

the opportunity to watch him work firsthand has catapulted my own

ences,” he said. “Police work gave me the opportunity to develop the

work forward in ways I never believed possible before,” said Michael,

skills I was naturally inclined to. I was born with a razor sharp eye for

clearly in awe of Sebastian Krüger’s mastery of portrait painting. “I in

detail. I notice everything about the people around me. I remember

no way aspire to be his clone but the skills I have learned from him

the people I see, how they stand and move, who they are. I read

have redefined my art.”

faces, and know when people are lying, in crisis, giving me ‘a tell,”

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

“Whatever I am working on at the moment is my favorite thing.”

Does he ever get the proverbial “writer’s block? I expected his next answer as well.

“There’s a river of stuff that still needs to come out.”

He does not get writer’s block like some of us do. He is invigorated by the life around him. He is captivated by the human expression and he is more than ready to give his creative voice to the faces that have impressed him.

Like many artists, art is exceptionally personal for him. A true survivor – he beat the no-win odds stacked against him when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that before his diagnosis and treatment had a zero survival rate – he has faced unimaginable adversities and loss both in his own life and on his beat as a street cop. He recalls how he used to think that there would always be time to follow his dreams. Not anymore. He knows all too well how fleeting life can be.

“I am not putting this dream of painting away any longer. It’s time to focus on me and my own voice.”

“I am not putting this dream of painting away any longer. It’s time to focus on me and my own voice. Cancer, and all the losses it brought with it, spurred all of this. I got a second chance when I got clean bill of health nine years ago. That’s when I started painting again.”

He described a painting he did of himself, picturing him at his most vulnerable when his life was turned upside down. It was one of the most realistic paintings he had ever done, he said and it is one he will always keep under wraps. “It’s too personal,” he says, but it had to happen before he could do all this. ¨

trying to deceive me. I talk to people and find what I need to know from their faces. This part of my job is like mother’s milk for a portrait

Michael Wagner, a rock star in his own right, will be exhibiting in

painter like me.”

a solo show at Love Art Gallery, 132 Washington Street in South

While he studied forensic illustration during his years on the force,

Norwalk, Connecticut, on November 4th for 6 weeks, featuring

solving many a cold case with his uncannily accurate skilled facial

musical icons. For more information and to view a portfolio of his

drawings, Michael only started painting again in the last nine years.

work, visit www.michaelwagnerfinearts.com

He started slowly he said, taking up to a month or more to paint portraits like the ones that mesmerized me in his studio. His painting of Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, one of his first, took him six weeks to complete. His recent portrait of Prince he finished in a day, making the cover of Studio Visit magazine shortly thereafter.

The more he paints, the more he has found his voice and the more prolific he has become. In addition to his large-scale portrait paintings, each an authentic rendering of the person and personality, he has created a Kraft series of prisma color sketches that have resonated with his growing legions of fans, some 57,000 and counting on a select few social media sites alone. His sketches of the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Greg Allman, Santana, Chris Cornell, Johnny Cash, Brian Johnson, William DeFoe and Andy Warhol have become instant collectibles and are poised to be released in signed, limited editions in the weeks ahead.

I asked what his favorite pieces were? He replied as I thought he would.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

19

SPOTLIGHT:

Entrepreneur

Building & Transforming Buzzworthy Brands Celebrating A Decade of Brand Communications Innovation Written by Cindy Clarke

“The key to success for any business endeavor,” she says, “are the people behind it.” As she puts it, a brand cannot become a break out, enduring hit by itself. It takes a focused meeting of minds, an exemplary dedication to customer service, innovation, and an always-attentive ear to the ground that hones in on critical consumer cues. Deborah’s own brand of high-energy enthusiasm sends it over the top.

As a case in point, consider her masterful marketing makeover of a foodie phenom, Fred Bollaci, that she first spied on her sister’s Facebook page. Intrigued by both his striking good looks and the equally attractive culinary posts he dished out online, she set out to woo and win him as her soon to be golden client.

Fred, she learned, was an aspiring healthy global gourmet food and travel writer who was looking for a publisher. That was doable, thought Deborah, after seeing the creations he cooked up through his social media site. She soon discovered that his story went way beyond his recipe cards. She saw the potential to help Fred materialize his vision to build an international company and brand beyond simply Fred Bollaci and Deborah Burns at Platinum Palate Certified The Perfect Wife Restaurant & Tavern owned by Vermont’s top chef, Amy Chamberlain, in Manchester, Vermont.

getting his book published.

“Fred was a lawyer by profession, a gourmand by lifestyle, and a weight-loss marvel who managed to shed more than 150 pounds while dining at leading restaurants across the nation and in Italy,” said Deborah, still awed by the opportunity.

20

IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT STANDS OUT ABOUT DEBORAH

What she has accomplished on his behalf is what many entrepreneurs

BURNS, IT’S HER PASSION FOR PEOPLE. In her profession as a game-

and independent communications professionals hope for. Strategically

changing brand architect and storyteller for an array of corporate

positioning him as a healthy global gourmet, Deborah branded Fred as

chieftains, start-ups and star-powered entrepreneurs – think Rolls-

the iconic epicurean version of (in our words) “Weight Watchers meets

Royce & Bentley Motor Cars, U.S. Trust, Parker Pen, Dog Gone Smart

the Robert Parker of premium restaurants you should know about.” She

Pet Products, Fred Bollaci Enterprises, Keith’s Nervous Breakdown,

leveraged Fred’s knowledge about food, healthy eating and fitness

and Texana “Painter of People of the World” among them – that

into a club-based business model for chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers,

passion, genuinely driven, makes her namesake firm, Burns Commu-

and artisan purveyors who are lining up for recognition by Fred Bollaci

nications, stand out as well.

Enterprises, even though entry into his global enterprise is by invitation

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Opposite Page Right: Keith’s Nervous Breakdown All-Natural Ultra Premium Margarita Mixer and Rum Punch Mixer.

This Page Left to Right: Deborah Burns and CEO, Keith Davis, at the iconic Hamptons café The Golden Pear, Southampton, Long Island; Wendy Burger, curator and collector, Texana’s Top of the World an Inuit Eskimo 60”x24” oil on canvas, Narsarsuag, Greenland; Texana Painter of “People of the World” with a Berber tribesman, Kasbah-Algiers, Algeria 1965.

Chocolate. “Working with the best enables you to build trust that starts at the top with CEO-level engagement where you can make the biggest impact.”

Among her past triumphs were building multi-million-dollar consumer public relations divisions for Connecticut-based Earle Palmer Brown ad agency, and boutique ad agency Creative Partners, only. Deborah and Fred coined the elite Golden Palate Partners brand

earning them award-winning recognition as the agencies to watch in

name and certification, now with more than 750 partners in the U.S. and

southern Connecticut; finessing the face of Max Factor, and informing

Italy. Deborah also concepted and developed the tiered membership

the public that they could bank on U.S. Trust’s reputation for integrity,

model including Signature, Charter and Platinum membership levels.

trust and investment excellence.

Fred’s website has become the premier go-to resource for discrimi-

A calculated risk taker whose positive upbeat nature and track

nating consumers who want to eat and stay healthy while dining out at

record of successes virtually assures a home run every time she’s at

the best restaurants. And his book idea? That’s a reality now, too, as

bat, Deborah has parlayed her big agency experience and enthusiasm

Deborah helped to secure a book deal with Mango Media for Fred’s

into a signature branding and communications firm. Deborah not

“how to” memoir, The Restaurant Diet, due out on January 2, 2018.

only invests in her clients’ dreams, but she and her team makes them

A brilliant strategist with a signature eye-on-the-prize determina-

come true as well.

tion, Deborah has the unique ability to empower her clients with her

Today you’ll find her mixing it up with Keith Davis, owner of the

own brand of positive thinking no matter the product or challenge.

legendary Hamptons’ institution The Golden Pear Café and Catering

Under her tutelage her clients are transformed and as such become

Company. She has helped him and his team to brand, position and

more relevant and profitable. We asked her where she gets her

launch his proprietary “party in a bottle” all-natural Ultra Premium

inspiration and vision for her innovative branding and marketing

Cocktail Mixers, branded Keith’s Nervous Breakdown, to fans thirsty for

communications campaigns.

more. Deborah is also engaged in passionately promoting the culturally

“I have had the great good fortune to work and collaborate with

inspired works of late artist, Texana, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee

some of the top talent in the communications industry throughout

and an international “goodwill ambassador with a paintbrush.” The

my career,” she said, acknowledging her ongoing and past part-

extensive collection of Texana’s paintings, sculptures, artifacts, jewelry,

nerships with a team of creative rock stars. They include: branding,

tribal costumes, and weavings has been curated and is owned by

advertising, PR and marketing gurus Adam Pemberton, Echo Brand

Californians Karl, Texana’s nephew, and his wife, Wendy Burger. What’s

Group, her strategic agency partner; Fred Thompson, expert PR

next for this business star maker? Her smile says it all, “I have a big

strategist, the late Ian Kerr, her first mentor and boss and his partner

vision for the future so the sky’s the limit!” ¨

Robert Kelly, former Deputy Press Secretary to President Ford, and David Albright, her SCORE mentor and former CEO of Godiva

For more informatin please visit burnscommunications.net CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

21

SPOTLIGHT:

Book Review

SURF SHACK Laid-Back Living by the Water,

by Nina Freudenberger Written with Heather Summerville Photography by Brittany Ambridge

22

VENÜ MAGAZINE RECENTLY MET NINA

love of the water with their entire way of

FREUDENBERGER at the launch of her

living. Locations and aesthetics range from

new book, SURF SHACK: Laid Back Living

a desert hideaway in Ojai, California, a

by the Water. The celebration took place

coastal cabin in Bells Beach, Australia, and

at the ocean lifestyle interior retailer

a mountain house in Hayama, Japan, to a

Serena and Lily, at their flagship store in

farmhouse family compound in Malibu,

Westport, Connecticut. Nina, an interior

California, a converted B&B in West Marin,

designer located in Los Angeles, gives

California, a houseboat in the Rockaways,

readers a glimpse inside the bungalows,

and a Nordic A-frame in Montauk, New

trailers, cabins, and beach homes where

York. The book is an authentic glimpse into

surfers retreat after a day on the waves.

the world of surfers and surf culture through

Included are houses of both longtime

their domestic environments, and beautiful

enthusiasts and dedicated newcomers

photographs by Brittany Ambridge capture

that reflect not just a sport or passion, but

the lifestyle, architecture, interior décor,

also a way of life.

and details of these like-minded surfers

The twenty-six surfers’ stories that are

from around the world. With more than 250

brought to life by writer Heather Summer-

vibrant photographs of room details and

ville include artists, designers, and creatives

bright beaches, SURF SHACK captures the

who have all found a way to intersect their

soulful milieu of a lifestyle we all aspire to. ¨

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Nina Freudenberger is the founder of the boutique interior design firm Haus Interior, located in both NYC and LA. In addition to her studio work, her line of Haus hand-poured candles are carried in more than 200 design and gift stores nationwide, represented in all fifty states and internationally. Nina and her work have been featured in Elle Décor, New York Times, New York magazine, Elle, Travel and Leisure, Domino, Martha Stewart Living, Design*Sponge, Remodelista, Apartment Therapy, Domaine, and more.

SPOTLIGHT:

Design

WestEdge Design Fair Celebrates Its Fifth-Year Anniversary This October WestEdge 2017 Offers the West Coast a Platform for Luxury, Innovative Design Written by Megan Reilly • Photography by Harry van Gorkum

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF WEST-

must-attend design show was launched by

EDGE DESIGN FAIR YET! New York, London

industry veterans Megan Reilly and Troy

and Miami seem to grab the limelight when

Hanson who established themselves in the

it comes to the annual calendar of art and

architecture and design communities with

design fairs around the world, but we think

the launch and growth of the Architectural

that may soon be changing.

Digest Home Design Show in New York City.

WestEdge has been steadily growing

Reilly and Hanson also honed their industry

year over year since its launch in 2013, and

experience with stints in both Chicago and

2017 will be the biggest to date, featuring

New York before moving West.

over 150 exhibiting brands which cater

There is no question that the timing of

to the luxury home design market. The

WestEdge coincided with, and continues to

benefit from, LA’s extraordinary growth within

the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House

the design, architecture, art, technology,

mission of providing comfort, care and sup-

fashion and culinary worlds. Some may say that LA is becoming the new New York, and

(L to R) Courtney Psarik, Adam Nelson, Laiza Altaf, and Jaime Derringer

port to caregivers of seriously ill children.

A second WestEdge charity event on Sat-

there’s no denying that The City of Angels has

urday, October 21 welcomes DIFFA: Design

garnered a renewed focus of global attention;

Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS and the

this should continue with the City’s recent win-

Thrive Tribe Foundation to support their work

ning bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.

helping individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Los Angeles has always been an interest-

A one-of-a-kind auction of customized wine

ing design destination, but with increasing

buckets created by two dozen artists and

eyes on LA over the last few years, Reilly

designers will be for sale, culminating with

and Hanson seized the moment to establish

a reception to meet the talent behind these

a high-design event, responding both to

unique works on Saturday afternoon.

the interest from design brands wanting to

WestEdge includes a full schedule of

reach the Southern California market and an

programming, including design panel dis-

increasingly design-hungry audience happy to

cussions, culinary demonstrations and home

have and support a fair in their own backyard.

(L to R) Megan Reilly and Troy Hanson

tours, in addition to the displays from more

From October 19-22, over 12,000 guests

than 150 manufacturers of premium furniture,

are expected to turn out to explore the latest

lighting, kitchen & bath. One area of the fair

offerings from premium furnishings brands

that has experienced notable growth is the

on display within the California cool venue

MADE:MODERN section, sponsored by

of a 60,000 square foot air plane hangar in

Design Milk, which showcases more than 40

Santa Monica.

independent designers and focuses on limit-

This year’s fair will have a larger focus on

ed-edition and custom work from boutique

art than ever before. Two charitable benefits

design brands. All products are available for

will each feature one-of-a-kind art inspired

purchase at the fair so it’s a great opportunity

objects. The Opening Night Party on Thurs-

to get holiday gift ideas, or find unique items

day, October 19 benefits Los Angeles Ronald

to refresh your own home décor.

McDonald House and will center around “The

If you find yourself in Southern California

Art of Travel”. Some of L.A.’s most famous

this fall (or are looking for a great coastal

(L to R) Vanessa Deleon, Terry Crews and Dean Sheremet

street artists have been invited to put their

getaway weekend filled with art and design),

mark on Samsonite suitcases to create one-

be sure to check out WestEdge Design Fair

of-a-kind pieces of luggage. Each art-covered

at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar. A few tips

suitcase will be paired with a travel package,

for first-time visitors: The price of admission

from a trip to Napa Valley or Seattle getaway,

includes all programming and theater talks so

to a staycation in Malibu.

plan to learn from the design experts while

1,400 guests are expected to converge

there, and make time to enjoy a cocktail in

upon the Barker Hangar for this festive

the outdoor lounge to take advantage of that

evening filled with cocktails, passed hors

sunny Southern California weather. ¨

d’oeuvres, networking with design industry luminaries and a chance to shop the show before the weekend crowds — all to support

(L to R) Danielle Yeretzin, Drew Evans, Judy Enyan, Lisa Adams and Dalara Holm

For tickets and event details, visit www.WestEdgeDesignFair.com.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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SPOTLIGHT:

Advertising

Finding The Ad World’s Leading Artists A New Art Event Aims to Shine a Light on Creative Professionals from Advertising…

Who are Also Contemporary Artists

AD ART SHOW Art Talk Panelists on stage at the historic Southampton Arts Center (L to R) Judith Schultz, Giancarlo Impiglia, Ron Burkhardt, Brenda von Schweickhardt Exline & Moderator, Patricia Corrigan, CBS Radio Network Journalist & Editor.

Written by Mark Tungate

2

IS ADVERTISING HOME TO THE NEXT BIG NAME IN ART? That’s the premise of MvVO ART’s forthcoming AD ART SHOW in NYC (Spring 2018), devoted to contemporary art created by advertising professionals, or those who have evolved from a background in the industry. After all, some of the greatest artists we admire today worked in Advertising, such as Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and René Magritte, just to name three.

1. (L to R) MvVO ART & AD ART SHOW Founder & CEO Maria van Vlodrop, Head of Strategic Design at MvVO ART - Genevieve Ohanian, and Melody Newberry - Director of Marketing at DOUGLAS ELLIMAN Hamptons—AD ART SHOW Art Talk Presenting Sponsor.

2. Panelist & Artist, Ron Burkhardt is a unique creative hybrid who has successfully merged careers in the rarefied worlds of Art & Advertising, winning over 200 creative awards and showing in over 60 art exhibits. “Manhattan” from his popular and widely commissioned Letterscape Series.

3. Ron Burkhardt is also creator of two new genres in American Contemporary Art: Earth Art & Notism. EARTH ART: “Parallel Universe”

1 3

The show is the brainchild of Maria van Vlodrop, Founder & CEO of MvVO ART – a New York-based art venture dedicated to creating opportunities for artists, art lovers & brands to discover each other and form powerful partnerships.

