Cultural correspondent Bess Hochstein reports from Williamstown: The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute’s gala dinner on June 6 had a quasi-Adirondack theme, which referenced Georgia O’Keeffe’s summers at Alfred Stieglitz’s estate on Lake George. The party marked the opening of the exhibition Dove/O’Keeffe: Circles of Influence, which explores the cross-pollination between Arthur Dove and Georgia O'Keefe with Stieglitz as the intersection. Guests could tour the exhibition or head up to the Stone Hill Center on a golf cart driven by an apple-cheeked youngster to see Through the Seasons: Japanese Art in Nature, a new exhibition of contemporary ceramics and Edo period painted scrolls and screens. As the sun began its descent, more than 450 celebrants gathered by the tent to take a chance on raffle prizes and dine in grand picnic style on local foods produced by The Clark’s in-house caterer, Steve Wilkinson. The rising of the full moon competed with dessert—Lakeside Farm’s strawberry rhubarb crumble a la mode with Berkshire Ice Cream’s French vanilla— for attention, but the chance to toast marshmallows and make s’mores around a roaring fire proved an irresistible draw.
Lewis and Margy Steinberg with Patricia Peters and her husband, Steve; Monique LeBlanc with Stuart Chase, Susan Baker, and Michael Lynch, a trustee of The Clark.
Mrs. John M. Kaiser (aka the artist Helga S. Orthofer), Christopher Owen, Clark docent Karen Carhart and Tjasa Sprague.
EPA contractor Wendy Skavlem and Laurie Morris of The Clark; photographer Keith Emmerling and data visualization professional Kipp Lynch.
Caitlin Allard, the Clark's B-HIP intern who is a senior at Franklin Pierce College, and Anne Tiffany ; Art dealer and professor Geoffrey Young with artists Katia Santibanez and James Siena.
Gigi Douglas, Carolyn Umlauf, Barbara McLucas with Phil & Kathy McNight.
Christopher Madkour of the Southern Vermont Art Center with The Clark's director Michael Conforti and Joan Hardy Clark; Kenneth & Suzanne Nash.
The evening ended with make-your-own s'mores led by Michael Conforti.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
