Beauty And The Blog: Sephora's 10 Year Anniversary Bash

Beauty And The Blog: Sephora's 10 Year Anniversary Bash

Big Art in Big "D" at Nasher Sculpture Center

If you’re traveling to Dallas in the near future, and you haven’t been there of late, you’ll be amazed to see how the city is rapidly changing for the better. I grew up there, but haven’t been back in five years. This past week, I was there for work being interviewed by Paige McCoy Smith on the subject of summer reading for kids on “Good Morning Texas” (watch clip here).

This time around, I was amazed at all the fun and cultural stuff there is to do there now. Of course, there has always been fabulous theatre, via the Majestic Theatre and the Dallas Summer Musicals at Fair Park Music Hall, but there is some spectacular art to feed your soul, if you take the time to seek it out. Whether you’re heading to the Meadows Museum at my alma mater, Southern Methodist University (they have one of the largest collection of Spanish art outside of Spain), or the Dallas Museum Art, there is much beauty in Dallas.

While in the arts district, my good friend from high school and college, David, and I went to the Dallas Museum of Art. I hadn’t been there for years, probably since the opening of their Pre-Colombian art wing, and I had the opportunity to, not only reminisce as I walked through familiar collections, but see some new things as well. The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, designed after their home, is a wonderful glimpse into how "the other half" lived with some of the most beautiful impressionist art and European decorative arts in the world—not to mention some engaging correspondence from Winston Churchill, as well as some of his art.

The trip also included a visit to the new Nasher Sculpture Center next door. This is one of the most beautiful art facilities I have ever seen, and it has such a calming energy about it. It would be easy to imagine a Dallas business executive quietly slipping away from his or her office downtown for respite in this extremely serene place. The collection is also fantastic.

There, I saw this most interesting sculpture that brought back fond memories of the production of The Mikado that I did at the now defunct Dallas Alliance Theatre in Deep Ellum, with its vibrant blue color and closed fanlike shape. I remember our director bringing in a box of paper fans that had been donated to our production by Pier 1. Her words were "Be very careful with these--they were VERY expensive. I got them for free!"

This sculpture reminded me of the kind of man that I am looking for in my life—strong, in shape, and eternally quiet! Actually its Rodin’s The Age of Bronze, ca. 1876.

Of course, no sculpture garden would be complete without the work of contemporary master George Segal. He has always been one of my favorites since I was a child and experienced his realistic and impressive work at the Milwaukee Museum of Art. The Crowd is very reminiscent of one of his pieces The Commuters, Next Departure (1981), which is located in New York City’s Port Authority.

Similarly, Magdalena Abakanowicz brings true human energy to her Bronze Crowd, 1990-91, which occupies a prominent spot in the Nasher Outdoor sculpture garden, on the opposite side from Segal’s work. They seem like human bookends.

Finally, add Jonathan Borofsky to my list of favorite artists. His unique sculpture, Walking to the Sky, 2004 was a highlight of the visit. It suggests people leaving the Earth for Heaven or perhaps just the resiliency of everyday people in reaching their goals.
Borofsky is highly associated with pieces like his Hammering Man sculpture, but multiple Borofsky works are on exhibition at the Nasher Sculpture Center for visitors to enjoy.

For lovers of Calder’s mobiles and Picasso in all mediums, there is plenty to see. There is also a lovely exhibit in the basement gallery, which contains sculptures and sketch studies that were gifted from the Estate of Jacques Lipchitz.

For more information on the Nasher’s permanent collection and special exhibits, visit www.nashersculpturecenter.org.

Sephora Celebrates 10 Years of Fabulosity on "The Red Carpet"

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend the 10th Anniversary bash for Sephora, which was held at the Angel Orensanz Foundation—a very interesting event space on the Lower East Side. I didn’t know anyone at the party, but not to worry, I made it a point to make light conversation. In the end, I actually had more interaction with the girls that were serving the delicious champagne and mango juice drinks as well as the h'or deurves than I did with the attendees. I always adore making friends with the "help." And gorgeous they were! I’m not sure who was eating the food, though, since all the pretty girls were very thin and trying to preserve their girlish figures—some girlish figures were well into their 50s and 60s!

The highlight of the evening was a performance of several songs by Natasha Bedingfield, who is currently on tour to promote her new album. She made an appearance on The Today Show this morning, and I don't know how she was able to get up for a 5:30 am call time and actually sing after last night's gig. She was so committed to her party performance and was in such good voice, the crowd was blown away by her. She completely rocked the house, and, most importantly looked fabulously beautiful and iconic in true Sephora style.