On September 28, MvVO ART brings together Art & Advertising luminaries to

Last year, MvVO ART brought a Brussels-

inaugurate AD ART SHOW and announce the

based art fair to New York City and exhibited

official Call For Artists at a launch reception

work by U.S. and international artists at the

hosted by Y&R at their global headquarters

National Arts Club. The artists were selected by a prominent Jury of art experts from

in New York, during Advertising Week. As a

26

guest speaker, MvVO ART has invited Eric

and Ammirati Puris Lintas (now MullenLowe

Sotheby’s, Gagosian Gallery, artnet, Christie’s

Shiner, Senior Vice-President of Contemporary

Group) in New York, “I’m well aware that there

Collectrium, and well-known Art Advisors.

Art, Sotheby’s & former Director of The Andy

are many advertising professionals who are

With MvVO ARTs newest venture, AD ART

Warhol Museum, to share his perspective

also artists. Some are already established,

SHOW, they will exhibit a new generation

and support for this exciting endeavor.

while others remain undiscovered because

of contemporary artists from advertising,

“I’ve always kept a foot in Advertising,

they’re just too busy pursuing their advertis-

who will submit their artwork for review by

so this is a way of bringing two areas of

ing careers.” AD ART SHOW will showcase

a prestigious art world selection committee,

interest together, explains van Vlodrop,

these artists in a selling exhibition curated by

comprised of museum curators, art critics, art

who has worked at ad agencies, BBDO, Y&R

respected art professionals.

academics, art advisors, gallerists, art dealers,

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

5. Panelist & Artist, Giancarlo Impiglia garnered widespread public attention when he was commissioned to create “Absolut Impiglia,” in his now famous “faceless elegance” style, as part of the breakthrough & iconic Absolut Vodka ad campaign we still see renditions of today.

6. In his Blue Jean series of paintings, Impiglia is inspired by the “arte provera” movement - where denim, once being a material only used by laborers, now unites all men and women. “Mother Nature” is from his Blue Jean Series.

5

and influencers. A jury of seasoned collectors

Buoy One, Belvoir Fruit Farms, Hampton

will also vote for their favorite artist, who will

Cigar Company, Lieb Cellars, Lucine Almas

receive an award of distinction.

and the Southampton Arts Center.

“This is not about showing advertising

Van Vlodrop adds: “The role of Artists from

campaigns,” Van Vlodrop stresses. “It’s a way

Advertising is often overlooked. I believe AD

of celebrating the role that the Advertising

ART SHOW will uncover a thriving community

industry plays as an incubator for creative

of contemporary artists and resonate with

talent and a patron of artists and the arts.”

both the advertising industry, the art world

MvVO ART’s AD ART SHOW kicked-off

and brands.”

6

¨

in the Summer (July 5) with a dynamic Art Talk about Artists, Art and Advertising at the

For more information, please contact

Southampton Arts Center in The Hamptons,

mariavanvlodrop@mvvoart.com

moderated by Patricia Corrigan, Writer and Editor, CBS Radio Network. Speakers

4

included artists Ron Burkhardt and Giancarlo Impiglia, art dealer, advisor and collector, Judith Schultz, and luxury brand consultant and former ad agency CEO Brenda von Schweickhardt Exline.

The AD ART SHOW Call for Artists will be open to both U.S. and international artists who work in advertising or have roots in advertising, including emerging & established artists who are independent or have gallery representation―in the fields of painting, sculpture, illustration, photography and mixed media. Sponsors and partners at the time of writing include: Douglas Elliman Real Estate, The One Club for Creativity, Maydream: AdForum/The Epica Awards, Tumblr, The Clarion List, Katapult Art Management,

4. Model & Actor, T.R. Prescod—winner of the Hampton Cigar Company premium giveaway—gets a little help from our fabulous Moderator, Patricia Corrigan, at the AD ART SHOW Art Talk afterparty

Mark Tungate is a British writer based in Paris. His books include the forthcoming The Escape Industry, a history of the travel business, and Adland: A Global History of Advertising. Mark is also editorial director for AdForum and the Epica Awards, the only global advertising competition judged by the specialist press.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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SPOTLIGHT:

Education

Best Practices in Art Advisory The 101 Program for Art Advisors Photography by Rebecca Brianceau COLLECTING ART IS EXCITING, intellectually stimulating and emotionally rewarding.

And if you know what you’re doing, it could also be worth your while financially. So how do you get to know the art world and make

Right: CEO of Tang Art Advisory, Annelien Bruins, provides her expertise at the 1AN Symposium at Art Southampton.

Below: An Art Advisory 101 Program for aspiring art advisors, developed by Tang Art Advisory and One Art Nation, will be available online this fall

sure you buy quality art at a reasonable price? Well, unless you are willing to spend years acquiring the expertise required to confidently navigate the art world, it’s

An art advisor helps you to focus your

smart to engage an art advisor. That sounds

collecting interests and educates you on

straightforward. However, the art advisory

the value of art. For example, when you are

profession is unregulated. That means that

just starting out as a collector, it’s difficult to

anyone can call themselves an art advisor.

determine whether the (oftentimes substan-

In this article we discuss how art advisors

tial) price tag on a contemporary artwork is

provide value to collectors like you and how

justified. An art advisor helps you to make

you can vet your art advisor. We also introduce

that decision by researching the artist and

the new Art Advisory 101 Program developed

the market and providing you with their

by Tang Art Advisory and One Art Nation.

recommendation.

This online course was specifically created

Other examples of what art advisors do

to guide aspiring art advisors on how to set

for their clients include monitoring the career

up their businesses and how to manage the

trajectory of contemporary artists, discovering

relationships with their collector clients in a

underpriced artworks, negotiating sales on

market that continues to be highly opaque.

your behalf (both at auction and in private

Tang Art Advisory and One Art Nation are

transactions) bidding on artworks for you

dedicated to disseminate best practice in the

at auction, introducing you to art market

art advisory field, which does not just help art

experts and galleries and finally, helping you

advisors but ultimately collectors, too.

28

usually require more education whereas

to manage your art collection in the best

experienced collectors know their stuff and

possible way.

HOW ART ADVISORS PROVIDE VALUE

are more transaction-oriented. An art advisor

The latter is often overlooked but very

TO ART COLLECTORS

gives you access to the best quality artworks

important. It takes a lot of time and effort

Art advisors have an intimate knowledge

within your budget.

to steward a collection over time but it’s

of art and of the art market. They generally

Says Annelien Bruins, CEO of Tang Art

paramount to protect your art assets by

advise private and corporate collectors on

Advisory: ‘What collectors need is an art advi-

looking after their condition. This means

art transactions and the management of

sor who knows the art market like the back

having conservation treatments done where

their collections. Most art advisors work with

of their hand. A professional, experienced art

necessary, particularly preventative, to pre-

emerging and experienced collectors, the

advisor can open many doors for collectors

vent future condition issues which will affect

difference being that emerging collectors

and save them time and money’.

the value of your artworks. Additionally, the

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

will act as your fiduciary, which means they

misunderstandings arise. It may be worth

cannot accept commissions from the party

engaging an art attorney to draft an agree-

who you are buying from or selling to. Even if

ment for complex transactions.

your art advisor does not act as your fiduciary, they should inform you of potential conflicts

BEST PRACTICE - THE ART ADVISORY

of interest before they start working with you

101 ONLINE COURSE

so that you can take an informed decision as

This may come as a surprise but the opacity

to whether you are comfortable with that.

of the art market is not just confusing for art

Also make sure to check out their experi-

collectors, it’s also confusing for emerging

ence. The best art advisors have a knowledge

art advisors. There is no information available

of the art market that has been cultivated over

on the best way to set up your business,

many years. They have deep relationships in

how to charge your clients, how to manage

the art market and this is why they are able

your clients’ expectations and even how to

to provide you with opportunities you would

become an art advisor. As a new art advisor

works need to be insured, inventory checked

not be able to access on your own. Many

you’re pretty much left to your own devices!

(preferably on a yearly basis) and sometimes

art advisors have worked as gallery owners,

Says Annelien Bruins, CEO of Tang Art

stored and shipped, particularly if you are an

dealers and auction house experts for years

Advisory: ‘I often receive questions from

active collector who loans a lot of works. If

before they switched to art advisory so they’ll

aspiring art advisors on the best way to handle

your collection has grown over the years, it’s

be highly experienced.

the relationship with their clients. Topics include how to charge and how to manage

worth talking to your trust & estate attorney

Even though the art market is notorious

or wealth manager to protect the value of

for handshake deals, insist upon an agree-

your legacy.

ment. Any art advisor worth their salt will

Tang Art Advisory and One Art Nation are

expectations’.

have standard terms and conditions that

committed to disseminating best practice in

HOW TO VET YOUR ART ADVISOR

they can amend for individual clients. Such

the art world and have teamed up to provide

As you can see from the above, a good art

an agreement simply outlines the rights and

an online course for aspiring art advisors. For

advisor can provide a lot of value. “Unfor-

responsibilities of both parties, including

more information on this course set to launch

tunately, unlike the legal profession, art

the term of your collaboration and the art

this November, visit

advisors don’t require certificates or licenses

advisor’s remuneration. It’s invaluable in case

oneartnation.com/art-advisory-101. ¨

to operate. This means that anyone can call themselves an art advisor, which is exactly what happens” says Julia Wehkamp, Co-Founder of One Art Nation. As a result, there is a huge difference in the quality and experience of any given art advisor. So as a collector, how can you make sure that you choose a professional individual or company, with an honest and ethical approach?

The key is to ask questions. It’s the same as going to a lawyer to consult them on a matter you don’t know anything about.

Would you rather give your money to the person who takes the time to answer your questions and address your concerns or to the person who just tells you to hand over your check and trust them?

In the case of your art advisor, find out how they are remunerated. Your art advisor should be completely transparent with you about their remuneration at all times. Ideally, they

Joe Houston, Curator of the Hallmark Art Collection and past President of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA) shares the what, why and how of advisory services at the 1AN Symposium at Art Southampton

EVENTS + GATHERINGS

By David Green Director of Programs & Membership Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County

Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County Celebrates the 2nd Annual ACE Awards 1

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Photography by Heather Prescott Liebensohn

THE CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY (CAFC) held its second annual Arts & Culture Empowerment (ACE) Awards on Wednesday, June 7th at The Shore and Country Club in Norwalk to celebrate individuals, organizations and businesses that have made significant contributions to the Fairfield County community through arts and culture.

Our 200 guests were treated to an inspiring keynote address from Tony Award®-winning, star Kelli O’Hara, daughter-in-law of actor James Naughton, who emceed the event.

“Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, I did not have as many outlets for my artistic expression as a young child,” noted Kelli. But with the support of her parents and some wonderful teachers, who encouraged her passion for music and the theater, Kelli found occasions to explore the arts beyond her small community and has enjoyed an award-winning career as a Broadway actress, opera singer and television star.

Today, Kelli and her family reside in Fairfield County, where she feels “privileged” to be surrounded by the arts and has become an important advocate for access to comprehensive arts education, and funding for arts programs, resources, and opportunities for all ages and abilities.

5 4

Kristina Newman-Scott, director of culture for the Connecticut Office of the Arts, also addressed the guests and discussed how arts and culture can be an important economic driver for a community.

“The arts are extremely important to our community and to our future,” said Kristina.

“We know that the thing that attract people to a region, especially millennials, is culture. So when we talk about economic development, we are talking about the arts and everything that entails.”

Looking for something different to do? FCBuzz.org is the place to find out what’s happening in Fairfield County any day of the week–featuring theater, exhibits, music, history, science, family fun, classes and local artists. Click on FCBuzz.org. Pick a great event to attend. Then Go–bring your family, meet your friends or fly solo.

FCBuzz.org™ is presented by the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County. For more information contact the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County by emailing info@CulturalAllianceFC.org, calling 203-256-2329, or visiting the website at www.CulturalAllianceFC.org.

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

1. ACE keynote speaker Kelli O’Hara, Tony Award®-winning actor, opera singer and television star 2. Rose-Marie Fox, ACE Nonprofit awardee Jeffrey Muller, Gallery Director, Silvermine Arts Center; Janet Schwartz-O’Leary, CAFC board member 3. Cindy Vaccaro, CAFC President; ACE Educator awardee Pamela Kuhn; James Naughton, ACE Master of Ceremonies 4. (standing) Barbara Loss, Lee Walther, Lee Steele; (seated) ACE Artist awardee Shanna Melton, Alicia Cobb 5. Kristina Newman-Scott, Director of Culture, CT Office of the Arts 6. Cheryl Williams, CAFC board member; ACE Corporate awardee Kim Morque, President, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners; Juanita James, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation 7. Dr. Brian Davis, The Maritime Aquarium; ACE Citizen awardee Michael Widland; Alicia Wettenstein, The Maritime Aquarium

The 2017 ACE Awards were presented to the following organizations and individuals: • ACE Award Artist: Shanna Melton • ACE Award, Corporate: Spinnaker Real Estate Partners • ACE Award, Nonprofit: Silvermine Arts Center • ACE Award, Educator: Pamela Kuhn • ACE Award, Citizen: Michael Widland United Capital Financial Life Management and Cohen & Wolf were the premier sponsors of the ACE Awards.

Hobbs, Inc., and Shipman & Goodwin were Platinum Sponsors, Studio2pt0, LLC was the gold sponsor and Berchem, Moses & Devlin P.C. and Purdue Pharma were silver sponsors. Hearst Connecticut Media Group was our media sponsor and Richard Wenning and Howard Aibel were our award sponsors.

“blue nude” 16” x 24”

263 Riverside Ave., Westport CT, 06880 www.xpozur.gallery - info@xpozur.gallery acrylic • wax • powdered pigment on board

LAISE DORIA

www.laisedesign.com One of a kind jewelry made of gold and silver with semi-precious stones (203) 878-8582

EVENTS + GATHERINGS

By Janet Langsam CEO, ArtsWestchester

Artists Explore the State of the Vote ISN’T IT ASTOUNDING? Here we are in 2017, ready to celebrate the centennial of the legislation that gave New York women the right to vote in 1917, and, yet... there are still barriers to the ballot for many Americans. This painful reality has shaped the exhibition “Give Us the Vote” presented by New York’s leading arts council, ArtsWestchester.

What is the state of voting in America? Our curators asked artists from throughout our region to tell us...not in so many words... but in a work of art. Yes, we challenged artists to take an ordinary voting booth and transform it into a visual statement about voting rights in America. The results of this “call” to artists will be presented in an exhibition opening October 7th in ArtsWestchester’s street level White Plains gallery.

The suffragist movement was one of the most powerful grassroots political movements of the 20th century. Women and men from all

walks of life rallied together to win women an equal say in the democratic process and full recognition as citizens. This story is the subject of a 20-foot mural by Artist Laurel Garcia Colvin created in her signature modernized toile motif.

It is a provocative tableau of the 20th Century’s most significant political movements which incorporates suffragists and civil rights activists marching alongside participants wearing pussy hats as in the 2017 Women’s March. The installation is a poignant reminder that the struggle for voting rights continues to this day.

The creative team of Lise Prown and Curt Belshe explores gerrymandering – an inequitable process of drawing political district lines to favor one political party over another.

Their interactive tech-savvy installation will illuminate the randomness of districting that imposes a significant disadvantage on certain citizens based upon their political affiliations or presumed points of view.

Artwork by Laurel Garcia Colvin

Digital artist Philippe Safire paints a picture of a winning candidate using the demographics of the voters who selected him. The life-sized lenticular print (a particular type of print that animates a static image as you move from one side of the work to the other) reveals the diversity of the American voting populous. The work is a reminder that whether we turn out to the polls or stay at home, we are all responsible for the men and women who serve as our government representatives.

Sadly, New York State has one of the lowest voter turnouts relative to the other states.

This factor fueled the impetus for Give us the Vote which tries to raise the awareness in both young and old of the privilege and responsibility that comes with the right to stand in a voting booth in America.

Give us the Vote is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, with additional support from Westchester Medical Center.

Give us the Vote is on view in ArtsWestchester’s Gallery from October 10, 2017 through January 2018. The exhibit’s opening reception will be held Saturday, October 7th from 4-6pm at ArtsWestchester located at 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY. artsw.org

For more arts, visit artsw.org The complete guide to the arts in Westchester /ArtsWestchester | @ArtsWestchester For more of Janet Langsam’s cultural musings, be sure to visit her blog at www.ThisandThatbyJL.com. For a full calendar of arts events visit: www.artsw.org.

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

E+G:

Museum

1. Pola Esther, Searching for the Truth (from Red Sweater Series), 2013. Archival digital print on fabric, Courtesy of the Artist 2. Oscar Fehrer (1872–1958), Bohemian, 1897.

Charcoal on paper, Gift of Miss Catherine Fehrer 3. Wilson Henry Irvine, Home From the War, ca.

1918. Oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. George M. Yeager

1

THREE FALL EXHIBITIONS AT THE FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM Examining Social Consciousness and Community Participation in Old Lyme, Connecticut To commemorate the centennial of America’s participation in the First World War, the exhibition World War I and the Lyme Art Colony illuminates the significant role played by artists with ties to Connecticut in mobilizing public sentiment for America’s entry into the war and in defining a new role for art in the field of modern warfare.

Images by Connecticut artists Walter Griffin, who spent the war years in France, and Edmund Greacen, who recorded the destruction of French landmarks, elicited support from Americans at home for the allies’ efforts. Responding to mounting sentiment that favored the United States’ entry into the war, Childe Hassam created his now legendary paintings of New York City draped in Allied flags as celebrations of American patriotism, international cooperation, and the modern vitality that would help decide the conflict.

