The Dallas Museum of Art League, event chairman Dyann Skelton, honorary chairmen Barbara and Steve Durham and Nancy Cates, DMA League president, were joined by a sell-out crowd of over 350 guests at Art in Bloom 2018: Power of Flowerson Monday, March 26, 2018. Proceeds from the 19thannual fundraiser support the Dallas Museum of Art’s education programs First Tuesdays and Teen Tours, as well as the DMA League’s Floral Endowment Fund.
The celebration began on Friday, March 23 with an evening reception, sponsored by Beverage Marketing Associates, Duckworth Vodka and Nancy Cates, in honor of Art in Bloompatrons. Held at the Dallas Museum of Art and chaired by Sarah Jo Hardin, sponsors and host committees arrived and mingled as they enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Museum’s concourse, while the John Adams Trio played nearby. Inspired by Broadway musical Pippinand this year’s theme, “Power of Flowers,” décor included colorful paper flowers at the entrance in addition to stunning arrangements by David Kimmel throughout the party space. Some of the flowers came alive in the form of mythical garden figures and dancers, perfect for photos with partygoers.
As the evening continued, partygoers enjoyed cocktails and artfully displayed savory and sweet bites, such as butter poached shrimp and saffron potato, black pepper lamb loin on pecan cracker, blue cheese and date jam on brioche, roasted duck salad and chive crepe, petite macarons and sea salt chocolate truffle cones with candied almonds. An evening highlight was meeting Art in Bloomfeatured speaker Michael De Feo, with his wife Lia, prior to Monday’s luncheon and presentation, as well as a first view of Flowers – An Exhibition,a display of floral arrangements created by local designers and inspired by works of art from the Museum’s permanent collection.
On Monday, March 27, Art in Bloombegan at 10:00 a.m. with a reception in the Museum’s concourse. Guests mingled as they bid on items in the silent auction, which featured exclusive DMA experiences, jewelry, spa packages, fashion items, restaurant gift certificates, and more luxury items. As a special treat, attendees received complimentary touch ups and makeup tips at the Blush-Ups Makeup Station courtesy of Blushington on Oak Lawn Avenue. Chance tickets were also for sale for two prizes including De Feo’s Untitled (Rosamund Pike by Masha Mel for L'Officiel, No. 1013, April, 2017), 2017, acrylic on magazine page, 11.75 x 8.625 inches (14 3/4" x 11 5/8" framed), or a unique opportunity to have International Chef Craig James come to the winner’s home and prepare a meal for eight guests. Chef Craig James will provide a quintessentially British menu showcasing his credentials in modern British cooking and his impressive background with English Chefs, wine is also included.
Guests were then directed to the Horchow Auditorium for De Feo’s presentation. DMA League president Nancy Cates welcomed all in attendance and thanked them for their support of this year’s Art in Bloom, including chairman Dyann Skelton. Ms. Skelton followed to add her gratitude to attendees, event and host committee members, patrons, sponsors and in-kind donors who helped make this year’s event possible. She also recognized 2018 honorary chairs, Barbara and Steve Durham, for their ongoing support of the Dallas Museum of Art, before introducing featured speaker Michael De Feo through a short video,which visually spoke to what inspires him as an artist, how he got started as “The Flower Guy,” and highlighted some of his current work recently seen at the Rice University Art Gallery.
De Feo then took the stage to show the audience, through slides, his “flower journey” as an artist during his 25-year career. Beginning with his 7thgrade shop class and his initial interest in graffiti art, to his first experiments at street art while a student at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and then his segue to painting flowers on the streets of New York, in cities around the country and the world, earning him his moniker “The Flower Guy.” He began to experiment with other imagery, patterns and abstractions, painting on maps and blueprints, while continuing to paint flowers on the streets. In the 2004 he took his passion for street art to create a children’s book, called Alphabet City: Out on the Streets, which expanded awareness about his work nationally and internationally.
A turning point came several years ago when a friend gifted him a key to all the bus-stop kiosks in New York and he began to replace the magazine ads with his own large-scale floral paintings on paper. Quickly realizing he had a large collection of all the acquired ads, he began to use the ads as his canvas, painting cascades of multi-colored petals onto the printed images. This work led to collaborations with fashion brands, such as J. Crew, Neiman Marcus, Christian Louboutin and more, and earned him profiles in the New York Times, VOGUE, New York Magazineand other publications.