Ashanti also performed towards the end of the evening, but it's doubtful that anyone noticed since there was a melee of tall, skinny white girls tripping over each other to get cosmetic swag at the corner beauty bars. The “gift bag” included a Sephora professional makeup artists’ case, which is actually quite nice. Most people, yours truly included, while in line to satiate our need for product, used the case as a defense mechanism against over-anxious, ghetto girls who discreetly (and not so discreetly) swiped extra moisturizer from the top shelf. You’d think people had never seen free stuff before!

The step and repeat was graced by the likes of Lindsay Lohan and her mother, Dina, Kelly Osbourne, Project Runway’s Malan Breton, and a host of Sephora upper management, creatives and salespeople. The drinks flowed, there was fantastic music and we left with wonderful beautification products, though no one there really seemed to need them! It was one of the best parties I’ve ever been to.

Boofy Poofy Spice

As I rode the F train to Broadway-Lafayette this morning, I looked over to see the most beautiful young woman of color sitting in the corner seat of the car. Let’s call her “Boofy Poofy Spice,” since she looked like she had just stepped out of a bubblegum pop video with her cute blue-checked flouncy sundress, blue alligator purse (real, I do not know), silver strappy sandals, and big boofy beautiful hair (real, I do not know…but I will not be that white boy asking a girl about her hair tricks!) She was so gorgeous and well put together that it was all I could do to not tell her that United Colors of Benetton called and they wanted their ensemble back from the photo shoot. She also wore a diamond heart pendant around her neck.

Everything looked perfect except her eyes lacked a spirit, which made me stand back and wonder, briefly, exactly how happy she really is. The heart pendant, perhaps, is a constant and close reminder that she should love herself or is loved. I didn’t hear her speak. I didn’t see her do anything of consequence this morning, but for some reason I doubted her ability to see how beautiful she actually was. I’m sure that in her mind, it was necessary to look like she just walked out of the pages of Elle or Cosmo to be accepted by the other “girls” at the office, but she had me thinking that what I wanted for her today was for her to value herself. I guess I will never know if her smarts and self-image match the perfection that the visual might have suggested. My other hope is that her career path supports the lifestyle to which she seems accustomed to living.

The truth is that as we move into a more difficult economy, people will either choose to go more into debt to keep up appearances, or they will become more practical and stronger because they will be forced to deal with themselves rather than hide behind things. I’ve been through two previous bad economies so far, and once again, it looks like I will have to spend a lot of time getting to know Paul. There are times when it’s fun to delude oneself, but in the end, one must ask him or herself, “Isn’t being fully present a marvelous thing?”

Art Exploration in Chelsea

(Yi Whan-Kwon sculpture)

On and off, for almost twelve years, I’ve lived in New York City, and I’m now just starting to figure out why this town can be one of the most exciting places on Earth. In spite of the crazy and frenetic proclivities of its residents, who, more often than not, feel the constraints of being enclosed in cramped quarters on an island only 13 miles long and a couple of miles wide, there can often be moments of sheer calmness, where the human experience totally makes sense and people commune to understand one another.

It’s rather ironic, no? All this craziness and calm, together in a place that rarely makes sense? But sometimes, in the dullness of life (yes, even New York City can seem dull sometimes!), great things come out the city’s extremes, including its art.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I had a full Saturday set aside to explore the gallery district in Chelsea and made some marvelous finds that were all both inspiring and exciting to the senses.

Unfortunately, now over, the Chinese Contemporary gallery’s (535 W. 24th Street) solo showing of the work of Xue Song entitled “New Life” was a delicious feast for the eyes. For fans of mixed media, Song meticulously creates collages, many of which find their inspiration in the Chinese Political Pop School of the 1990s. His works, however, go beyond the typical usage of Mao’s image in bright colors. He presents the iconic leader with a certain “playfulness” all the while the “elements of the collages recall his personality, his preferences and his deeds.” A resident of Shanghai, Song has witnessed first-hand all the poltical and social changes that China has experienced since the 60s, and he ties those elements into his work. His skill lies in reconciling the past to the present in a remarkable way.