The exhibition Oscar Fehrer: Reflecting and Reflections, takes the artist’s painting Reflecting and Reflections (1918) as a starting point for the investigation of the broad themes with which Fehrer’s varied oeuvre engages. The painting’s broken brushwork and unusual color palette demonstrate a departure from the accomplished academic style of his early career and shows instead the influence of European modernism. The exhibition presents a selected retrospective of work from every period of Fehrer’s career—early charcoal drawings, portraits, and plein air landscapes—to reconsider Fehrer’s contribution to the art world on both a local and international level.

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In 1909 the artist moved to Munich with his young family and established himself with a convivial group of artists in Germany.

When war broke out in 1914, the Fehrers fled abruptly. After setting up a studio in New York and gaining recognition as a portraitist, Fehrer began to look for a place to summer outside of the city, eventually settling in Lyme, Connecticut. The trajectory of Fehrer’s development is considered against the social context of an anxious America during WWI, the reverberations of war and identity politics in a tight-knit community like Lyme, and the artist’s aesthetic reaction to the art world’s upheaval due to the rise of modernism.

In, A Room of Her Own (Ballad of Ruth Coxe), contemporary photographer Pola Esther presents a portrait of Ruth Anne Brown Coxe of Old Lyme in an exhibition of photographs and installation elements. A complex and unconventional person, Coxe, who died at age 85 in 2015, was an embattled figure who clashed with others on politics, womanhood, and religion.

Beginning in 2013 Esther, Coxe’s neighbor, photographed her in the cluttered environment of her home, drawing visual parallels between the house and the personality of its occupant. In her portraits Esther discerns Coxe’s strong beliefs, ideas that drove her to adopt natural foodways and travel to remote parts of the world with her family to study traditional agricultural practices. Following Coxe’s death, Esther revisited the home, posing models wearing her fearlessly-chosen clothes or holding emblems of her beliefs. The resulting images offer the artist’s perception of her sitter as adventurous, nonconforming, opinionated, and full of life, and reflect on the expression of those traits in the space still charged with her presence even after her death.

The exhibitions are on view September 30, 2017 through January 28, 2018.

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E+ G:

Gallery

RICHARD LYTLE: A RETROSPECTIVE Fairfield University Art Museum Presents a Talented Artist, Celebrating His Long Relationship with the University

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1. Rounding, 2006, watercolor on paper.

2. Looking Out, 1967, compressed charcoal on paper 3. Blue Cluster, 1975, oil on canvas 4. Possessed, 1959, oil on canvas

Walsh Gallery, September 15, 2017 – February 3, 2018 RICHARD LYTLE (American, b., 1935) has been exhibiting his work internationally since the mid-1950s. He attended the Cooper Union, then graduated from Yale University with a BFA in 1957 and from Yale College of Art with an MFA in 1960. While still in graduate school, he was selected for Dorothy Miller’s seminal 1959 “Sixteen Americans” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was in auspicious company, as this exhibition introduced the museum-going world to Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson and Ellsworth Kelly among others.

Lytle’s paintings and drawings have been included in many solo and group exhibitions including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Harvard University and elsewhere, and have been featured at American Embassies around the world and at the World’s Fair in Seattle. He has received many prestigious awards including the Saint-Gaudens Medal and the Citation for Professional Achievement from Cooper Union. His work is to be found in many public and private collections including the Yale University Art Gallery, the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian American Art 34 34

CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Museum, and the Williams College Museum of Art. Mastery of color is a hallmark of Lytle’s work, which ranges from realist to abstraction, and which has always found its inspiration in the organic world. His dreamlike images move across spaces suggestive of landscapes, often in joyful biomorphic abstraction. Some focus on plants and natural shapes that are magnified beyond recognition, while others include elements chosen by the artist for their sensuous colors and patterning.

Richard Lytle’s connection to Fairfield University dates back to a commission he received for drawings for the exterior bas-relief sculptures for the Barone Campus Center in 1965. The sculptures are now visible inside and on the exterior of the newly completed Tully Dining Commons building. Organized as part of the celebration of Fairfield University’s 75th anniversary, this retrospective is a celebration of that long relationship. It includes Lytle’s original drawings for the bas-reliefs – a recent gift to the museum from the artist – early charcoal drawings from the 1960s Nude Figures Series, a selection of Pod Series drawings from the 1970s, as well as watercolors and large oil paintings spanning the breadth of Lytle’s career.

EVENTS + GATHERINGS

Margery Arent Safir, David Rockefeller Jr., Susan Rockefeller, Vin Cipolla

Julia Trilling, Thomas Woltz, Richard Marks, Marc-Olivier Strauss-Kahn

Champagne reception following the program Anne-Claire Legendre, Consul General of France in New York

Vin Cipolla, Cristina Carlson (Howard Hughes Foundation), Kim Dohnal

NYC WELCOMES THE ARTS ARENA OCEANS, June 14, 2017 As part of the celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Arts Arena came from Paris to New York in June with a four-day interdisciplinary series SPACES THAT MOVE PEOPLE: Stations, Museums, Oceans, Homes.

For the Oceans segment, this unique French-American nonprofit initiative in the arts and issues of culture and society featured a conversation between David Rockefeller Jr., philanthropist, marine conservationist, and founder of Sailors for the Sea, and Margery Arent Safir, founder and president of the Arts Arena. Perfectly suited to the occasion and the topic, the venue was the elegant Consulate General of France. Consul General Anne-Claire Legendre, speaking to the standing-room-only crowd, introduced the evening by recalling the Paris climate accord and quoting newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron: “Make our planet great again.”

Photography by Félix Pelloux

Allerton Cushman III, Gabriella Martin, Robert Knapp

Stephanie McCarthy, Rachel Caron, Debra Menich, Margery Arent Safir Luke Forbes, Angelo Musco, Tim Brazier, Olivia Cipolla

Doug Wilson, Hildi Santo Tomas, Craig Stanski

Guests attending the program

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EVENTS + GATHERINGS

Jane Francisco, Editor in Chief, Good Housekeeping & the magazine’s June Cover Star and celebrity chef Katie Lee.

nITHealth’s Brian Ednie, Toni Bruno, Lana Muchnik and Arlen Muchnik stage a get-away with FlippingFun Flipbooks.

Lamb Financial Group’s Alex Yeres; Regis McDermott; Corey Heller; Parker Berman

TFH President and General Counsel Sean Granahan with Groupe Clarins’ Laetitia Becque, Benoit Guerin, Amy Braden, Brenton Kearley and Scott Spicer.

Good Housekeeping’s Meghan Murphy and Francesco Bilotto, interior design and entertaining expert with TFH tote.

Partygoers enjoyed boardwalk-style games, reminiscent of the hospital’s nautical past in NYC.

CVH Health’s David Yu, Jatinder Kaur, Edwin Rivera, TFH President Sean Granahan, William Chavis, and Jiajian Leungg

TFH’S 8TH ANNUAL SUMMER SOIRÉE

Citi’s Karen Robinson, Tim Burke, Tara Costello and Patti and Joe Campanelli and Kathy McTigue

NYC’s Oldest Charity Hospital, Raising Money to Help Homeless Families Access Healthcare It was a gorgeous evening on the Hudson River as party-goers celebrated The Floating Hospital (TFH), NYC’s oldest charity hospital, raising money to help homeless families access healthcare. TFH’s 8th Annual Summer Soirée at Current on Chelsea Piers featured rousing boardwalk games and the music of the Duke Ellington Legacy Band.

Good Housekeeping and its July Cover Star and celebrity chef, Katie Lee, helped promote this 151-year-old charity.

Purchase TFH’s limited edition Tote ($22), co-designed by Good Housekeeping, and you too can support this great cause! shop.thefloatinghospital.org Photography by Doug Goodman and Rohanna Mertens Media Sponsor Venü Magazine 36

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Steve Phillabaum, Emeka Anadikaya, Lindsey Palmer, and Debby Derricks get into the spirit of the evening!

Deb Menich, Tracey Thomas, Matthew Sturtevant and Steve Phillabaum

Jason Hirsch and Nancy Xu with Board Member Ed Prager; President Sean Granahan; and Board Member Judith Faske

EVENTS + GATHERINGS

Filicori Zecchini USA Photo: Jamie Dahill

Tracey Thomas, Stephanie McCarthy, Deb Menich, Michael Cordelli, Sandra Guibord, Ashlee Bunt, Susie Earls

Associazione Puglia in Rosè

Photo: Michael Cordelli

Photo: Oliver Kpognon

GREENWICH POLO CLUB The Luxury Marketing Council of Connecticut-Husdon Valley’s Third Annual Family Polo Day Photo: Oliver Kpognon

Justin Pasha, Alon Marom, Anthony Palazzo, Kathryn Minckler

The Luxury Marketing Council of Connecticut-Hudson Valley held their Third Annual Family Polo Day in collaboration with the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce at The Greenwich Polo Club, June 18, 2017.

Sponsors for the event: Associazione Puglia in Rosè, Amanda Smith Catering, APEX Projects, Bespoke Designs, Design Within Reach, Festivities Events, Filicori Zecchini USA, Isabella Garroucho Fine Art, Jade Marketing Solutions, Kubaba Bespoke Books, Montepicaza USA, REALM, Robin Autstin Fine Art, Scenterprises, Shelly Tretter Lynch, Sotheby’s International Realty, Teariffic Ice Cream, The Cup Bearer, The Potomack Company and VOCE DI. A portion of event-related sponsor sales proceeds were contributed to Kids in Crisis.

Design Services provided by Granoff Architects Media Sponsors: Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, Venü Magazine

Photo: Oliver Kpognon

Jamie Dahill, Maddie Ringelstein, Jennifer Gerstel Ringelstein. Shelly Tretter Lynch Photo: Oliver Kpognon

Photo: Jamie Dahill

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STYLE:

Guide

FIT FOR A KINGSMAN Inspired by the upcoming release of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the Art of Shaving has released a limited edition bourbon amber scented line of shaving goods. The Kingsman Collection items is now available in stores and online at theartofshaving.com

STYLE & CLASS Chic Showroom and Extravagant Buys this Fall

STEPPING OUT Via Spiga offers an assortment of luxurious and wearable shoes that gives multifaceted women the opportunity to perfect their looks for work or weekend – and everything in between. The fall 2017 collection is available at viaspiga.com

ESPRESSO YOURSELF The new X1 Anniversary edition of the original X1 illy espresso machine is an evolution in form and functionality from the 1996 design, with various revisions while retaining it’s heritage. The illy Iperespresso system is available at illy.com and at illy caffè coffee bars and shops.

GOLD STANDARD Celebrating 40 years, LAGOS partnered with luxury retailer Neiman Marcus to create their Fall Caviar Collection that pairs black ceramic with gold, offering a fashion-forward and luxe option. It ranges from bold bracelets, to statement necklaces and elegant earrings, all crafted with the highest quality and precision. Available at lagos.com

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POSITIVE VIBES House of Marley is launching round two of their sustainable wireless product line, Positive Vibration 2 Wireless, further expanding within the innovative tech and music space. Available at thehouseofmarley.com

APPETITE

By Fred Bollaci

The Italian Trifecta

Introducing South Florida’s Newest Platinum Palate Award Winners in Miami Beach, West Palm Beach & Marco Island, Florida IT IS A PLEASURE to present my three newest Platinum Palate™ award-winners, each an outstanding example of the very best hospitality and Italian cuisine in the United States!

Marcello’s La Sirena Chef Marcello Fiorentino and wife Diane epitomize Old World hospitality and gracious service. A West Palm Beach icon since 1986, Marcello’s La Sirena is considered the #1 Italian restaurant in Palm Beach County, and is one of only four restaurants in Florida to receive the prestigious Grand Award (89 in the entire world) from Wine Spectator in 2015 & again in 2016 (over 1,300 selections with one of America’s best collections of Tuscan wines). Combine perfetto Italian cuisine by Chef Marcello (who personally greets his guests) with top-notch service, an outstanding wine program, and an intimate, elegant atmosphere and you will sing “That’s Amore!” Enjoy freshly made Lobster Ravioli or Penne “Aumm Aumm” (tomato, basil, eggplant, and fresh mozzarella), fresh local seafood, and Zabaglione prepared to order. Sign up for Marcello’s e-list to be in the know about great wine dinners and special events! www.lasirenaonline.com Marco Beach Ocean Resort & Sale e Pepe Restaurant, Marco Island You’ll know you’ve arrived somewhere special from the moment you are greeted beneath the porte cochere and enter the beautiful Mediterranean-styled lobby. Once you explore

Ripe honeydew from a local farm, topped with imported Italian Prosciutto at Marcello’s La Sirena.

Marcello & Diane Fiorentino Eggplant, Burrata, and Italian Salad make for a delicious antipasto at Sale e Pepe.

the sugar-sand beach and wet your feet in the blue green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll never want to leave. This AAA Four-Diamond resort features casual as well as gourmet dining, a spa and fitness center, pool, hot tub, and gardens, plus four miles of pristine white sand beach at your doorstep! What sets Marco Beach Ocean Resort apart is the level of service and intimacy. The resort features deluxe all-suite accommodations and an attentive staff that aims to please. Sale e Pepe, the signature restaurant, features authentic Italian cuisine and worldly ambiance. Dine on the terrace and sip a signature cocktail while watching the sunset, as your cares melt away. Sale e Pepe, the resort’s signature restaurant raises

the bar for authentic, elegant Italian cuisine on Florida’s west coast. Favorites include Cavatelli with lobster and peas, a beautiful Eggplant Parmigiana appetizer, and fresh seafood, paired with an extensive wine list. Marco Island, less than a half hour from Naples, is a sportsman’s paradise, with some of the best boating and fishing in Florida! www.marcoresort.com, www.sale-e-pepe.com The Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club & Le Sirenuse Miami Restaurant and Champagne Bar The newest full service luxury resort to debut on Miami’s beaches is the stylish new oceanfront Four Seasons Surfside, which has completely transformed the 1930’s icon The Surf Club into a sophisticated contemporary oasis. In addition, the hotel features Le Sirenuse Restaurant and Champagne Bar (operated by Four Seasons in a partnership with Antonio Sersale and Le Sirenuse Positano), their first satellite location. The marriage of the renowned Four Seasons and iconic Le Sirenuse has brought an entirely new level of world-class style and sophistication to Miami.

Having had the pleasure of visiting Le Sirenuse in Positano, I am pleased to report that the cuisine by Italian Chef Antonio Mermolia at Le Sirenuse Miami is spot on! Two dishes I enjoyed on a recent visit that alone are worth a trip to Miami—the Raviolo Caprese (ravioli stuffed with house-made buffalo ricotta, fresh grape tomato Sauce, grana padano reduction, and basil), and the warm Buffalo Mozzarella dish, La Caprese Calda! Cheers to the new La Dolce Vita! www.fourseasons.com/surfside, www.lesirenusemiami.com

Fred Bollaci with Chef Mermolia at Le Sirenuse Miami.

Fred Bollaci’s first book, “The Restaurant Diet” (Mango Media, January 2, 2018) featuring recipes from over 50 top restaurants nationwide is available now for pre-order at amazon.com. For more information about Fred Bollaci, visit: www.fredbollacienterprises.com CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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It’s All About THE FOOD Colt Taylor Brings His Culinary Legacy to The Essex Written by CINDY CLARKE Photography by GUS CANTAVERO

APPETITE:

Fearless Chef

After 12 artfully delicious wine-paired amuse bouches, appetizers, entrees, desserts and much belt-loosening, Colt had us eating out of his hands, pretty much literally.

