May 2017

Picturing Penn

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Still Life With Watermelon, 1947

Still Life With Watermelon, 1947

Irving Penn’s 70-year career is celebrated in “Irving Penn: Centennial” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. From modern old master still lifes of the 40s for Vogue to his painted lips for L’Oréal in 1986, from impossibly chic shots of wife Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn to inventive portraits of celebrities and tradesmen alike, this show demonstrates Penn’s life-long precison and care as an artist. Such a different time – I wonder who [if any?] of today’s working photographers will be celebrated as true artists on the centennial of their birth? TBD.

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Art to Wear and Sell

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Order/Chaos: Garments from "18th Century Punk AW 16/17"

Order/Chaos: Garments from “18th Century Punk AW 16/17”


I was in NYC this past weekend. On the top of my must do list was the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between” exhibit at The Met. She and Issey Miyake and Yojhi Yamamoto (among others) changed how we looked at fashion AND how we dressed when they burst onto the scene in the 80s.
Kawakubo especially seemed more interested in ideas than wearable clothes, but nonetheless, she has made a long, lucrative career out of challenging norms in fashion. In fact, she has been quoted as insisting that she is primarily a businesswoman rather than an artist.
In many ways just as compelling as the garments were the wide range of “hair” pieces created by long time collaborator Julien d’Ys and Kawakubo’s exhibition design itself – in places hulking white washed Richard Serra sculpture like enclosures and in others glass vitrines hanging overhead and in still others, simple house shapes showcasing garments.
At 74, and despite this being a 35-year retrospective, she’s not done yet. I’m looking forward to her next collection already.

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We’re Better Together

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Signature Luncheon Invitation I was inspired by Elizabeth Vargas’ story of recovery and her efforts to remove the stigma that still surrounds mental illness and addiction at The Menninger 2017 Annual Signature Luncheon. I so appreciate Michele Arnold [Annual and Planned Giving Manager extraordinaire] including me. And I’m honored to be a very small part every week of the work that Menninger does to help those still struggling with mental illness and addiction.

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The Japanese Garden in Hermann Park – Celebrating 25 Years

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HERMANN PARK EITP

I’m just getting back into the swing of things after moving house, so this is definitely a latergram. As a happy supporter and Executive Board Member of the Hermann Park Conservancy, I was thrilled to attend this year’s Evening in the Park Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of The Japanese Garden. [I and Art Directors David Sloat and Leah Justice created the branding for the event.] A roaring success, the event raised over $600,000. Those funds will be split between the operation of the Conservancy and the Japanese Garden itself. These galas are parties to be certain, but they raise funds to actually run these not for profit organizations – staff salaries and expenses – that aren’t typically covered by patrons’ generous capital campaign gifts.

Take a look at the Chronicle’s coverage.

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Be A Connoisseur

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Artist Leslie Wayne interviewed by HMACC Exhibitions Manager, Dominic Clay

Artist Leslie Wayne interviewed by HMACC Exhibitions Manager, Dominic Clay

This past Saturday I was thrilled to see my friend Leslie Wayne’s shared exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture “Africa on my mind: The art of Malick Sidibe and Leslie Wayne.” Leslie and her sculptor husband, Don Porcaro, flew down from NYC for the opening and the next afternoon Leslie gave a gallery talk/interview. One of Dominic Clay’s questions to Leslie was along the lines of “What advice would you give to an artist who’s intent is to a have a global, cross-cultural approach to their art practice?” Leslie’s emphatic response was “Connoisseurship!” This from a NYC-based life-long working, successful artist. And I couldn’t agree more. For any kind of creative person – from painter to art director to copywriter – output IS connected to input. The more you absorb, the more you have to work with. Leslie admonished the audience to be informed, to look at everything we can. Be interested and engaged. Yes! Creativity does not exist in a vacuum. Or at least it’s more fun and more of this world if it doesn’t.

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