(Xue Song)

A seeming departure from the avant garde for Song, one of my favorite pieces was a set of 3 panels depicting traditional Chinese scenes, each available for purchase for a mere $45,000. Most engaging of his works was a piece that incorporated 10 rectangular panels with numbers that all have significance in the Chinese culture. Various events and ideas were conveyed through graphics incorporated with the numbers, including one panel, which depicted the burning of his studio in 1980. All the panels were collages that included torn paper—some untouched and other pieces burned along the edges—from moderate to blackened ash, inspired by the catharsis he experienced as he made art from the remnants of objects and possessions after his studio burned down. Song’s solo show closed on June 28. www.chinesecontemporary.com.

(Xue Song)

We made the trek from contemporary Chinese art to Korean by just turning a corner. Since I live in “Little Korea” and personally know how lively, vibrant and cutting edge this burgeoning culture can be, I was excited to stumble upon Gana Art located at 568 W. 25th Street. Most compelling were the 3D sculptures by Yi Whan-Kwon in Gana Art’s current show entitled “Real Illusions: Young Korean Artists,” which runs through July 26. The space is open and airy and Whan-Kwon’s stretched and elongated sculptures provide an optical illusion as you enter the gallery. I felt a tad disoriented as I looked at the sculptures, which, by their placement, are impossible to avoid looking at first. Whan-Kwon’s sculptures are “modeled after digitally altered photographs that portray distorted figures as they would appear on a wide-screen TV,” and are unlike anything you are likely to experience. This is why Gana Art is such an exciting gallery space.

In addition to Whan-Kwon, the show features seven other artists, including Lee Dong-Jae, Back Seung-Woo, Kim Nam-Pyo, Do Sung-Wook and Park Ji-Hyun, What-Kwon and Ahn Sung-Ha, whose colorful oil paintings of “everyday indulgences” such as candy and cigarettes brings Korean pop art to life in pieces that explore the dualism of good and bad. In derision of “the rushed production of art during market booms”of pop art in Korea, Ahn uses a technique of careful layering and blurring. Visit www.ganaart.com.

(Alison Elizabeth Taylor
Wonder Valley, 2007-8)


Finally, our art-filled adventure ended with an exploration into the American mainstream and “its fascination with large vehicles, sex, guns, video games, religion, hunting and the military,” through the new works by Alison Elizabeth Taylor at the James Cohan Gallery. Taylor takes the exquisite art of wood inlay to another level that is unlike anything I have seen before.

At the heart of the exhibit is an architectural installation called “Room.” Reminiscent of the large wood inlay projects that were commissioned by wealthy patrons, during the Italian Renaissance, to showcase their wealth and power by depicting their possessions and not themselves as subjects, so too does this free-standing piece by Taylor. In this case, “Room” is “a trove of objects, both fascinating and mundane,” according to the exhibit’s curator. From a US Army helmet, along with a hand gun displayed together prominently in a case, to a menagerie of stuffed animals, the environs hint that its occupant is living on the edge of society, as do the other panels in Taylor’s show.

Particularly sexy and stimulating is Taylor’s provocative piece “Slab City (2007)” that depicts “society’s dropouts” who headed West in “refuge of an alternative lifestyle.” A couple of the pieces incorporate the same character, which has the spectator asking the question “why?” Taylor’s work leaves many questions unanswered and interpretations up to the individual, which is the kind of art that gets my blood pumping and my heart racing. This show closed on June 21. www.jamescohan.com.

LIBATIONS AND LIVELY CONVERSATIONS IN QUEENS

Sometimes, it’s the small things in life that really make the human experience satisfying and fun. For me, it’s getting a bubble tea at the end of the day, finding a cheesy bargain or not-so-cheesy bargain at a Queens discount store. Many times it’s engaging conversation, in English or Spanish, at my corner laundromat, but more often, it’s finding something cool in the least likely places.

If you’ve ever been trapped at La Guardia airport, you know that in downtown Flushing, New York, you will find the Sheraton La Guardia East. It’s very Asian inspired in its décor and feeling. For many years, I never even went inside to check things out—a few shops, a bar and a restaurant named Deluge. That’s about it. Finally, this past winter, tired of traipsing to Manhattan on the weekends to pay $12 a drink to seek out good conversation with strangers at piano bars, I opted to finally check out the bar at the Sheraton.