WE FIRST MET COLT TAYLOR

of his hands, pretty much literally.

at the iconic Greenwich Village

Not bad for a young culinary

restaurant One if by Land, Two

cowboy who bolted right out

if by Sea, in February of 2012,

of the starting gate to change

serendipitously shortly before

the playing field for culinary

Valentine’s Day, when he expertly

excellence in a high stakes, high

romanced a parade of dishes

visibility industry.

that made us fall in love with his

In the five years since, Colt has

cooking. (See our feature story

continued to distinguish himself

on him in the March/April edition

as a master of his craft. He served

of Venü, issue 12). Just 28 years

as executive chef for One if by

old at the time and a few years

Land, Two if by Sea for four years,

out of culinary school, Colt had

wowed discerning foodies at

just taken over the helm of this

the James Beard House, taught

elegant eatery, not only one of

aspiring chefs from underserved

New York’s favorite go to restau-

neighborhoods how to cook,

rants for more than a century, but

consulted for restaurants on both

one of its most historic carriage

coasts, and recently opened his

house landmarks with a storied

own open-kitchen restaurant in

legacy that dates back to 1767

his bucolic home town of Essex,

and an equally illustrious, global

Connecticut.

clientele. He was handpicked

We descended upon him

from among the country’s most

again at The Essex just three

promising chefs to give the

weeks into his new venture,

restaurant’s seasoned menu a

appetites revved up for a repeat

more modern flavor, pairing

performance of what has become

its signature dishes with an innovative culinary twist that has since

engrained in our memories as one of our most legendary food expe-

become Colt’s signature trademark.

riences. And because legends, by their very nature, are in a league of

His background and hands-on experience at some of the industry’s

their own, we raised the bar even higher than we did before.

top restaurants for elite chefs like Mario Batali and Dominic Cerrone

Most new restaurants need time to step up to the plate, if you will,

had prepared him well for his new role, giving him the skills and savvy

especially when you have a passion for professional perfection like

to work magic in an always busy kitchen, no matter how many high

Colt does. But Colt was more than ready.

profile palates he had to please on any given night. Admittedly we

“This is one of his dreams,” said his mother, Melissa Barberi, an

set the bar high when we sat down at his tasting table, for when it

über talented Connecticut artist and fresco painter (Venu’s cover artist

comes to Venü readers only the best with do.

for issue 11) whose exquisite hand-painted under the sea murals

After 12 artfully delicious wine-paired amuse bouches, appetizers,

grace the interior of the newly renovated restaurant. Owning the bar,

entrees, desserts and much belt-loosening, Colt had us eating out

Melissa’s stunning tribute to the aftermath of the sinking of the whale CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

41

APPETITE:

Fearless Chef

ship, The Essex, in the early 1800s,

parties of old were so renowned for.

after she sailed from Nantucket and

Opportunities for camaraderie

was rammed and sunk by a whale,

and conversation notwithstanding,

is made all the more poignant by

we were excited about making

a bannered retelling of a line from

friends with Colt’s food again after a

“Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

five year hiatus. Colt’s cocktail chef,

which unfurls across twenty feet of

Aaron Stepka, a high school friend

the painting. A labor of love and

whose talents in crafting signature

art transcends both the facility and

drinks definitely earned him a place

the food at 30 Main Street in the

at the head of the glass, kicked off

Centerbrook section of Essex. Colt’s

our feast with his tequila “more like

stepfather Michael Hannifan is also

a snow cone” sorbet, concocted

his business partner, investing in

from well made artisan products

the venture and working behind the

that are an integral part of the menu

scenes to make their dream a reality.

here. Colt believes in sourcing local

Together with interior designer Paul

products when possible, seasonal

Sterczek of East Hampton, New

ingredients always, and high-end

York, they transformed this historic

ingredients from around the world

building into an architecturally

selectively, to ensure an outstand-

striking open concept restaurant that invites diners right into Colt’s kitchen to become a part of the culinary experience. Colt’s other dream? A Michelin star.

strawberry and rhubarb that evoked ethereal summer reverie with

Intimacy prevails here, taking its cue from the “best parties end

every sip, accompanied by an apricot julep perfectly presented in a

up in the kitchen” mindset that has made dinner parties an integral

frosted silver goblet, delicately madeirad and minted and now one

part of society for centuries.

of my new favorite drinks.

Like everything he touches, Colt put his own spin on it by offering

Cured salmon gravlax with wakame, chévre (goat cheese) and

his guests a choice of ambiance and experience. The two dining

cilantro swam down our throats in instant gratification so taken were

rooms here, each of which can view Colt in the kitchen, include

we with this innovative flavor surprise. When you can appreciate each

a more formal dining room with the requisite 100+-year-old New

individual ingredient that is creatively revealed in the dish before you

England stone fireplace, now open on both sides, roaring in the

as you taste it in one blended bite, you are discovering the essence

middle of the space, and the more casual contemporary area that

of a master culinary artist. We were in awe of Colt’s ability to marry

circles the bar, the pastry kitchen and the main event – the chef’s

ingredients in such perfect unions. We toasted his salmon with a glass

kitchen – and encourages that privileged interaction with the host –

of full-bodied Alberino wine from Spain.

and fellow guests if you so choose – that those quintessential dinner 42

ing dining experience.

First up for our spoons was a wild striped bass ceviche with

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Poke, cubed raw fish, is a recent foodie favorite that is pushing sushi

off to the side. According to Colt,

It worked. When it comes to the

it’s all about the sauce. His Halibut

Chef’s innovative platings, our taste

Poke is made with cucumber and

buds can’t wait to flirt with the next

avocado, and dressed in a creamy

hot dish.

lime-based Nuoc Cham, Vietnam-

We honored the Halibut with a

ese in origin, that we couldn’t get

2016 Sancerre, then moved on the

enough of. We drank to his sauce

Black Pearl Salmon. It was accom-

with a Cocchi American aperitif.

panied with a medley of Brussels

Seafood was the theme of the

sprouts, pistachios and golden raisins

night, in homage to our dining

and dusted with chili for that extra,

requests and Melissa Barberi’s

subtly delivered kick. I took a picture

oceanic musings. We savored our

of the label of the 2015 Brun L’Ancien

dish of Lobster Khani, served with

Beaujolais Colt poured so I could

radish, pickles and dill yuzu that was

relive this moment again at home.

expertly paired with a delicate Lillet

We weren’t done yet. Desserts

Rose, and cleansed our palates with

were equally decadent even though

an ice-crushed Prosecco Granita,

they manifested in cloud like sor-

another new favorite.

bets of strawberry and rhubarb, chocolate pillows, three ways, and a

Most guests at The Essex won’t dive into the 12 chef’s choice courses that Colt dished out for us, but they are on the menu as an Omakase

cinnamon soda spin off that partied in our mouths. The glass of tawny Port finished our feast.

tasting dinner, ever changing with the whims of the chef and the season.

We made friends with the two couples at the next table as we ate.

We are proof positive that you can partake of each dish and still have

They had come to The Essex from New York City hoping to find their

the strength to get up, albeit slowly, from the table at night’s end.

new favorite restaurant out in the country. They hadn’t found one yet,

Here’s what else was included in this amazing experience. Morels

they confided to us. Most new restaurants they explained seemed to

a la Crème, served with fresh sautéed asparagus seasoned with hints

have a problem with consistency. They hoped their next visit to The

of lavender and topped with a poached egg, which I could order and

Essex would live up to this dinner.

savor every day for eternity and know that I would experience nirvana.

We told them that we had followed Colt Taylor for five years,

The 2012 Chateau Cabannieuz, a luscious Bordeaux, was a heavenly

dreaming about reliving that first tasting dinner on Barrow Street

compliment to this dish.

in New York City and finally having the opportunity to do so again

So that we wouldn’t long for those morels while we were being

at The Essex.

served an entrée of Halibut, topped with Rhode Island mussels and

Was it everything we hoped for? And then some, we said as we

sunchokes and bedded on genepy custard, Colt sent out a frozen

scraped up the last bit of chocolate from our places, confident that

slushy, grapefruit flavored Pamplune Granita, in between courses.

Colt was well on his way to earning that coveted Michelin star.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

¨

43

APPETITE:

Cocktail Culture ROSY GLOW 2 oz. Brockmans ¾ oz. fresh grapefruit juice ½ oz. fresh lime juice (retain the lime peel) ½ oz. Cherry Liqueur ½ oz. cinnamon syrup Dash of Absinthe

A TASTE OF AUTUMN

Combine Brockmans, juices, cinnamon syrup, and cherry liqueur in a shaker filled with ice, shake, and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with lime half turned inside out.

Float on top of the cocktail and fill with a cube of sugar and dash of Absinthe. Ignite & sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon powder over the flame.

Seasonal Cocktails Complement the Berry Notes in Brockmans’ Distinctive Botanical Blend Provided by Brockmans Gin BROCKMANS GIN, the gin ‘like no other’, is serving up its Autumn line up of deliciously smooth cocktails that are easy to make and beautifully complement the gin’s mix of berry notes and botanicals.

“Brockmans is a deliciously contemporary reinterpretation of gin that is so smooth, it can be enjoyed neat, over ice for a treat and a very pleasant surprise,” noted Bob Fowkes,

BERRY FRESH

Marketing Director and Co-Founder of Brockmans Gin. “For

2 oz. Brockmans gin 1 oz. Lejay Lagoute Triple Sec ¾ oz. Lemon juice 1 oz. Cranberry juice 1 bar spoon of allspice dram Frozen winter berries.

those autumn social occasions that call for cocktails, create and serve our new signature recipes, each developed to highlight and enhance the combination of traditional gin aromas, bitter-sweet orange peel, coriander and top notes of blueberries and blackberries discovered in Brockmans Gin.

Shake all ingredients together in an ice-filled cocktail shaker; strain into a tumbler of crushed ice layered with frozen winter berries then top with a little more crushed ice. Garnish with a few more frozen winter berries.

ODE TO APEROL

AUTUMN REVIVER

2 oz. Brockmans Gin 2 oz. Aperol Juice of 2 atsumas mandarins Prosecco

2 oz. Brockmans gin 1 oz. Lillet Blanc ½ oz. Cointreau 1 oz. fresh lemon juice ½ oz. Ginger syrup

Fill a highball glass with ice cubes, add the first 3 ingredients and stir before topping with chilled Prosecco.

Garnish with a cocktail stick skewer of Satsuma peel and blueberries.

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Shake all ingredients together in an icefilled cocktail shaker; strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a dehydrated orange slice studded with cloves.

APPETITE:

Venü Vines

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSÉS A Venü Sunset Wine Tasting Written by Sandra Guibord Photography by Chase Muller THE 2017 ROSÉ CLOUD OF SUMMER, which carried us through sunsets and sails, drifted away. Venü magazine and friends enjoyed a last sunset with a tasting of Rosé wines.

Typically one only thinks of enjoying Rosé from the South of France, Cote du Provence. But Rosé wines are made all over the world. With varying varietals, these worldly wines display personalities reflecting their home terroir. The French Rosé traditionally is made with Granache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, among others. These wines are known for their delicate, dry flavor. As well as their soft pink hue. At our tasting we reached out and tasted not only bottles from France

seared tuna. Both of these wines are extremely food friendly. Making

but bottles from Spain and Argentina as well.

their stand beyond summer food fare, into the cooler weather dinners

We chose a French Rosé as a starting point. Haedus Rosé 2016

as well. Our group especially enjoyed the Muriel. It seemed to have

Cotes de Provence. We chose to try this one as it had a unique blend

just a touch softer feel in the mouth with an edge less of acidity.

of Grenache, Syrah, consult and a touch of Vermentino. It had an

A true crowd pleaser of a wine that would be well received at any

expected wisp of very but a lovely acidic finish that paired beautiful

dinner party.

with creamy cheese.

We then decided to finish with New Age Rosé, from San Rafael,

The first thing you notice of the Rosé from Spain and Argentina

Mendoza Argentina. Made with 50% Malbec and 50% Merlot. The

is their beautiful deep pink color. The flavors are more complex and

deepest pink in color of all the wines. We were pleasantly surprised

fruity as well from varietals such as Tempranillo, Malbec and Merlot.

when it was opened that a slight effervescent fizz aroused in the bottle.

Our next wine, Zolo Rosé from Mendoza Argentina, was fresh and

Awakening beautiful aromas of raspberry and violets. A sweeter wine

juicy rosé with flavors of strawberries, cherries, and rosewater. A blend

that delightfully and deliciously finished our evening with fresh melon.

of red varietals hand picked from sustainably-farmed estate Mendoza

This wine would move into the cooler months as a fantastic South

vineyards in the foothills of the Andes. Lovely pink color and fruity

American-style sangria to be enjoyed with pork roast, chicken, and

finish which we enjoyed.

paella of course!

We then moved on to Spain and its Rioja region. We tasted the

As we move into the cooler temperatures of the fall, our food,

Muriel Fincas de la Villa Rosado and the Viña Eguía Rosado. Both

dress, and cravings change with the turning leaves. But not to be

made with a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Granache. These

forgotten are the beautiful Rosé wines, with their crisp fruitiness that

wines had a lush but soft fruity finish that was enjoyed paired with a

is complimentary to many cuisines through out the year.

¨

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FEATURE

Clay Art Center at 60

BY NANCY YATES PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS SETTER & GEOFFREY TISCHMAN

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

FEATURE

many are looking for something to make them feel more human and healthy. With its documented benefits as a way to destress, feel happier and improve your sense of emotional well-being, CLAY has taken on a new popularity. For a generation that has lost touch with what it feels like to create something with their hands, working with Clay Art Center shelves of student clay bisque ready for glazing Above Left: Katherine Choy, ceramic artist, founder of Clay Art Center, 1957 Above Right: Clay Art Center artist throwing a pot on the wheel

clay provides an avenue to take us away from the demands of your daily life and reconnect with ourselves. As ceramicist Bernard Leach said: “A potter is one of the few people left who uses his natural faculties of heart, head and hand in balance – the whole man.” No doubt Brad Pitt would agree as he states in a recent interview to GQ magazine on how he is dealing with the turmoil of his divorce through his new love of pottery. “It’s a very lonely occupation.

There’s a lot of manual labor, which is good for me right now… I’m having a moment of getting to feel emotion at my fingertips. If I’m not creating something, doing something, putting it out there, then I’ll just be creating scenarios of fiery demise in my mind.”

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FEATURE

Adam Chau, ceramic artist, Clay Art Center Program Director Above: Youth wheel throwing

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Clay has always been popular, especially after everyone fell in love with the potter’s wheel scene from the movie Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, but it is now considered chic not only among young creatives but also with busy moms, empty nesters and senior citizens. Pottery connects us to the earth with its over 24,000 year history, and nothing feels more satisfying than drinking coffee from a mug made with your own hands.

Ceramics classes have become one of the most popular classes recently for adults & youth not only in the United States but also in Europe. For classes taught by some of the top ceramic artists, look no further than Clay Art Center (CAC) in Port Chester, NY, a nationally recognized non-profit center for the advancement and practice of the ceramic arts that is currently celebrating its 60th year. It is a place that inspires and supports creation, connection and education.

Looking to get your hands dirty and learn how to use the potter’s wheel? Try CAC’s one time class, Cladies Night, a 2017 Best of Westchester winner for Best Artsy Night Out. Have fun and get messy in a great date night or girls/guys’ night out. BYOB so you can sip while you sculpt. Offered every Friday night.

Saturday Drop-In Classes are offered for the whole family from September through June. Plan a great afternoon with friends, family or just yourself in this fun and messy introduction to clay for all ages! Professional ceramic artists guide themed weekly hand building projects.

Continuing weekly classes are offered throughout the year 7 days a week for all ages and skill levels, giving us insight into the transformational qualities of clay and its possibilities as a medium for

Above: Adult wheel throwing class Below: Joey Watson, exhibiting artist, Reinvented, Sept. 23 - Nov. 11

skilled artists. They offer focused classes in wheel throwing, hand building and sculpture as well as classes in which students are shown a variety of techniques on and off the wheel.

A fully equipped 11,000 square foot facility,

expression. Each class is unique and small in size so students can focus

CAC is home to more than 50 working artists,

on their individual growth while being part of a larger clay community.

exhibition space and three classrooms for

Their studio is well equipped and their instructors are dedicated and

adult and youth classes. Each year more than 13,000 people visit CAC which buzzes with activity year-round, thanks to its working professional artists, its dedicated students and its myriad of community arts outreach programs which reaches thousands of underserved youth, families, older adults and special needs groups by providing free and subsidized access to the arts.

CAC was founded in 1957 by Katherine Choy, a visionary 27-year old immigrant from Hong Kong, who left her assistant professorship in ceramics at Tulane University and moved to Port Chester to fulfill her dream of establishing a center for the advancement of ceramic arts. Ms. Choy was a talented ceramicist whose experimental sculptural forms, featuring broken shapes and brushed glazes, CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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FEATURE

worked at CAC early in their careers. Additionally, CAC’s gallery, which is dedicated to hosting exhibitions for emerging and established talents, is where noted artists Julia Galloway, Justin Novak and Tim Rowan all had their first solo exhibitions, which propelled their careers. Each has since exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad and their work is in the permanent collections of major museums such as the Smithsonian and the American Craft Museum.

Today CAC is as vibrant as ever and as committed to the support of ceramics and ceramicists. The CAC gallery continues to exhibit some of the nation’s most talented ceramic artists, both emerging and established, and provides studio space for advanced potters looking for an artistic community and, sometimes, collaborators for experimental projects, while the CAC artist-in-residence program supports four young American artists every year. The center also hosts myriad events and workshops taught by nationally known artists, as well as a popular summer camp for kids, and sells handmade, one-of-a-kind functional ceramic pottery and sculpture by local artists at the Shop at CAC (open Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm).

For years, local interior designers and architects have utilized CAC artists as a resource to commission custom artwork and tile for their evoke Abstract Expressionist paintings. To this day her work is included in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, among other museums, and prized by collectors throughout the USA. Many of the leading ceramicists of the last 60 years have passed through the doors of the

interior design projects. Custom tiles, dinnerware and sculpture that are

Below: A young ceramic enthusiast (Sydney Tischman) with work by emerging NY artist Lauren Skelly

a client’s space that is in demand today.

handcrafted, made in America, and depicting designs or scenes that are meaningful to their clients adds a personal and artistic aesthetic to In 2017 CAC is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a series of classes, events and exhibits titled RE/CLAY, exploring their past, present and future while chronicling the development of the center from

center either as teachers, as exhibiting artists

their first blue prints to the cutting-edge technologies currently in use

or to rent studio space and work within an

in their classrooms and studios. Five core exhibitions have run from

impassioned, inspired, nurturing community of fellow artists.

American ceramic art underwent a renaissance in the 1950s, and CAC played a crucial role in the reemergence of ceramics as an art form that is now an important part of mainstream contemporary art. American contemporary ceramic artists are today celebrated at art fairs around the world, and their work can be viewed at major shows in museums and galleries in New York and throughout the USA. CAC has had an indelible impact on some of the top artists in the field, and many well-known ceramists spent their formative days defining their style and learning from their peers at the center. Important figures in the field of ceramics such as writer, curator and educator Dr. Judy Schwartz, as well as noted MA gallery owner Leslie Ferrin, both 50

Above: Exhibiting Massachuset artist Jennifer McCurdy, Butterfly Tsunami Vessel

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

FEATURE

looking for the perfect locally handmade one-of-a-kind gift, be it ceramic sculpture or fine functional pottery…The center will continue to enhance the lives of the people of Westchester: walk through its doors and you’ll immediately notice the palpable “buzz” of artistic production and community participation. As it settles into middle age, CAC is more vibrant, and more necessary, than ever.

