Arts & Society

Mary Bird • February 27, 2014

The 17th annual Signature Chefs Gala of DC provided fabulous tastings from over 20 leading chefs paired with wine from top local wineries and inventive cocktails. The March of Dimes celebrated 75 years of research, vaccines and breakthroughs to benefit babies. Emcee Leon Harris, Anchor/ABC7/WJLA-TV, urged “help those born too sick or too early.” Signature Chefs has raised $1 million for the cause since 1996. A live auction item with Signature Honorary Chef Jamie Leeds providing a private dining experience fetched $4,000. [gallery ids="101569,148541,148545,148550,148536,148556,148553" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Marsha and Rafik Muawwad invited friends to a dinner buffet on Nov. 5 in honor of Patrick Jephson, the first and only Private Secretary to HRH The Princess of Wales, the late beloved Princess Diana. Marsha introduced her honoree by noting that the date was actually that of the Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot and said “can you imagine the party if they had succeeded in blowing up politicians?” Currently a New York Times best-selling author and ABC News contributor, the honoree fascinated guests as he shared insider comments saying “I think of Diana as the queen we never had.” He spoke of her as “the most streetwise person I ever met.” [gallery ids="118598,118576,118603,118608,118583,118590,118614" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Ambassador of Switzerland H. E. Manuel Sager and Mrs. Christine Sager hosted the celebration “Cherishing Silver” on Nov. 5 at their residence. Artist Bill Dunlap served as Gala Host Committee Chair. The evening paid tribute to AFTA founder Lolo Sarnoff, the 97-year-old doyenne of the Washington scene, accomplished artist, scientist, entrepreneur, humanitarian and philanthropist. Ambassador Donald T. Bliss received the 5th Annual Sarnoff Award for distinguished philanthropy, community service and engagement in the arts. The program included a performance of works from cabaret, film and stage. Arts for the Aging is Washington’s premier organization for bringing arts engagements to the elderly. [gallery ids="101567,148617,148614,148609,148605,148600,148597,148632,148626,148592,148630,148622" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Renowned “dance maker” Dana Tai Soon Burgess, along with his internationally recognized dance company, made history this month as the first choreographer-in-residence at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. A private preview of Burgess’s latest work “Homage,” inspired by the NPG’s exhibition “Dancing the Dream,” was held on Nov. 6 following a private reception at Pepco’s Edison Gallery with NPG Director Kim Sajet and Curator Amy Henderson, as well as honored guests and supporters. The work later premiered for the public and will be part of the dance company’s evening-length shows at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater on Feb. 7 and 8. [gallery ids="101566,148640,148634,148638" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

On Nov. 2, the annual Lombardi Gala, focused on raising funding and awareness for cancer research, education and treatment benefitting Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, drew nearly 1,000 elegantly attired guests to the Washington Hilton. While the cause is sobering, the gala delivered a festive night of dinner and dancing peppered with a competitive silent auction of hundreds of items, the annual raffle of a Lexus and awards bestowed on remarkable individuals for their contributions in the fight against cancer. [gallery ids="101565,148645,148643" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Ambassador Matthysen acknowledged that turning the embassy residence, “a house built for a family,” into an opera house for 120 guests had been “quite challenging for the musicians and for the house.” The transformation proved a great success on Nov. 16 as Opera Camerata of Washington presented Giacomo Puccini’s beloved La Bohème. Following a cocktail reception and seated dinner, narrator Robin Phillips elegantly set the scene as Russian born soprano Olga Orlovskaya and Mexican tenor Jesús Daniel Hernández pledged their love. Now in its 23rd year, Opera Camerata’s In-School Programs bring opera and classical music into the school systems without charge. [gallery ids="118605,118642,118635,118628,118666,118660,118655,118620,118612,118649" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

Hometown favorite Benetton showed off its Autumn-Winter 2013 collection at its Georgetown flagship at Wisconsin and M. Some of Washington’s most fashionable and their families — many wearing Benetton products — met Benetton USA President and CEO Ari Hoffman, who flew in from New York for the Oct. 30 event.
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Robert Devaney •

The American News Women’s Club celebrated one of its own — Helen Thomas — with a celebratory hanging of artwork by Patty Raine, depicting the White House correspondent playing the piano and singing with 10 U.S. presidents. With family and friends on hand Nov. 7, toasts at the club on 22nd Street included priceless and loving remarks about the feisty news legend. [gallery ids="101562,148661,148666,148670,148674,148679,148681" nav="thumbs"]

Ari Post •

Thanksgiving came and went, and the Christmas lights went up faster than you can say “Black Friday.” The season is upon us—the season of parades, of family, of thanks, beauty and giving. It is a season marked by visual splendor, from Christmas lights and snowy mountaintops, to gingerbread houses, parade floats and the glitzy intrigue of wrapping paper.

There is a traceable line between the spirit of the holiday season and the ethos of visual art, both of which build upon and reflect a collective understanding of our shared experiences, almost regardless of religion in this day and age. They carry with them an innate lineage unseen in almost all other objects or experiences that pull at our nostalgic heartstrings while moving steadily into the future.

Washington is abuzz with activities and events through the end of the year. If you are among the many households with family coming to town for the holidays, there are going to be plenty of options to keep your restless out-of-towners distracted. For those so visually predisposed, there are two unique and interesting museum exhibits which are both complimentary and starkly contrasting, and which hover beyond the radar of most visitors to the city so accustomed to the prevalence of the Smithsonian and National Gallery. The offerings at The Corcoran Gallery of Art and the National Museum of Women in the Arts will please any audience, while taking them around the city for a true taste of the holidays in Washington.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is exhibiting “Wanderer,” an exhibit of travel prints, drawings and original printing plates by Ellen Day Hale (1855–1940), on view through January 5, which demonstrate the artist’s passion for travel and her mastery of printmaking. Hale achieved acclaim as a renowned portrait painter and printmaker, training in the ateliers of Boston artists and then traveling to Paris in the early 1880s to study painting. While abroad, Hale published accounts of her studies and the Parisian art world, encouraging female artists in Boston and inspiring them to travel.

Throughout her career, Hale took multiple trips throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, recording crumbling ruins, scenic land and cityscapes, and local people at work, embracing the spontaneity and intimate scale of printmaking to capture her impressions of the many local cultures she experienced. This collection is an inspiring travelogue to any journeyer who might be resting their boots in the District over the holidays. www.NMWA.org.

In sharp contrast to Hale, contemporary artist Mia Feuer’s current installation at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, “An Unkindness,” is a haunting vision of our world consumed, transformed and twisted by human need. Inspired by the artist’s experiences in the oil-producing landscapes of the Canadian tar sands, the Arctic Circle, and the Suez Canal, the project explores the relationships between human infrastructure and the natural world. Feuer merges imagery from the oil sands with research into ecological systems worldwide, creating a series of immersive and interactive installations that are at once topical and deeply personal. The exhibit highlight includes a synthetic black skating rink open to the public in the museum’s Rotunda, which contrasts our own gleeful pleasure against the ominous natural symbolism, which is especially thought-provoking around the holidays. For skating rink hours and more information, visit www.Corcoran.org/Exhibitions.
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Robert Devaney •

Night Nouveau was presented by the S&R Foundation at historic Evermay Estate Nov. 2. Guests
could solve a three-murder mystery or just enjoy the house and gardens and sample whiskey and
specialty cocktails and along with great food. The evening ended with a silent disco in the ballroom
to music provided by Heist deejay, Chuck Koch. The mystery was planned by Joshua Morgan of No
Rules Theater. [gallery ids="101529,150194,150189,150198,150213,150211,150203,150206" nav="thumbs"]