After a brief Q & A session with De Feo, attendees progressed to the Atrium for a seated lunch with tables featuring floral centerpieces by David Kimmel Design. Guests enjoyed a delicious lunch, including a first course of duo of chilled cantaloupe melon soup with crisp Parma ham and salad landaise with Champagne dressing, followed by an entree of roast breast of corn-fed chicken, peperonata, saffron-braised potatoes, basil oil, and Texas balsamic reduction. As dessert of glazed lemon posset with homemade shortbread was served, Skelton came to the podium to introduce auctioneer Wendy Lambert.
Lambert quickly got the bidding underway for the live auction which included coveted items such as a tour for six of the DMA’s vault with Isabel Stauffer, director of collections management; an exclusive New York experience guided by Stanley Korshak and Christie’s Auction House’s fashion and art experts; a $5,000 gift certificate to William Noble; and an original work of art by featured speaker, Michael De Feo,Untitled (Doutzen Kroes by Duy Yo for Vogue Nederland, April 2016), 2016, acrylic on two magazine pages, (14 1/4" x 20"}).
After lunch, De Feo had copies of his children’s book, Alphabet City: Out on the Streets,available for purchase and signing. As well, attendees enjoyed Flowers – An Exhibition,which featured a unique display of floral arrangements created by local designers and inspired by works of art from the Museum’s permanent collection on view in the Museum’s Level 2 European galleries. Participating designers were: Avant Garden; David Kimmel Design; Dr. Delphinium; Forestwood Fine Flowers; Metka Floral Designs; Olive Grove Design; Petals, A Florist; Ridgeview Florist and Sage Blooms.
For more information about the DMA League, contact 214.922.1800, or visit www.dma.org.
About Michael De Feo
Michael De Feo is a NYC-based artist best known in the street art movement for his iconic flower image. De Feo has been creating art on the streets for over 25 years in more than 60 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong and more. Michael’s work inhabits a space between fine art, street art, and appropriation. His most recent investigations are a re-working of fashion imagery from magazine ads to bus stop shelter advertisements by painting cascades of multicolored petals onto the printed images. De Feo brings new life to his source material in a way that is both subversive and joyful.
Michael's work has been exhibited in numerous international galleries and museums including The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Colette, Paris; and the Museo de Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Notable exhibitions include 2005's Two Atmospheres at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT and 2008's Flowers at Manifesta 7 in Trento, Italy; and, in 2016, solo exhibitions at The Garage in Amsterdam, Danziger Gallery in New York and a site-specific installation at Rice Gallery in Houston, TX.
Michael’s work has been profiled in The New York Times, VOGUE, New York Magazine and numerous others. He’s collaborated with fashion brands including Neiman Marcus, Christian Louboutin, MILLY, La Mer and J.Crew for whom he created a line of t-shirts as well as window designs for each of J.Crew’s 280-plus store façades around the world. De Feo’s work has appeared in a variety of film documentaries including To Be Seen, screened at the MoMA, 2006 and Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop, which was a 2010 Academy Award best documentary nominee. De Feo enjoys supporting non-profits such as the Children’s Museum of the Arts in New York and Friends of the High Line where he helped celebrate their Chelsea Grasslands by designing posters, park signage and more all visible throughout the High Line park in September 2016. In 2014, Russell Simmons and The Rush Arts Philanthropy Foundation selected De Feo as their featured artist of the year. Michael’s award winning street art book for kids, Alphabet City is in its 5thprinting by Gingko Press. Michael is the recipient of a Clio Award in Fashion & Beauty, a D&AD award for Magazine Design, and two Certificates of Design Excellence from Print Magazine. De Feo lives with his family in Manhattan.
About the Dallas Museum of Art League
Founded in 1938, the League is celebrating 80 years of contributions through volunteer work for the Museum, art acquisitions and the support of key endowment funds.
The League has participated in the acquisition of approximately 100 works of art for the Museum. In addition, the Dallas Museum of Art League has supported special exhibitions, education, exhibition endowments, Late Nights and Thursday Night Live and contributes to the Endowment Fund.
About the Dallas Museum of Art
Established in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is among the 10 largest art museums in the country and is distinguished by its commitment to research, innovation, and public engagement. At the heart of the Museum and its programs is its global collection, which encompasses more than 24,000 works and spans 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures. Located in the nation’s largest arts district, the Museum acts as a catalyst for community creativity, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse spectrum of programming, from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary events, and dramatic and dance presentations. Since the Museum’s return to free general admission in 2013, the DMA has welcomed more than 3.2 million visitors. For more information, visit DMA.org.
The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by the generosity of DMA Members and donors, the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.