Craving some clay? Get involved by signing up for a weekly or one-time clay class at CAC for adults, children and families.

January 29th through November 11th alongside community exhibits, a walking tour in New York City, workshops, lectures and a culminating symposium, all underlining why it’s time to “re-look” at clay.

The fifth exhibit “Reinvented” takes place from September 23 through November 11th and looks at the future of ceramics. It features

Above: Transformations 6 x 6 Exhibit - 800 handmade tiles by over 185 acclaimed ceramic artists July 22 - September 15

Book a clay party for adults or children and celebrate an occasion while exploring the magical qualities of clay with your friends.

Book a corporate team building event for your business, corporation or organization

12 ceramic artists who utilize digital technology within a traditional

and build better working relationships using

studio practice. Program Director, Adam Chau, offers insight to the

clay as the perfect medium. Attend an exhibit

future of technology and ceramics – a practice that does not polarize

at CAC’s gallery which hosts seven exhibitions

the digital and analog, but hybridizes the two. The concurrent

annually, featuring ceramic work by mid-ca-

symposium, Future Now, will focus on the emerging technologies

reer and established artists from across the

within ceramics and how artists and industry alike are inventing new

nation showcasing the breadth and scope of

ways to push the envelope.

contemporary ceramics, all open to the public

Championing the arts in Westchester for six decades, CAC is a hub

and free of charge. CAC also welcomes indi-

for ceramic arts and art education. The center has made a significant

viduals, groups and school groups for a free

contribution to the development of American ceramic art since its

tour of their facilities tailored to your specific

founding and continues to be an important atelier for artists and a vital

age group or area of interest. ¨

force in the growth, innovation and production of ceramics. The center is also a fantastic place to be exposed to the best and the brightest

Join in the fun as Clay Art Center celebrates

ceramic artists, some of them working with cutting-edge technologies

their 60th anniversary year and discover the

like 3D printing. CAC remains a destination for art lovers, for interior

transformational qualities of clay.

designers looking for unique ceramic sculpture to define their design

40 Beech Street, Port Chester, NY 10573

projects, for students, for Westchester & Fairfield County residents

914.937.2047 | www.clayartcenter.or CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY CULTURE/ CULTURE//MAGAZINE /MAGAZINE

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FEATURE

The Arts Arena is celebrating the tenth

director, president, and jack-of-all-trades,

anniversary of its founding in Paris by

assisted only by part-time Administrator

bringing the unique interdisciplinary nonprofit in the arts to New York. The Arts Arena’s 200 Paris events – all free and open to the public – have featured guest artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Juliette Binoche, Lucinda Childs, Willem

A Question & Answer with Venü

Dafoe, Robert Gottlieb, Isabelle Huppert,

“The question I am most often asked,” she says, “is ‘Why the Arts Arena?’

‘Your list of guest artists rivals that of long-standing, well-heeled institutions, and your Arts Advisory Council is a dream team. All of them donate their time and

Christian Lacroix, Robert Wilson. Its Arts

expertise to the Arts Arena, and the Arts

Advisory Council boasts cultural icons William Christie, James

Arena offers access free of charge to the public. How can you do

Conlon, Vicki Goldberg, James Ivory, Richard Peña, Ellen Sorrin,

that? And why do they? These are not people who need another

Robert Storr, Rufus Wainwright, and others. Just this year, the Arts

engagement. Bluntly put, they have nothing to gain from the small

Arena announced as Chairman of its Board of Directors Vin Cipolla,

nonprofit adventure that is the Arts Arena. So, why do they do it?

former President of the Municipal Art Society of New York and Head

Of all the choices in the nonprofit world they could make, why the

of the David Geffen Hall Redevelopment Campaign, a partnership

Arts Arena?’ ”

of Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic.

Such a list of cultural heavyweights would be a major achievement for a major institution. Yet the Arts Arena is still a “boutique” operation, with its founder, Margery Arent Safir, serving as artistic 52

Robert Knapp.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

“Those who have made that choice have made the Arts Arena,” she continues. “I can only be profoundly grateful to them. Why not ask them?” she suggests. “Ask them, ‘Why the Arts Arena?’”

And so, Tracey Thomas, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Venü, did.

THE ARTS ARENA EVERY DAY REMINDS US THAT

VIN CIPOLLA

ART AND CULTURE MUST BE ALIVE...

Chairman of the Board, Head of the David Geffen Hall Redevelopment Campaign, a partnership of Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic. Former President of the Municipal Art Society of New York.

The arts are increasingly in silos – big, heavy and deep silos.

Wonderful, if you want an arts life consumed by a single discipline or area. Not so wonderful if you want something more. As a multidisciplinary arts institution and presenter, the Arts Arena has no boundaries. It believes in the arts – broadly defined – to illuminate and inspire, connecting us to what’s meaningful in life and in society. It’s a tall order.

But then again the Arts Arena was founded by a giant thinker and leader, Margery Arent Safir.

In developing and delivering ten years of Arts Arena presentations, Margery hasn’t wavered from the multidisciplinary vision for the Arts Arena – at the same time upholding a second founding principle, that the events are always open and free to the public. From this vision and leadership, the Arts Arena today matters.”

RICHARD PEÑA Director Emeritus of the New York Film Festival; for 25 years Programming Director of The Film Society of Lincoln Center; Professor of Film Studies, Columbia University. He is a member of the Arts Advisory Council.

“ ’Bringing culture to Paris’? Isn’t that a bit like ‘coal to Newcastle’, or ‘water to Niagara’? Indeed, few cities, if any, can match Paris for its almost impossible wealth of artistic offerings, in every medium and field.

Yet even such an extraordinary cultural hub does indeed miss quite a few things.

This is where the Arts Arena comes in. For many years, the Arts Arena has had the admirable goal of doing what it can to make sure that as much of the range of contemporary art and culture in every field has a chance to meet the public, to become a part of an ongoing dialogue no matter its budget level or established credentials.

Thus, when I began working on the idea of a film series in Paris dedicated to very low-budget, marginal American films that largely fell out of the ‘official’ canon of so-called independent cinema, I hoped that the Arts Arena would consider taking us on as one of their projects. Not only did they add us to their list, but they became full-fledged partners, helping transform what was meant to be a weekend of offbeat independent movies to an official entry of the prestigious Festival d’Automne and a series the Cinémathèque Française would now like to consider a part of its ongoing annual cinema program.

The Arts Arena every day reminds us that art and culture must be alive, must be in contact with a public not only through exhibitions, concerts or screenings but through talks, seminars and other encounters between artists and those for whom the art has been made. I’m proud to work with the Arts Arena, and even prouder to serve on its Advisory Council.

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FEATURE

DENA KAYE

I WAS CONSTANTLY AMAZED BY THE

RANGE, DEPTH, AND QUALITY OF WHAT WAS BEING PRESENTED BY THE ARTS ARENA...

DR. STEPHEN K. SCHER Art historian and collector, whose recent initial gift to The Frick of 450 Renaissance portrait metals from his world-renowned collection represents the most important gift ever made to the museum. A selection from the Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection is on exhibition through September. He is a member of the Arts Arena Board of Directors.

The Arts Arena idea must have been awaiting a facilitator because it took off in a most impressive fashion. The project appealed to me as something that would quite deliberately fill a gap in the cultural and intellectual life of Paris. As a result, I joined the Advisory Council along with a group of very distinguished and diverse individuals, most of whom lived in the United States, but were active internationally. I was constantly amazed by the range, depth, and quality of what was being presented by the Arts Arena, which continued to expand its activities and interests at a remarkable rate.

Most recently it became obvious that with so many advisory and board members located in New York, the Arts Arena needed to establish a presence in that city. For me, it has been a very exciting journey, meeting extraordinary people, attending valuable and enjoyable events, and being a part of the planning and growth of an organization that has already, in its ten years of existence, contributed so much to the city of its origin and, now, in anticipation, to what can be called, culturally, a sister city. I am looking forward to this latest endeavor with great excitement, realizing the extraordinary potential that exists for the Arts Arena in New York based upon it impressive record of achievement.”

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President of the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation. She is a member of the Arts Advisory Council

“In spite of the plethora of culture-promoting institutions, I have chosen to support the Arts Arena for a very simple reason: Margery Arent Safir, the founder and artistic director.

Ironclad in her conviction that cultural events should be available to everyone, (ergo, no charge for Arts Arena programs) and that the arts can help bridge the chasms of ignorance that handicap understanding between peoples, she provides a unique mix of skills.

Margery brings her sharp intellect and background as an academic and professor to carefully curating the programming.

She also excels doing in-depth, one-on-one interviews with guests. She mindfully plumbs the subject matter, and her curiosity guides poignant questioning. Her personal touch is everywhere, even in the small niceties of greeting all the attendees, usually by name, to organizing details of a champagne reception. One of her greatest gifts is inspiring people to say “yes.”

It may be small, but the Arts Arena cuts a wide swath.”

ROBERT STORR THOMAS WOLTZ Owner and principal of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, named “Design Innovator of the Year” by the Wall Street Journal Magazine (2013); among the firm’s current projects are Hudson Yards in Manhattan. “Designer Thomas Woltz is changing the landscape of green space design,” writes Architectural Digest.

He is a member of the Arts Advisory Council.

“It was a lecture I gave about the intersection of ecology and culture in public parks that first brought me to the Arts Arena several years ago. At the time I thought to myself, with a topic so obscure, and our landscapes presumably unknown in Europe, how would anyone in Paris want to come to the presentation? To my happy surprise, the venue was packed to overflowing with people who remained well into the evening to discuss the work over an elegant reception. It was then that I understood first-hand the extraordinary power of the Arts Arena to convene. This was the moment that told me the answer to, ‘Why the Arts Arena?’ The conversations are unexpected, interdisciplinary and provocative across a staggering array of topics. Perhaps most importantly, the public has come to trust the organization and the careful curation of their presentations. Now, with great anticipation, the same intelligent treasure trove awaits New York.”

Curator, artist, author, one of the world’s most influential voices in contemporary art; formerly Senior Curator at MoMA, Commissioner of the Venice Biennale, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Dean of the Yale School of Art. Among his numerous honors, Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. He is a member of the Arts Arena Board of Directors.

“My answer to Margery Safir’s question is twofold but simple. First I am always inclined to go where the energy is, and the more of it the better. She is a powerhouse, but what is still more extraordinary is that the company she keeps is exclusively made of other dynamos from an exceptionally wide range of artistic disciplines and contexts. I never come away from Arts Arena events without having seen or heard something I would otherwise not have experienced, and I never fail to learn something from those who made it happen, starting with Margery. The second reason I got involved and stay involved is that while the Arts Arena has deep American roots and is truly transatlantic, its ‘home town,’ to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, is Paris. In my book that makes it perfect.”

NOW THAT WE KNOW “WHY” THE ARTS ARENA, I ASKED THE “what”---“What’s up next, what is the Fall 2017 Arts Arena line-up?”

In Paris, visual arts, dance, music, film, performance, lectures and conversations, including The Arts Arena Yale School of Music Recital, exceptionally under the auspices of the Banque de France in its magnificent Galerie dorée; also, “Celebrating La Cinémathèque de la Danse,” in the iconic Left Bank Studio des Ursulines, with a special compilation from its world-renowned collection, curated and presented by its founding director.

In New York, November 7-9, a new series, “Playing for a Civil Society: Live Music, Lives in Music, Music in Civic Life.” Opening night will again be in the beautiful salons of the Consulate General of France; November 8 will offer a talk exclusively for Arts Arena members and a dinner for its President’s Circle; November 9 will feature a piano recital at The Century Association by Russian prodigy Nikolay Khozyainov. At age seven, he made his debut at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory;,now, at age 25, he is already one of the most remarkable pianists of his generation. “The Music World is taking note of Nikolay Khozyainov’s stunning virtuosity and prodigious technique,” New York Times.

For further information: www.artsarena.org

¨

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COVER STORY

An intimate conversation with Bernice Steinbaum

By SUSANA BAKER • Photography by ARMANDO COLLS

BS, THE RENOWNED INITIALS that graced the corner of North Miami Avenue and 36th street for over a decade, The Bernice Steinbaum Gallery. The last time I interviewed Bernice Steinbaum was with the news of the closing of her eponymous gallery. After 12 years, Bernice decided it was time to move on, “Life is about living and I am going to live and recreate myself, enjoy manicures and pedicures and catch up on TV soap operas like One Life to Live,” she was ruminating about her future. The closing of her gallery was devastating news for me, since it raised the bar for my art tours. I would bring all my VIP art tours to her gallery to see the best in contemporary art and get an art history lesson from the most animated witty fashionista. It was such a pleasure to introduce Bernice Steinbaum and her gallery!

In 2000, before Art Basel put Miami on the international map, the Steinbaums relocated to Miami. They were not only attracted by

1. Gallery installation view with Edouard Duval Carrier, Carrie Sieh, Jose Pacheco (wall installation), Janet Mullarney, Fabian Pena (coffee table) 2. Maria Magdalena Campos Pons, Replenishing 3. Enrique Gomez de Molina, Black & Blue

the city’s warm weather and the ability to eat outside in December, but they wanted to be closer to their three children, Jeremy, Sarah and Carrie, and their grandchild David, all conveniently living in Florida!

From the start, Bernice Steinbaum has been a champion in her lifelong representation of women artists and artists of color. In 1977, she opened her first gallery in New York City on 72nd Street and Madison Avenue.

Bernice knew her mission was to represent these forgotten women artists, whose paintings and artworks were continually and unfairly overlooked and undervalued. Experience told her that if artworks like theirs were not promoted by dealers and exhibited, then no one could critique or write about their works – therefore if museums were unfamiliar with CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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COVER STORY

works by these women artists, they would not include them in their exhibitions or acquire their works. This catch-22 of circumstances spells defeat for artists trying to showcase their talents. Bernice worried that these talented women artists and their works would never be discovered.

Five years had passed since Bernice closed her gallery, and I, along with her fans wanted to know what was BS up to and where is she today. I was delighted that Bernice accepted my interview and off I was to meet her in Coconut Grove to see her new and very private, by-appointment only gallery. Arriving at the entrance I was greeted with a neon sign showcasing once again those famous initials, BS Here. Underneath stood Bernice with her famous captivating and infectious smile – not to mention Steinbaum’s trademark eyewear!

Fashionista Bernice, did not disappoint, looking exquisitely dressed in an over the

1. Carrie Sieh, Great American Romance 2. Enrique Gomez de Molina, Installation view: Calico, The Matriarch, Past and Present, Black & Blue 3. Kate Moran, Hospice 4. Troy Abbott, Social Media 5. Pavel Acosta, After the Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (1665) From the series: Stolen from the Royal Picture Gallery Maurithuis

top green neon dress by designer, Fernando Garcia. I greeted Bernice with a compliment on her attire and, in her normal humorous demeanor, she responded “Do you think its neon enough? It’s made of floatation material, just in case we have a major flood in Miami. I will float and the helicopters will see me first and then rescue all those around me!”

The Bernice Steinbaum Gallery is comprised of three separate but continuous galleries that flow harmoniously as the works on exhibit provoke discussion and lead us to the narratives of all of Steinbaum’s artists.

I asked Bernice what her criteria was in choosing a new artist to represent. She replied “I don’t choose an artist because of their gender or color. Their ideas and abilities have to speak to me viscerally. I have to believe that the artist will add to the annals of art history. Currently, I represent artists who use recycled and repurposed materials and create master sculptures and paintings.”

Steinbaum’s gallery is a global representation of works by French, Afro-Caribbean, Cuban, Chinese, Guatemalan and American artists.

Cuban-born Pavel Acosta’s unique technique involves a process of intricately 58

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

removing paint from sheetrock panels. Using

race, African heritage, her Chinese roots to

the paint chips, he meticulously reproduces

her feminism. Her works have been exhibited

a master painting. Each painting comes

in the United States, Canada, Japan, Norway,

with a QR code, which allows the viewer to

Italy, France and Cuba. She exhibited in the

access the website of the museum where the

Johannesburg Biennial and has had various

original master painting is shown. Pictured in

solo exhibitions and has been collected by

this article is the Acosta’s series “Stolen from

various museums around the world. Recently

the MET,” Girl with a Pearl Earring, an oil

she was chosen to exhibit in Documentra 14

painting by 17th century Johannes Vermeer.

presented in both Germany and Greece.

With so many amazing artists, works of arts

Acosta even reproduces the original frame

and stories, it is difficult to do justice to her

of the work with his paint chips.