Upon entering the lobby, you’ll find that there is a small bar and lounge area with about four chairs. The lighting is harsh, so it’s not very cozy. The first time I went there, I almost didn’t stay and have a drink until the upstairs bartender told me about Deluge, the larger bar downstairs in the restaurant. As I made my way down the stairs to the lower level for the first time, I was a bit confused because I didn’t see a bar. Upon asking, I was told that it was behind a wall in the back of the restaurant, just off the kitchen.

As I turned the corner, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there it was—a quaint bar with ample seating and little side tables and ambient lighting, which made me want to come in and sit a spell. Fully anticipating the smiling face of a gentle, overly-friendly Chinese woman at the bar, I was surprised to see 5’10”, beautiful, Irish redhead at the helm at the bar. Kate’s her name, and she makes the best drinks in Queens. She is also a great conversationalist and let’s me talk hour after hour, which I just love! I think she finds it entertaining and it helps her pass the time, since the bar is never usually that crowded. Therein lies the justification for why the little things in life make life living. I don’t enjoy crowds and I love quiet. Good drinks, good conversation, and Kate’s sunny disposition, combined with a little bit of Irish fire make a visit to the bar at Deluge worth the while.

Rumor has it that the bar can also be an intriguing place with dramas and indiscretions unfolding daily. Word on the street is that some people who regularly traverse the friendly skies also regularly make the sheets at the Sheraton friendly when they meet their lovers there, so you never know what you might overhear at Deluge.

In addition to the outstanding dramas, so too, is the food at the restaurant outstanding. It’s created and made by a professional chef, who understands fine cuisine, and it’s as good as any restaurant in Manhattan. My new personal fave is an order of beer-battered onion rings that is served with a horseradish dipping sauce that will have you wanting to eat them 24/7 until you finally collapse from cardiac arrest. Also, Kate made me a delicious raspberry mojito, garnished with fresh mint and chocked full of fresh raspberries, which was utterly beautiful and cool like the lady herself.

One of the best things about Flushing Main Street is that there many cultural things to do—shopping, eating, music and karaoke. The hotels are also a third of the price of what it costs to stay in Manhattan. They are also situated right on two main transit lines (the 7 train and the Port Washington line of the Long Island Railroad). From Flushing Main Street, New York’s Penn Station is only a $4.00, 15-minute train ride, and it stops a mere half-block from the Sheraton in an intriguing cultural world that you won’t get outside of San Francisco, Vancouver or New York’s Chinatowns. Whether you live in New York or are just visiting and are looking for a quiet, inexpensive alternative to Manhattan dining and drinking opportunities, visit the lounge at Deluge at the Sheraton La Guardia East. It’s worth the trip to Queens.

DUTESCO & "CHASING WILD HORSES" STUNS AND AWES AUDIENCE

For those of you who love to watch Bravo, be on the lookout in the next couple of months for the documentary "Chasing Wild Horses," a film that chronicles one of former fashion photographer, Roberto Dutesco's three visits to Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Having first seen his work on the living room wall of a former associate who met him in the Hampton's, I was later excited in 2006 to notice the creation of his SoHo gallery, located at 13 Crosby Street, dedicated to his project "The Wild Horses of Sable Island." Dutesco co-founded the gallery with his business partner and curator of the exhibit, Peter Tunney. Weeks later, I had the pleasure of attending the exhibit's opening night party and was in awe of the gorgeous, almost other wordly, photographs that he had taken while on his photographic journey to Sable Island.

This past Friday, I was invited to the screening of the film "Chasing Wild Horses" that documents his visit in 2007, and it is altogether, spectacular, completely uncommercial (in the best sense of the phrase), and emotionally stirring. I was utterly transported to this very special world, which exists on a piece of land that stretches only 40 kilometers long, and where about 350 horses have minimal contact with a small staff of scientists that look after the place. The film points out how natural selection is well at work on Sable Island, where the strongest survive. It begs us to ask the question, should humans get involved there at all? The film references a male horse who had broken his leg four years prior, and still limping, was looking to mate, showing the horse's resiliency. Dutesco, unexpectedly found himself narrating this piece and he brings a wealth of emotions to his recollections of his experiences. Perhaps, the most poignant part of the documentary is in its final minutes, in which the audience gets a glimpse of Dutesco nuzzling with a group of horses, in the most natural and fundamental way.

It was hard not to leave the intimate venue at the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park South without having shed a tear and having been changed in some way. Days later, I am still both haunted and delighted by what I experienced.

For more information on the documentary read the piece in Halifax's The Coast.

SEE CLIPS OF DOCUMENTARY HERE!!!