Art Alive is the the most overwhelming event you can imagine for the senses. Each year is so different, but the thing that always remains the same is how fully art-immersed and immensely inspired I feel throughout it all…both through the many-months-long planning process to the fast-pace event implementation. Working with both my local vendor family and a wonderful host of unique artists each year make each year so special. This year we were celebrating women by featuring an all-female cast of lead artists, designers, and musicians taking inspiration from the recently opened Modern Women exhibition. As a woman this felt extremely special to own, and I feel like each woman we featured took this moment and made some serious memorable magic for all who experienced it. Although the full Art Alive weekend is much more than I can ever convey fully in one blog post, I outlined my favorite details about the two main events below.
Premiere Dinner Featured Artist: Amanda Witucki
Bloom Bash Featured Artist: Laurie Shapiro
Premiere Dinner Outfit: Skirt by Roksanda, Top by Racil, Headpiece also made by Amanda Witucki to match
Bloom Bash Outfit: Jumpsuit by Dress the Population
All Photos: Bauman Photographers
Premiere Dinner – March 30, 2023
The Premiere Dinner is the first event of the Art Alive weekend and the highest-end event we put on all year. Although not the largest event of the weekend, it is the event that most stretches my design sensibilities and capabilities. The dinner starts with a cocktail hour amongst the Rotunda Design; this year transformed into a monochrome pink paradise by Natalie Gill of Native Poppy. The installation was fecund, dreamy and dazzling and now absolutely lives in my personal top 3 rotunda transformations of all time. I really had a blast creating and all-pink event space around it with pink velvet furniture, pink sequin linens and a pink signature drink to boot.
For the dinner space I was given a blank slate of a gallery to fill however I was moved. This type of freedom can be overwhelming and its sometime hard to know where to start, but it can also result in some seriously show-stopping takeovers. Instead of solely taking inspiration from the Museum’s collection, I decided to continue to run with the Modern Women theme and I brought in artist Amanda Witucki to showcase her new-school origami art. Her folded paper art is color-focused in an organic-style application and I just knew at a large scale it would really transform this large gallery space in a never before seen way. She really pushed herself and the installation came together in such a way it was if it had grown there. It really set the tone for the entire dinner event set inside this gallery. Every piece of the table scape was meant to feel like the art, from the neon chartreuse charger plats and the pink glassware and flatware to the brightly colored floral arrangements that also featured origami stems. And the hot pink velvet dining chairs really made the event for me. The delicious multi-course menu brings the senses full circle and made it a real glamorous evening of enchantment.
Bloom Bash – March 31, 2023
If the dinner is what pushes me creatively, then Bloom Bash is what pushes me mentally, spatially and emotionally. It really is a HUGE party with more moving parts than anything I do all year or have ever done. I never feel that I really absorb the full measure of it until after when I am looking at the photos and go “DAMN, I can’t believe we actually accomplished that again.” I loved the installations from featured artist Laurie Shapiro as well as the undertone of colorful candy fun we sprinkled throughout. I get such joy from hearing how much fun people had, how they look forward to it all year, and how each one gets better than the last. It’s my gorgeous overwhelming monster baby and i really do love it and how it has continued to grow thanks to all the amazing partners that support it. This event is always hard to put in words, so I will just wrap up by saying it takes a literal event village to put this on and I’m eternally grateful for the massive support system that rallies behind me each year. I love you all and we are already working on 2024!
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