Enrique Gomez de Molina is another

Gallery through words alone. I urge you if you

talented artist exclusively represented by

love art and want to see the most amazing

Steinbaum’s Gallery. De Molina specializes

contemporary artists, make an appointment

in surreal fantasy creatures. The artist creates

to visit Bernice Steinbaum Gallery.

his sculptures by using parts of once living

the dangers these species face from oil spills,

You can also view the works she curates

animals he purchases online from vendors

deforestation, chemical waste in the water from

in all the important contemporary art shows

and farmers. Seeing de Molina’s work for the

which they drink, and the killing of animals for

in the country, including Art New York, Art

first time is riveting. As the viewer you are

sport. De Molina’s art stimulates our conscious-

Aspen, and, Miami Art Week at Art Miami,

disarmed from the various emotions you may

ness to respect and protect nature. As you walk

December 5th through the 10th. Visit www.

feel at first glance. You find yourself totally

through Steinbaum Gallery you find yourself

bernicesteinbaum.com to see where she is

captivated, surprised, and not sure where to

on a rollercoaster of thought-provoking art,

off to next! ¨

go from there! As you walk around the sculp-

carefully curated by Steinbaum.

ture you are mesmerized by the creativity of

Maria Magdalena-Compos Pons, an amaz-

the artist and his choice of combination of

ing Afro-Cuban, Chinese artist whose work

animals, infusing them together to create a

serves as her autobiography, uses mixed media

new creature. De Molina’s labor of love, and

of photography, painting, sculptures and visual

his ingenuity of his new fantasy creatures,

performing arts, to search her identity, from

instigate the viewer to wonder if de Molina is playing Frankenstein or God? Is this taxidermy? Is art being created at the expense of dying animals? Bernice Steinbaum, resonates clearly not! Her artist, Enrique Gomez de Molina, “wouldn’t even kill a spider! Rest assured no animal gives its life in the service of his work. The artist hopes that his works will replace the trophies that people want for their walls, without the cost of sacrificing a living animal.

The Bernice Steinbaum Gallery supports artists who use ecology and evoke a conversation about protecting the world as we know it, by learning from its history, past and

Interviewing Bernice Steinbaum made me feel so emotional, Bernice had such an effect in my life, by bringing me under her wings and believing in me when I started my art tour company in 2009. She never turned me away and always greeted every tour as if they were museum acquisition directors! I learned so much from Bernice and I am forever grateful. I know that artists make great things but Bernice Steinbaum’s Gallery adds to making them great!

As the interviewing was ending, I once again complimented Steinbaum on her extraordinary achievements, awards and tireless efforts in support of artists. Bernice responded “I just feel so fortunateto be surrounded by amazing artists who create magic. Artists are very intimate and their lives are intimate. When I sell their work, I sell a piece of the artist and a piece of myself.”

She then got up and left the room, returning with a postcard in the shape of the Star of David. She opened it to show me how she made the invitation for her grandson David’s 13th year old Bar Mitzvah. At this moment I realized, that outside of being one of the most famous award winning art dealers, curators, and gallerists, her true pride and joy gleamed through her glow and smile. You could easily see that the most important role in her life was that of a wife, mother and grandmother for her family and extended artist family. She considers them to be her most cherished treasures and greatest achievements!

present, and envisioning what the future may bring. Steinbaum wholeheartedly supports and promotes de Molina’s work because the discussions it brings among the viewers, especially children, makes them question the ever-changing world and bring awareness to

About the author: Susana Baker is an award-winning Tourator (historian tour guide/art curator).

Creative Founder of The Art Experience, the number one company in South Florida to privately curate group or individuals through Miami’s Art Districts. For more information visit: www.theartexperiences.com or for Art Basel go to www.artbaseltours.com or call 305-767-5000.

Contact: Colls Fine Art Photography, Armando Colls 305-903-7786, www.CollsFineArtPhotography.com

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1.

Pastels in silver bowls form Dianne Bernhard’s NYC studio 2.

Pure pigment powders in various shades of blue

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PHOTOGRAPH BY NATHANKRAXBERGER CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

THE ART SPIRIT

WRIT TEN BY D I A N N E B. B E R N H A R D CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY CULTURE/ CULTURE//MAGAZINE /MAGAZINE

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THE ART SPIRIT

LIKE SO MANY TRAVELERS,

we have a custom in our family to bring back souvenirs from our trips abroad. Most of the time, they’re trinkets, mementos of a moment and a memory, all wonderful, if not purely sentimental, keepsakes. Several years ago, my daughter returned home from a trip to Europe with a gift that turned out to be truly life changing. She must have known how precious I would find her present, for she presented it to me as if she was bearing a gift from the wise men. Slowly she unwrapped the plain white paper and held up the contents for me to see. Inside were three glass tubes filled with colored powder. She had purchased them from a shopkeeper in Roussillon, France, where the entire hilltop village was blanketed in the yellow and red ochres of the Earth. To many it may seem odd that simple dust from the earth was considered a treasure, but my daughter knew well that this pure pigment was the best gift she could bring back.

and medals. In the years since, I have been asked many questions about this medium from artists and collectors alike who want to know more about it. This column will highlight, in a four-part series, the history and making of pastel art, the people behind it, and the passion, often obsession, for it.

Pastel art is an ancient medium that was first unearthed in caves in Spain and France, the most famous being those discovered in Lascaux.

Estimated to be up to 20,000 years old, the pastel paintings were created from natural pigments available in the vicinity from minerals like limonite and hematite, which, when pulverized into a fine powder, offer up red and yellow ochres, and umber colors; charcoal from burnt fires; and white from grounded calcite. The pigment was made into a paste with various binders, including water, vegetable juices, urine, animal fat, bone

A lifelong artist, I’ve had a love affair with

marrow, blood, and albumen, and applied on the rock surface of the caves.

pastels ever since I was introduced to the works of master pastelist Herman Margulies some 30

These early artists found that the miner-

years ago while I was judging a competition. His

al-based pigments they pounded and painted

technique was flawless, evoking emotion, passion

with produced colors that lasted longer and

and a love of life and art that transcended other

stayed brighter than their vegetable and flower

works I had seen. I was riveted by his talent

dye counterparts, perfectly preserving their

and the innate purity of his craft and set out to

pre-historic pictures for thousands of years. The

learn more about the spirit of pastel so soulfully

way pastels have been made since then are not

embodied in his paintings.

much different. Top quality pastel manufacturers

While unfortunately sidelined over the

typically source artist-quality pigments from

centuries, pastel art is undergoing a long-de-

around the world, using raw materials from

served renaissance that celebrates its standing

minerals, plants and animal bones to make the

as a permanent medium that only grows more

pigment powders. They bind them into a paste

precious with time. As I became more familiar

with a variety of materials, including honey, gum,

with this medium, I transitioned from using oil

eggs and wax. Their colors are saturated and

paints to working with pastels myself, finding

intense and do not fade with time.

the medium to be pleasurable in every way. I

I will never forget the first time I saw a full

enjoy the clarity of the colors, the ease of set up

collection of pastels. I felt like I was in an ice

and execution, the buttery finish. Working with

cream shop. The array of colors was so vast it

pastels lets you feel the colors as you layer them,

took my breath away. Being visually inclined, to

offering you a freedom of thought and expression

see that kind of display laid out in such an orderly

that embodies the true essence of creating art.

but yet exploding way was overwhelming and

Thanks to Herman Margulies who instilled in me

brought me to tears. I had been working with oils

a deep appreciation for this important art form, I

most of my life and my palette was limited to 12

founded the non-profit Art Spirit Foundation. This foundation honors living pastel artists entering American competitions with monetary awards 62

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

3

colors. I now proudly display my own collection of hundreds of pastels. I have such an affinity for the medium that I keep them in beautiful silver bowls and they never fail to satisfy my appetite or inspire my creative spirit.

Although modern pastel painting began during the Renaissance by artists like Leonardo da Vinci who use it, it wasn’t until the 17th and 18th 4

centuries when it emerged as a favored medium for European portrait artists. At the turn of the nineteenth century, French Impressionist artists developed a keen interest in the chemistry of colors and regularly sought out their suppliers’ recommendations, considering them more as consultants than merchants. The shop Sennelier had established itself as the premier paint manufacturer in Paris not long after they opened shop across from the Louvre in 1887. They catered to an illustrious cadre of artists, who thought of color as

4

the very subject of the painting and the signature of the painter. Sennelier not only spoke their language, it gave artists their voice in a palette

5

of colors and paint materials that expressed their vision in hued perfection.

Edgar Degas used their soft pastels in the 1900s. They enabled him to work quickly, switching from one color to another without having to wait for the paint to dry or change brushes.

Inspired by Degas, Gustave Sennelier developed a range of 700 different pastel tones, 30 of which were browns created for Degas.

It wasn’t until 1949 that pastels really came into their own in the contemporary art world and it all

6

started with a query by Pablo Picasso when he 3.

Giant Pastels were first manufactured in early 2000 4.

Summer Impressions #51 Herman Margulies Pastel on Herman Margulies Board 5.

The Sennelier shop around the turn of the 19th century 6.

Village of Roussillon, famous for its magnificent red and ochre quarries

was living in Paris.

“I look for a paint that will free me from any technical constraint, a color that one can apply to any surface without any limitations, on all materials, raw wood, metal, cardboard, plastic, paper… without any previous preparation,” said Pablo Picasso to his friend painter Henri Goetz in 1948.

So Goetz approached, on Picasso’s behalf, Henri Sennelier, heir to the family-owned paint shop. Picasso had frequented Sennelier’s on many occasions and knew the store and its products well. Through his friend, he asked a lot of

Photo by Martin Molcan

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

63

THE ART SPIRIT

the innovative color chemist, but he was used to testing boundaries in the art world. He hoped Sennelier could create an art medium that combined the qualities of oil paint and soft pastel, and was easy to apply.

Henri Sennelier went to work, experimenting and exploring different approaches until he hit upon the one solution that changed the face of the art world – a solid stick of oil-based paint. Picasso was thrilled and ordered pastel sticks in 48 different

7

colors, 10 of which were shades of grey.

“I LOOK FOR A PAINT THAT

will free me from any technical constraint, a color that one can apply to any surface without any limitations, on all materials, raw wood, metal, cardboard, plastic, paper… without any previous preparation.”

8 9

– PABLO PICASSO

The 48 original oil pastels Henri Sennelier created for Picasso have evolved into one of the leading products of the Sennelier brand. Today Sennelier offers 525 Extra-Soft pastels, including half-stick, Grand and Giant and oil pastels in 120 different colors, in multiple sizes that enable the artist to create works of varying impact. SavoirFaire also imports Pastel Pencils and Pastel Carre made by the legendary Cretacolor of Austria.

A dry medium that is shaped into sticks, squares and rectangles, soft pastel is applied using the fingers and hand without the need for a brush. No other mixing medium is required for mixing the colors on a palette. Colors are easily layered and blended to achieve the texture and image the artist desires.

Extra-soft pastels, made with pure pigments, are not to be confused with chalk pastels, which tend to be of an inferior quality. These soft pastels are made with nature’s pigments and the colors do not fade over time. It’s been proven that pastels 64

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

7.

Summer Impressions #75 Herman Margulies Pastel on Herman Margulies Board 8.

Sennelier Insignia 9.

Summer Impressions #65 Herman Margulies Pastel on Herman Margulies Board

remain brilliant and last long after oil paintings

Handell, Wolf Kahn, and Flora herself, among

begin to crack and fade. Set a 200-year-old oil

others, we were able to promote Sennelier pastels

painting next to a 200-year-old pastel painting,

and Savoir-Faire through workshops, education,

and you can clearly see that pastels retain their

and retail networks, developing brand new prod-

color longer than oil paintings.

ucts for American artists that included new colors,

The first time I went to Paris after starting to

iridescent pastels, giant and grand soft pastels,

use the medium, I visited the shop of Sennelier

half-stick pastels, more artist-friendly packaging

myself. I wanted to see firsthand what so many

and Sennelier’s famed, La Carte Pastel Card.

masters had come to love.

Upon seeing in

person the iconic storefront that I had seen in so many photos, I found myself thinking that the birthplace of my beloved medium really does exist. Once inside, I knew in my heart I was in a sacred space. My visit there was a rite of passage. It’s been a fixture on the left bank across from the Louvre since the late 1800s, but until I started painting with Herman, I had never given it much notice.

Now it’s the first place I go when I travel to France. The shopkeepers always welcome me with their shared passion for the medium, showing me new ways to perfect my art and my palette.

I’ve had the good fortune to become friends with Pierre Guidetti, the official exclusive agent of Sennelier in North America and Unofficial Adoptive Member of the Sennelier family, who has been charged with curating the next generation of pastels for this esteemed company. Modern Sennelier pastels’ diameter are 20% larger than

About the Author: Venü is honored to welcome Dianne Bernhard as a contributing columnist for a four-part Art Spirit series. An accomplished painter, teacher, arts advocate, devoted patron of the arts, she is also the founder of the Art Spirit Foundation, dedicated to the work of living artists. The past President of The National Arts Club, and its Director of Fine Arts, she currently serves as the First Vice President of The Pastel Society of America. Dianne resides in Connecticut and New York where she continues to champion the renaissance of pastel as well as recognition for living artists of every medium.

Says Pierre, “I am very proud of our accomplishment. The pastel medium has grown tremendously in the United States since I had the opportunity to introduce the Sennelier pastel to American artists. When we began this journey together, artists and collectors would mention a pastel work using the term ‘drawing.’ With great pride, we now hear them more often called ‘paintings.’ Paint is a more appropriate term for this media, as extra-fine pastels are the most archival medium an artist can use. With fantastic lightfast characteristics and pure pigments, it is the most direct way an artist can apply pigments to a surface.”

Though France has been the home of pastels since their birth, and French artists had been using them since the 17th century, they were seeing a decline in popularity in Europe after the 20th century. It was at this time that American artists stepped up to the palette, if you will, to make this medium their own. As pastel painting grew in the US, it inspired French and European Artists to

the original stick, and are available in a larger

revisit this medium, making the renaissance global.

size called “Grand,” which is the equivalent of 8

We are delighted to have the opportunity to work together with the premier names in pastel

regular size sticks.

Pierre is an ambassador of the arts who is truly

art, from Pierre Guidetti and the Sennelier family

enamored with the joys of the creative process

to master pastelists like Herman Marguiles and

and freedom of expression that art brings. He is

others to fellow art aficionados who treasure the

a walking font of knowledge about color and the

medium as we do.

When you view the pastel art being exhibited

medium of pastel and is helping our efforts in

today, along with masterpieces from centuries

creating a renaissance for pastel.

Nearly 35 years ago, in the early 1980s, Pierre

past, you will see that In spite of the fragility of its

had the opportunity to meet with Flora B. Giffuni at

surface, a pastel can last as long as a work in oil or

the National Arts Club in Manhattan. Then and

any other medium and will preserve its color and

there, they agreed to help one another promote

distinctive matte surface with the same freshness

the use and appreciation of pastels within the United States. “Early on,” remembered Pierre, “with the appreciation of artists and dear friends such as Daniel Greene, Herman Margulies, Albert

Dianne B Bernhard Art Spirit Foundation Gold and Silver Medal Award for Excellence in Pastels

as when first applied. Look for a comprehensive introduction to the exhibitions and organizations dedicated to the art of pastels in Part Two of the Art Spirit column.

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65

YACHTING

Bermuda Bound The International SeaKeepers Society Hosted SeaKeepers Bermuda 2017 to Honor the SeaKeeper of the Year, Wendy Schmidt, and the SeaKeepers of Bermuda, Philippe Max Rouja, Judie Clee, Chris Flook, and John Paul Skinner

works to advance the development of

Written by Molly Canfield

natural resources. The Foundation houses

renewable energy and the wiser use of its grant-making operation in The 11th Hour Project, which supports more than 150 non-profit organizations around the world in program areas including renewable energy, ecological agriculture, human rights, and its maritime connection through its 11th Hour Racing program. 11th Hour Racing promotes sustainability in the sailing and maritime industries, and serves as the Exclusive Sustainability Partner for Land Rover BAR, the British team that competed in the 35th

Photo by Anthony Wade of LookBermuda

SeaKeepers Chairman of the Board, Michael Moore; 2017 SeaKeeper of the Year recipient, Wendy Schmidt; and SeaKeepers President and CEO, Richard Snow.

America’s Cup in Bermuda.

Wendy Schmidt joins an elite and influential group of leaders in marine conservation including: French ocean explorers and environmental activists, Jean-Michel and Fabien Cousteau; American marine biologist, author, lecturer, and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, Dr. Sylvia

FOUNDED IN 1998, BY A SMALL GROUP

On Thursday, June 22nd, The International

Earle; Canadian film director/producer

OF YACHT OWNERS, The International

SeaKeepers Society hosted SeaKeepers

and deep-sea explorer, James Cameron;

SeaKeepers Society is a not-for-profit orga-

Bermuda 2017 to honor Wendy Schmidt as

and mostly recently, the 2016 SeaKeeper

nization that focuses on ocean conservation.

the 2017 SeaKeeper of the Year. Each year,

Award recipient philanthropist Alexander

SeaKeepers supports marine science and

the organization awards an individual or an

W. Dreyfoos.

conservation by utilizing yachts as platforms

organization that has demonstrated out-

Also recognized as part of the evening’s

for marine research, educational outreach,

standing leadership and support of the global

program were the SeaKeepers of Bermuda:

and to deploy oceanographic instruments.

environment and ocean conservation with the

Philippe Max Rouja, Judie Clee, Chris Flook,

SeaKeepers efforts eliminate vessel costs

prestigious SeaKeeper Award. The event took

and John Paul Skinner as a part of the Sea-

and permit scientists to allocate those funds

place at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration

Keepers of the World Program. In June 2015

to maximize research potential. As a collab-

Institute (BUEI) and Harbourfront Restaurant

the organization launched the SeaKeepers

orative organization, SeaKeepers focuses

in Hamilton, Bermuda. Guests enjoyed an

of the World Program to identify individuals

on critical ocean issues in cooperation with

evening of dining and entertainment while

who demonstrate a commitment to ocean

government agencies, other like-minded

overlooking beautiful Bermudian waters.

research and conservation in their local

organizations, the academic community, and the public.

66

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Wendy Schmidt is President of The

communities. Since the program’s inception,

Schmidt Family Foundation, where she

eleven SeaKeepers of the World have been

Photo by Anthony Wade of LookBermuda

Left: (L to R) SeaKeepers President and CEO, Richard Snow; SeaKeepers of Bermuda Chris Flook, Judie Clee, and John Paul Skinner; SeaKeepers Chairman of the Board, Michael Moore; and SeaKeeper of Bermuda Philippe Max Rouja.

honored from various regions, including: Cuba, Jamaica, Kenya, Singapore, French Polynesia, and the British Cayman Islands.

This year’s SeaKeeper Award was created

Above: Comb Jelly (ctenophore) with Iridescent Cilia – courtesy of Dr. Leonid Moroz of University of Florida while aboard D/Y Harle of Fleet Miami during its transit from Ft. Lauderdale to the Mediterranean.

by SeaKeepers 2017 Artist of the Year Xavier Cortada of Miami, Florida. Xavier Cortada’s art-science practice is oriented toward social engagement and the environment.

Each year SeaKeepers selects a Featured Artist of the Year whose work is influenced by marine life, science, or ocean conservation. The Featured Artist of the Year creates custom-made awards for SeaKeepers recognition events.

The evening also highlighted the work of

Left: Juvenile Octopus – courtesy of Dr. Leonid Moroz of University of Florida while aboard D/Y Harle of Fleet Miami during its transit from Ft. Lauderdale to the Mediterranean

the International SeaKeepers Society in partnership with the yachting community through the DISCOVERY Yachts Program. Over the past year, SeaKeepers has conducted eleven missions through the DISCOVERY Yachts Program that have included seven scientistled expeditions and four educational outreach expeditions. Additionally, participating

scientists and participated in research activ-

vessels have deployed thirty-three oceano-

ities including collecting samples, working

guests to join its next event, Founders 2017

graphic instruments thus far.

with microscopes, and learning about scuba

on November 2nd, during the Fort Lauderdale

In April, two SeaKeepers vessels simul-

diving. The DISCOVERY Yachts Program has

International Boat Show. Each year SeaKeepers

taneously supported scientists from the

also included five citizen-science expeditions

is proud to work with a dedicated group of

University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory

this year. These small-scale projects depend

yacht owners and their captains in designing

for Marine Bioscience conducting genome

on local community members volunteering

and executing programming around conserva-

sequencing on marine plankton. One vessel,

their time to support environmental initiatives.

tion, education and research. Highlights from

DISCOVERY Yacht Sam, traveled through

Scientific expeditions conducted by

our expeditions will be shared with guests and

the Pacific from La Paz, Mexico to Oahu, HI

SeaKeepers allow yacht owners, guests, and

DISCOVERY Yacht owners will be recognized.

while D/Y Harle of Fleet Miami traversed the

crew the opportunity to participate in ongo-

To learn more about the event and purchase

Atlantic from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to the Azores.

ing research while engaging with influential,

tickets visitseakeepers.org/fd2017. ¨

SeaKeepers Asia conducted three “floating

well-known marine scientists. Using member

classroom” experiences aboard vessels in

yachts, SeaKeepers promotes and facilitates

For more information on The International

Singapore. Students learned about marine

ground-breaking research in the fields of

SeaKeepers Society, please visit

biodiversity and conservation efforts from

marine science and oceanography.

www.seakeepers.org.

SeaKeepers looks forward to welcoming

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

67

WELL-BEING

THE ART OF SPA Healthy, Haute, & Hedonistic Written by Judy Chapman

1

2

THIS YEAR’S ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH will be another whirlwind week of gallery

68

gawking, outdoor films, performances, and

The Miami Beach EDITION is where you

the glam vibe, there’s a relaxation lounge

pop-up events. However, when you need a

stay when you want to sleep, party and spa.

and a power nap treatment that mimics

relaxation fix, then sun-drenched Miami is

Conceived by Ian Shrager, boutique hotelier

the effects of a four-hour nap in just twenty

also home to the most thriving spa scene

and co-creator of Studio 54, this beachfront

minutes – ideal for after a night of living it

on the East Coast. From spas curated by

establishment houses a disco, ice-skating

up, Miami style!

celebrities, nightclub owners and fashion

rink, bowling alley, outdoor cinema – and

editionhotels.com/miami-beach

designers, to spiritual spas housed in art

classy spa. High points include a private

deco hotels, Miami spas are imaginative,

hammam and infrared sauna. Their extensive

Revel in Miami’s golden glamour era when

original and bold. We’ve done the research

menu includes quick fixes like Oxygen Facials

you stay at The Confidante, a 1950’s contem-

and these are some of Miami’s best…

to give you that enviable glow. Keeping with

porary hotel situated on Miami Beach. The

COMO Shambhala Estate

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

seaside sanctuary offers a playful ambiance

healing herbals. At the heart is the jasmine-

guests and in-room healthy mini-bars, this is

with retro rooms, poolside parties, and an

scented hammam, which features an Amazon-

the ultimate healthy hotel!

open-air rooftop spa. Inside breezy private

ite Gobek Tasi. Journey through the Wet Spa

comohotels.com/metropolitanmiamibeach

spa cabanas, receive famed Tara Harper and

where you self-apply soaps, scrubs, clays and

high-performance Oxygen Facials as well as

oils - all presented in copper bowls. Divine.

We are obsessed about the 75-foot nutri-

Himalayan Salt Scrubs and why not partake

faena.com/miami-beach

ent-rich mineral pool at the Lapis, the spa at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The ultimate

in boot-camp fitness and Rise & Shine Yoga.

With their rotating calendar of happenings like

The spa at COMO Metropolitan Miami is

sanctuary for urban renewal, the two-level

Late-night Noodles and Backyard Pool Parties,

where you go to when you sip on organic

space was designed by the renowned

the energy is lively, healthy, and hedonistic!

wellness juices post Asian holistic body-

architect firm, Richardson Sadeki, and is

theconfidantemiamibeach.hyatt.com

work. The seaside luxe hotel housed in a

stunning testament to ancient thermal spas. Complimentary to guests who book a treatment, regenerate in a world of energy

4

showers, steam baths, rain tunnel, eucalyptus infused steam room and a mineral jet pool.

Restorative offerings include deep muscle massage and their Ayurvedic treatment menu. However, it’s their Water Journeys that makes this a must-visit. Align your chakras via ‘Voyage to Regeneration’ and ‘Journey to Transformation’ rituals and emerge reborn. fontainebleau.com

1. The Miami Beach EDITION Photo: Nikolas Koenig 2. COMO Metropolitan Miami Beach 3. Tierra Santa Healing House 4. The Confidante 5. Lapis

3

5

With a design envisioned by Alan Faena, who

pastel-colored Art Deco building features

Refresh your being at the legendary ocean-

enlisted film director Baz Luhrmann and his wife

interiors by Italian designer, Paola Navone.

front Eden Roc Spa that is connected to not

Catherine Martin to help develop the narrative

The COMO Shambhala Urban Escape Spa

one, but two hotels including the Japanese-

for Faena Hotel, it’s no surprise that interiors

is small but stylish with four treatment rooms,

inspired Nobu Eden Roc Hotel and the

are mind-bending bold and theatrical. But it’s

a steam and a rooftop hydrotherapy pool

Eden Roc Miami Beach Resort. Highpoints

the Tierra Santa Healing House spa, the

overlooking the ocean (the ideal place to

include a custom scrub bar, ESPA treatments

spiritual center of the hotel, that is the real

escape Miami’s party scene and soothe your

and Asian-inspired Nobu rituals and you can

showstopper. The South-American inspired

mind and muscles). Give your being over

regenerate in their rejuvenating hydrotherapy

spa offers Shaman-developed rituals per-

to their spa experts for Asian healing and

circuit of plunge pools, steam and saunas. The

formed with sacred body oils, muds and

Guinot Facials. With complimentary yoga for

fitness gym offers dance, yoga and beachside CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

69

WELL-BEING

boot camp and it goes without saying that

or two. With a wellbeing menu of healing

If you seek a classic Asian-inspired ambiance,

foodies will love both Nobu Restaurant and

bodywork, full moon group acupuncture,

then The Setai, Miami Beach is one of the

the organic Malibu Farm. Positioned as a

floating gong meditation, and ‘How to

most luxurious. It is home to the Spa by

destination fun-luxury experience, the hotel is

be Vibrant & Sexy’ workshops, and urban

Thémaé renowned for their tea ceremonies

created by visionaries Nobu Matsuhisa, actor

retreats, they’ve got most things covered. At

curated from antioxidant-rich red rooibos,

Robert De Niro, film producer Meir Teper and

the heart is a hydrotherapy playground with

white, green and black teas. Journey through

Australian businessman James Packer.

a Turkish-style hammam, aroma steam room,

a menu of Ayurveda, Balinese and Oriental

nobuedenroc.com

Roman waterfall hot tub, Finnish sauna, arctic

rituals. A favorite among celebrities, The

plunge, treatment baths, mud lounge, and a

Spa has recently debuted the heavenly

For sublime organic treatments in a luxe spa

salt-water infinity pool. Connect with others

Intraceuticals Oxygen Facials the ideal

setting, head to the Bamford Haybarn Spa

around the open-air fire pit and at the juice

prequel for a night out. With sparkling views

6

8

6. Eden Rock Spa 7. 1 Hotel South Beach 8. The Standard Spa 9. Spa at Shore Club 10. The Setai, Miami Beach

7

at 1 Hotel South Beach. Restore your being with a Himalayan Salt Stone Massage or a customized Bamford bespoke facial for a glittering evening ahead. The 4,500-square-feet sustainable spa offers 12 spacious treatment rooms with ‘The Woodland Room’, featuring a water fountain to enhance serenity and

of the Atlantic Ocean, the Spa features four

reflection. Nurturing interiors include ash log

private spa suites with terrazzo soaking tubs

walls from reclaimed trees, reclaimed hickory

and a steam room – providing an immersive

floors from recycled timbers and willow bun-

retreat experience.

dles from salvaged trees. Guests staying at

thesetaihotel.com

the hotel are assigned a Personal Guru who takes care of all your wellbeing needs.

More Asian serenity can be experienced at

1hotels.com/south-beach

The Spa at The Mandarin Oriental, Miami.

Located on the waterfront on the exclusive island of Brickell Key, this plush award-win-

Situated at the quieter end of South Beach is

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The Standard Spa, Miami Beach, a unique

café– after all, the key to longevity is all about

ning spa features seventeen private

oasis of calm. This Spa Hotel appeals to

community.

treatment rooms including six split-level

those who want to mix it up with yoga,

standardhotels.com/miami/properties/

suites with floor-to-ceiling views over the

fitness, spa, organic food and a cocktail

miami-beach

bay. Treatment rooms are designed with

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

soothing textures of bamboo, rice paper

Another upbeat escape is The Spa at Carillon,

world though nutrition and movement. On

and natural linens. Arrive early and loosen

home to Miami’s largest private beach and

this note, fitness fanatics can enjoy up to 40

up your limbs in their steam and wet area

spa. This spa offers an exceptional thermal

fitness classes a day.

and journey through a menu of nurturing

area of healing water experiences. The

carillonhotel.com

treatments of Ayurvedic, Chinese, Balinese

crystal steam room is ideal for self-reflection

and Thai experiences. As well, there’s yoga,

while the Finnish sauna and hot and icy cold

This swanky destination, the Spa at Shore

pilates, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, meditation, nutri-

plunge pools provide complete rejuve-

Club, boasts glorious panoramic views over

tional assessments and a Digital Wellness

nation. What makes this spa a standout is

South Beach. The rooftop retreat offers

Retreats that is ideal for wellness-minded

the medical and health aspect. Led by Dr.

8,000 square feet of wellness fun inclusive

guests looking to unplug.

Adonis Maiquez, Miami’s leading functional

of fitness and massage. Menu-wise, they’ve

mandarinoriental.com/miami

medical physician, his vision is to change the

got the results with Oxygen Facials as well as delicious offerings such as Sports Energy Massages, Lemongrass Body Scrubs and

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Seafoam Mud wraps. The hotel is set inside a restored Art Deco building and is notorious for its summer pool parties held at one of their two infinity edge pools. With pops of bright colors and stripes, it all feels very upbeat. ¨ shoreclub.com

Relax and regenerate in a world of salt therapies at Acqualina Resort & Spa. This 20,000 square foot oceanfront ESPA retreat offers two Himalayan salt rooms as well as Himalayan salt stone massages - all designed

10

to cleanse your body’s electromagnetic field and rebalance the negative ions. The spa menu features a comprehensive collection of Asian spa therapies such as an Ayurveda Ama Releasing Abhyanga Massage and a Balancing Massage delivered with volcanic stones. If what you desire is a complete overhaul, try a full day retreat with healthy cuisine. acqualinaresort.com

About the author: Judy Chapman is the former Editor-in-Chief of Spa Asia magazine and author of four books on spas and wellbeing. Over the past twenty years, Judy has travelled the world consulting and creating award winning spas and retreats concepts and indigenous beauty products and treatment experiences for luxury hotels and brands. She has personally created over 200 natural skin, hair and body care products, tea and candle collections. With a relentless pursuit of unique and original experiences, her curiosity has led her to Himalayas spending time with Tibetan and Ayurvedic doctors to onsen bathing in Japan and Ayurveda retreats in Kerala. Just some of the destinations Judy has consulted on spa and retreat projects include Australia, Bali, Germany, India, Maldives, Middle East, Myanmar, Singapore and New York.

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71

PULSE:

Literature

Beyond Baroque 50 Years of Literary Life in Venice, California

By Rex Weiner

When Abbot Kinney, an eccentric developer and conservationist, created the city of Venice, California in 1905, with a system of canals complete with gondolas and gondoliers brought in from Venice, Italy, he was inspired by the design and culture he’d experience during a Grand Tour of Europe.

Today you’d be hard-pressed to find much in the way of design and culture in Venice, a seaside neighborhood of about 40,000 inhabitants just south of Santa Monica and

Above: The Paris Review presents a summer evening conversation in Beyond Baroque’s main theater with writer John Jeremiah Sullivan and TPR editor Lorin Stein.

Right: Browsers in Beyond Baroque’s unique bookstore discover contemporary authors and poets from Southern California, and beyond.

part of the City of Los Angeles since 1926.

The canals are still there (sans gondolas), and along Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a mile-long strip of galleries, fashion outlets like Rag & Bone and Shinola, and crowded chic-cuisine eateries, there’s some hint of the style and flair that used to be. But with an invasion of

includes several theaters and what used to

during the days of the Venice Beats, a literary

high tech companies like Snapchat, and the

be the Venice city jail (now headquarters for

offshoot of the San Francisco literary scene.

inevitable erosion of character brought on

SPARC, the city’s mural arts organization),

Over the years it has become one of the

by gentrification and soaring rents, Venice

the nonprofit public space is devoted to

nation’s most successful and influential grass-

struggles to retain the reputation for creativ-

cultivating new writing and expanding the

roots incubators of the literary arts, shaping

ity and culture intended by its founder.

public’s knowledge of poetry, fiction, liter-

the early careers of noted wordsmiths such

ature, and art through cultural events and

as Tom Waits and Wanda Coleman, among

community interaction.

others. Literary luminaries passing through

One outpost of authenticity, however, is the renowned Beyond Baroque literary arts

72

center, housed in the original Venice City

Founded first as a newsletter by poet

have included Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka,

Hall and “dedicated to the possibilities of

George Drury Smith in 1968, the oddly-named

Raymond Carver, Patti Smith and supporters

language.” Located in an arts complex that

organization first occupied a storefront

have included Hollywood celebrities such

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

as Anjelica Huston, Dennis Hopper and Viggo Mortenson.

Beyond Baroque currently offers a fascinating variety of literary and arts programming, including readings by poets and touring authors, workshops, art exhibits, and youth education. The building also houses a bookstore with the largest collection of new poetry books on the west side of Los Angeles; the Mike Kelley Gallery (endowed by the artist) which specializes in text and language-focused visual art; and an invaluable archive of small press and limited-edition publications that chronicles the history of poetry movements in Los Angeles and across the country.

On any given night, visitors to Beyond Baroque will find nationally known poets reading their work such as Christopher Merrill, director of the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, or a host of well-known Hollywood actors, as part of Eve Brandstein’s long-running Poetry In

Above: Cocktail receptions, readings, and book signings in the courtyard “Poetry Garden” are lively events, often sponsored by top beverage brands such as Hendricks and Glenfiddich.

Right: Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodriguez reads his work in Beyond Baroque’s theater. Below: Headquartered in the elegant former Venice City Hall located on Venice Boulevard, Beyond Baroque will mark its 50th anniversary in 2018.

Motion series, such as Judd Nelson, Sally Kirkland, and Christine Lahti indulging their poetic sides before audiences in the center’s

The organization is gearing up for a

private sponsors, Beyond Baroque is busy

intimate 60-seat theater. Beyond Baroque

city-wide celebration of its 50th anniversary

commissioning new works and creating a

has hosted events by some of the nation’s

in 2018. With a significant grant from the

program of performances and workshops

premiere literary journals such as The Paris

National Endowment of the Arts, and cur-

that will mark the center’s half-century point.

Review and Poets & Writers.

rently assembling an array of corporate and

“Beyond Baroque has an incredible record of cultivating some of the most innovative and widely influential literature and art to come out of Los Angeles over the past 50 years,” says Beyond Baroque’s director Richard Modiano. “We aim to nurture the next 50 years of cutting-edge Los Angeles poetry, literature, and art.”¨ For more information: beyondbaroque.org, info@beyondbaroque.org

Rex Weiner is an editor, author and journalist.

His articles have been published in Vanity Fair, the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, The New Yorker, New York Observer, The Paris Review, and regularly in L’Officiel and Rolling Stone Italia. He is Executive Director and co-founder of the Todos Santos Writers Workshop and serves on Beyond Baroque’s Board of Trustees.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

73

PULSE:

Stage

Left: The cast of Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened.

Below: Jim Walton, Ann Morrison and Lonny Price then and now.

Photo Courtesy of DKCO&M

NOW WE KNOW A New Documentary Explores a Broadway Flop and its Aftermath Written by William Squier

“Now you know,” a character sings in the score

the making of Merrily We Roll Along and then

was my old friend. I wasn’t really singing as my

written by Stephen Sondheim for the musical

catches up with members of the original cast

character, I was singing my own life. We were

Merrily We Roll Along. “Don’t fall apart at the

thirty years later. The film was directed by

no longer Charlie and Frank; we were Lonny

seams / It’s called letting go illusions / And

one of the stars of the Broadway premiere,

and Jim who were friends for twenty-five

don’t confuse them with dreams / Best thing

Lonny Price. And it features interviews with

years.” That caused him to ask himself a

that ever could have happened.”

his co-stars, some of whom have gone onto

question that became central to the eventual

notable acting careers like Tonya Pinkins and

film: “Would it be interesting to see how the

Jason Alexander.

characters had reflected in our lives?”

The words are offered as comfort to the leading man, who is suffering through a messy divorce. But, they served equally well

Price, who is perhaps best known for

The past quarter century has included a

as a premonition about what was to come for

his work as a theatrical director (recently of

number of return trips to Broadway for actor

the Merrily’s original 1981 cast. It consisted

the Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard

Jim Walton, often in hit shows like Price’s

of actors in their teens and twenties, most of

that starred Glen Close), says that he was

production of Sunset Boulevard. But, his

who were making their Broadway debuts and

inspired to make the documentary during a

Merrily experience still resonates. “Singing

about to experience their first big flop – one

benefit reunion concert of the show’s music

‘Old Friends’ with Lonny, Ann Morrison

helmed by two of New York theater’s most

in 2002. Speaking after a screening of the film

and the others was healing for us,” Walton

successful artists: Sondheim and director /

at Westchester’s Jacob Burns Film Center,

recalled. ‘Being granted a second chance to

producer Harold Prince!

Price recalled the exact moment when it

live it again, and with far more perspective

happened.

and experience.” So, he was excited to be a

The song lyric also inspired the title of

74

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Hap-

“I was singing ‘Old Friends’ to Jimmy

pened, a documentary film that chronicles

Walton,” Price said. “And I realized he really

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

part of the documentary.

“I thought it was a terrific idea and I had

little hesitation to share my personal memo-

camera crew had followed the original pro-

old version at night and worked on the new

ries, difficult as they were at times,” Walton

duction through auditions, rehearsals and

version in the day. There came a point during

continued. “I think my only negative concern

preview performances. But, the television

a performance when we didn’t know which

was a suspicion that few people would want

program was never completed and it was

version we were doing! And we just stopped,

to hear about the sad fate of Merrily. But,

claimed that the film had been destroyed.

looked at each other and laughed!”

Lonny made the film be about much more

Price was unconvinced.

Many of the opening night reviews were

than that -- finding deeper universals about

“I just thought, ‘It’s there. It’s somewhere,”

brutal. Prince and Sondheim felt to blame for

dreams, destiny, the what-if’s and the poi-

he remembered. So, he hired John Mill-

attracting the harshest criticism. “We were an

gnancy of looking back on one’s life.”

er-Monzon, an expert in locating lost footage,

easy target,” Price explained. “After Sweeney

who, despite his own estimation that there

Todd, Company and A Little Night Music –

was a less than 10% chance of finding it,

one hit after another – people were ready to

produced a miracle. He turned up 37 boxes

say, ‘They’ve had enough success.’ So, they

of film that had been archived under the

didn’t hold back.”

Photo Courtesy of DKCO&M

heading ‘B’way.’ “When I opened the boxes,

Nevertheless, Price insisted that Prince

I thought, ‘This has been waiting for me,”

and Sondheim were very protective of their

Price exclaimed.

young cast. “They were Uncle Hal and Uncle

Among the treasures that he found was

Steve,” he said. “They never shared all the

an interview with his very young self – whom

pressure they must’ve been under.” And

he joking describes as ‘With-Hair Lonny’

when a decision had to be made about clos-

-- in which Price expressed his hopes about

ing the show, it was done swiftly. “Hal knew

future of the show. One of most wrenching

that we’d be playing to smaller and smaller

moments in the documentary involves Price

audiences,” Price noted. “He didn’t want to

watching that interview and reacting to the

do that to the kids. I think that if he’d asked

person he used to be. Another emotional

us, we’d have said, ‘We don’t care! We’ll play

highlight is footage of the moment when

to three people!”

Hal Prince announces to a rehearsal studio

Liz Callaway, another original company

filled with young hopefuls – including his own

member who appeared with Price at the

daughter, Daisy – that they had all been cast

Burns Center, felt that she and her cast mates

in the show.

came away from Merrily having learned a

Price struggled at first with how best bring

Finding that footage gave Price a means

valuable lesson. “We were working with the

a musical that had lasted a mere 52 previews

of illustrating the musical’s chaotic produc-

best people in the business,” she said. “And

and 16 performances back to life on screen.

tion period. “I don’t think I would ever put

it was a failure. I was devastated, but I wasn’t

Securing interviews with many of the principal

actors through what they put us through!”

down. It showed us that you could fail and

performers wouldn’t be difficult since they’d

he emphasized. “We were putting in a lot

have a career afterward.”

remained friends. And he had Sondheim’s

of changes very quickly. Getting massive

In the years since, Merrily We Roll Along

blessing to use performances of his songs in

amounts of material everyday. But, you don’t

has redeemed its reputation, thanks in great

the film. But, how to keep it from becoming

know at that age. You just do what they tell

part to the original cast recording of the

a parade of talking heads?

you. It wasn’t scary. It was kind of fun.”

Broadway premiere. “They almost didn’t do

One notion was to incorporate scenes that

Jim Walton was thrown a particular curve

the album,” Price said. “In those days, you

had been filmed from the balcony of the Alvin

when he was asked to step into the leading

had to run three weeks before the record

Theater during the Broadway run – the kind of

role Franklin Shepard. “I was originally cast as

company would record it. But, Hal went to

blurry, muffled clips that turn up on youtube.

Jerome, his lawyer,” he recalled. “I had four

them and said, ‘You’ll never get another show

com. Price also experimented with shooting

days to learn the part, which now seems a very

of Steve’s and mine if you don’t do this.’

a university production of Merrily. But, neither

short amount of time! I’d at least heard the

was very satisfying.

songs and dialogue for six weeks by then.”

But, as subsequent revisions have led to successful productions, Callaway admits to a

During the first two years of working on

“At one point they decided that ‘Old

greater fondness for the failure that resulted

the documentary, Price held out hope that he

Friends’ had to stop the show,” Price said.

in so many lifelong friendships. “I loved what

could track down footage that had been shot

“So, for five days they worked up a dance

we had,” she sighed. “To quote both Steve

in 1981 for a local ABC-TV newsmagazine. A

routine for the middle of it. We played the

and Hal, ‘I thought it was swell.” ¨ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

75

DECORATIVE ARTS

Selection of Summer Sales

By Matthew Sturtevant Watch of Jackie “O” An engraved gold Cartier watch given to Jacqueline Kennedy and a reciprocal thank-you painting from the former first lady sold for $379,500 Rare Watches and American Icons sale on June 21st 2017 at Christie’s New York. The Tank watch was given to Kennedy by her brother-in-law, Prince Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill, in February 1963 to commemorate a 50-mile hike in Palm Beach championed by former president John F. Kennedy in a drive to make Americans fitter. The back of the timepiece is engraved: “Stas to Jackie, 23 Feb. 1963.

2.05am to 9.35pm” -- the start and finish of what turned into a 19-hour, 30-minute hike. In exchange the first lady gave Radziwill a painting she made of him and Chuck Spalding, a close friend of the president’s, with the dedication: “February 23, 1963 2.05am to 9.35pm / Jackie to Stas with love and admiration.”

Kennedy was often photographed wearing the watch, which smashed pre-sale estimates of $60,000 to $120,000, together with the painting, to sell after three minutes of bidding and more than a dozen individual bids, Christie’s said.

“She preferred to wear a lizard strap, when she had this piece on her wrist for decades, and this

76

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

is the actual strap that she wore for many years,” he said. Radziwill was an emigre aristocrat who escaped from the German invasion of Poland at the end of World War II and later married Jackie’s sister, Lee.

Kandinsky Doubles Down At Sotheby’s London June 21st 2017 Impressionist and Modern sale the record for Wassily Kandinsky was broken twice in the space of six lots. First to go under the hammer was “Murnau Landschaft mit grünem Haus” from 1909, which sold for $26.4 million. One of the finest early works by Kandinsky left in private hands, this painting made its auction debut having remained in the private collection of the same family since the 1920s. A major Expressionist painting of blazing colour, it captures the moment of transition in the artist’s career when he was on the cusp of moving from figuration to abstraction.

That record was broken minutes

later by Kandinsky’s powerful abstract masterpiece “Bild mit weissen Linien” from 1913, which was driven by a prolonged bidding battle to $41.6 million. A profoundly important work that hails from a landmark moment that fundamentally changed the way art was conceived and understood, it reveals the artist’s discovery that colour could become the principal subject of a painting. Virtually all of the significant paintings of 1913 are in major museum collections, and this work was appearing on the open market for the first time.

Amazing Bass At Heritage Auctions’ June 17-18 Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Event in Beverly Hills a bass owned and played by James Jamerson, the 2000 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who Base Player magazine named the “Greatest Bass Player” of all time, set a world record for the most valuable bass ever offered at auction. The Jamerson-Owned

and -Played 1961 Fender Precision Bass, Serial Number 60228, with Strap, Case and Photo Archive emerged as a real sleeper prize in the auction, more than tripling its pre-auction estimate when it sold for $68,750. “James Jamerson was a very important and influential artist who played a vital role on many of Motown’s biggest hits of the 1960s and early 1970s,” Heritage Auctions Entertainment and Music Director Garry Shrum said. “He played on 30 Billboard No. 1 hits and more than 70 No. 1 R&B hits, so it’s no surprise that the artist who played this instrument is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and that the bass was in such high demand.”

Big Anniversary Small Works

Holiday Open House Wilson Avenue Loft Artists Opening Reception: Fri., Dec. 1, 2017, 6 - 8:30 pm Open Studios: Sat. and Sun., Dec. 2 & 3, 11 - 5 pm 225 Wilson Ave., So. Norwalk, CT www.wilsonavenueloftartists.com

Mark your calendar for 2017 – 2018 Art Festivals

OCT. 2017 7-8

Bruce Museum Fine Arts Festival, Greenwich, CT

21-22

NOV. 2017

DEC. 2017

11 - 1 2

2-3 + 9-10

Saratoga Holiday Art Fair at the Dance Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY

Gordon + Gordon 24-26 Exhibition, Gordon Gallery Group Fine Arts Gallery, Show, Stamford Stamford Town Center, Stamford, CT Town Center, Stamford, CT

78

Shop in Peace Holiday Show, Stamford Town Center, Stamford, CT

MAY 2018

JULY 2018

AUG. 2018

19-20

14-15

4-5

Bruce Museum Crafts Festival, Greenwich, CT

JUNE 2018 23-24

Norwalk Art Festival, Matthews Park, Norwalk, CT

Westport Fine Arts Festival, Westport, CT

28-29

Stamford Art Festival, Harbor Point, Stamford, CT

SoNo ArtsFest, South Norwalk, CT

18-19

Saratoga Arts Celebration, Saratoga Springs, NY

For more informaiton vist www.gordonfinearts.org or call 518.852.6478

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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79 79

WEDDING VASE Leslie Reich

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DOMENICO BELLI Metal Art

North Salem, NY Twisted 2015 Abstract Corten Steel Sculpture 112” h x 48”x 48” $ 9,800 Squares & Tubes 2016 Abstract Stainless Steel Sculpture 90” x 35”x 35” $ 6,000 For event schedule, please visit us at: www.domenicobelli.com Facebook page: Domenico Belli metalarts Email: domenicometalarts@gmail.com To set up a private home appointment, please call: 914-482-5389

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

81

GALLERY + MUSEUM GUIDE

CONNECTICUT ESSEX Cooper & Smith Gallery 10 Main Street 860.561.8526 coopersmithgallery.com HOURS Sun-Thu 10:30am-5:30pm Friday, September 15, 5:30 – 7:30 PM, opening reception for Waking Dreams, landscapes by Robert Trondsen.

FAIRFIELD Art/Place Gallery 70 Sanford Street (Fairfield Theater Co.) 646.258.6912 or 203.374.9720 artplacegallery.org HOURS Thur-Sat 12pm-4pm, Sun 2pm-5pm or by appointment Fairfield University Art Museum Fairfield University 200 Barlow Road 203.254.4046 fairfield.edu/museum Bellarmine Hall Galleries Picturing History: Ledger Drawings of the Plains Indians (opening Sept. 27) HOURS Tuesday-Friday, 11am-4pm, select Saturdays

NORWALK LoveArt Gallery & Studio 132C Washington Street 203.957.3124 loveartgalleryandstudio.com HOURS Tues-Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 11am-4pm Sidewalk Gallery@ Press Proof Studios, Inc. 18 Main Street (corner of Havilande) 203.857.1240 sidewalkgallery@pressproofstudio.com HOURS Call for infromation Stress free art viewing from sidewalk; lights on til’ Midnight

OLD LYME Florence Griswold Museum 96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 860.434.5542 florencegriswoldmuseum.org HOURS Mon-Sat 10am-5pm Florence Griswold Museum, “Home of American Impressionism.”

Historic boardinghouse of the Lyme Art Colony, modern gallery with changing exhibitions.

Gardens and grounds to enjoy.

•

Walsh Art Gallery (Quick Center) Richard Lytle: A Retrospective (opening Sept. 14) HOURS Wednesday-Saturday, 12pm-4pm •

NEW CANAAN

WESTPORT X.po.zur Gallery 263 Riverside Avenue www.xpozur.gallery info@xpozur.gallery HOURS By Appointment Only “It is only through the Observer’s mental faculty that form, structure, all the material aspects of perceived reality come into being.”

Picture This Custom Framing & Fine Art and Nylen Gallery 772 Post Road East 203.227.6861 picturethisofwestport.com HOURS Mon-Fri 10am-5:30pm, Sat 10am-5pm Westport Art Center 51 Riverside Avenue 203.222.7070 westportartscenter.org HOURS Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12pm-4pm

NEW YORK MANHATTAN HG Contemporary 527 W 23rd Street 212-366-4490 hgcontemporary.com HOURS Tues-Sat 11am-6pm HG Contemporary Gallery specializes in bold, process-oriented work by emerging and established artists. The Chelsea-based gallery is committed to developing an international, modern and contemporary program by presenting ambitious and diverse exhibitions emphasizing both aesthetics and concept.

PORT CHESTER Clay Art Center 40 Beech Street Tel: 914-937-2047 clayartcenter.org HOURS Mon. – Sat. 10-5PM Clay Art Center is a nationally recognized nonprofit center for the advancement and practice of ceramic arts offering exhibitions, clay classes for adults and children, studio spaces for clay artists and outreach programs in the community.

The Shop at CAC offers functional pottery and ceramic sculpture by 50 area artists. In 2017 Clay Art center will hos t its 60th anniversary with a series of exhibitions, classes and events.

Handwright Gallery & Framing 93 Main Street 203.966.7660 handwrightgallery.com HOURS Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm Handwright Gallery & Framing provides a full range of framing and installation services for the Fairfield County area. The gallery also offers an expansive collection of original fine art by emerging and award-winning regional, national and international artists in both traditional and contemporary styles.

Silvermine Arts Center 1037 Silvermine Road 203.966.9700 silvermineart.org HOURS Wed-Sat 12pm-5pm, Sun 1pm-5pm

“The Greatest” by Armando Bertoli Acrylic on board with powdered pigments and wax, dimensions: 36” X 42” 82

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Clay Art Center Boneyard Bayless

GALLERY + MUSEUM GUIDE

Richard Lytle A RETROSPECTIVE ©Richard Lytle, Blue Cluster, 1975, oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.

September 15, 2017 February 3, 2018 Walsh Art Gallery

Cheyenne Attacking a Pawnee Camp (Ledger Drawing), ca. 1875-78. Attributed to Howling Wolf. Private Collection, courtesy of Donald Ellis.

fairfield.edu/museum

PICTURING HISTORY Ledger Drawings of the Plains Indians September 27 - December 20, 2017 Bellarmine Hall Galleries

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83

VENÜGRAM

“Roots” PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK DREW

1668, 10”x10” Medium format analog film, printed on Silver Gelatin; Edition of 10.

Image courtesy of Artcentric House and the Artist

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CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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