Thursday, May 31, 2007

D.C., Chicago, and Palm Beach

Revil Mosely, Tinnie Pettway, China Pettway, Nettie Young, Diana Negroponte, John Negroponte, Florine Smith, Loretta Pettway, Loretta Bennett, Louisiana Bendolph, Mary Lee Bendolph, Henrietta Fore, and Jo Carole Lauder with Gee's Bend artists

Washington, D.C.: Three weeks ago at the annual dinner of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE), they honored four women who are patchwork quilting artists from Gee’s Bend, Alabama – Loretta Pettaway, Lousiana Bendolph, Mary Lee Bendolph and Loretta Bennett – as the newest members of a pantheon of American artists who have contributed their work for display in US embassies, consulates and ambassadorial residences abroad.

The prints of their quilts, reported Kevin Chaffee in the Washington Times, created between 1940 and 2001, are remarkable both for their bold patterns and the humble and diverse materials used to assemble them – such as flour sacks, old flannel work clothes, worn denim. These works will join with those works by Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein and other famous artists.

The dinner as held in the State Department’s Diplomatic Reception Room and included a speech about the importance of U.S. cultural diplomacy by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte along with entertainment of an acappella gospel concert by five of the artists’ hometown friends.

The artists work is now served by major museum exhibitions, a coffee table book and a set of U.S. commemorative stamps. Their quilts, which could be purchased for $25 ten years ago, now fetch as much as $25,000 per. “I was praying for this day back when I was working in the cotton fields,” said Loretta Pettaway, one of the honorees. Her prayers were answered.

Carol Kelley and Marion Rosenthal

Nancy Rubin and Janet Howard

Rhonda and Howard Wilkins

Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Clay Johnson, Shirley Spears, Madeline McElveen, Anne Johnson, and Adam Padua

Jonathan Capehart and Ann Jordan

Loretta Pettway

Revil Mosely, Nettie Young, Loretta Pettway, and Florine Smith being greeted by Henrietta Fore Holsman

Patrick Collins, Dorothea Rockburne, Mary Lee Bendolph, and Margaret Kennedy

Carol Mack and George L. Farias

Nettie Young, Loretta Pettway, and Revil Mosely

Loretta Bennett, Eden Rafshoon, and Louisiana Bendolph

Sydie Lansing, Louisiana Bendolph, and Lin Lougheed

Recently the Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital hosted its 5th annual Boogie Ball. The monies will benefit a research project on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women to be conducted by Dr. Martha Gulati and Dr. Neil Stone of Northwestern Hospital.

Established in 1897, The Woman’s Board is an important committed fundraising partner of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Through its dedication to advancing healthcare standards and supporting educational programs they have improved the lives of countless members of the Chicago community.

Lisa Lawson, Bill Hague, Dave Wageling, Lisa Hague, and Craig Lawson

Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, the Board’s president, presided alongside Ball co-chairs, Alison McNally and Laura Davis with Chicago committee members Barbara Cooney, Beth Coleman and Melissa McNally as well as North shore committee members Lesley Crowe, Jennifer Dunne and Jetta Bushonville. Boogie Ball sponsors included Tiffany & Co., Northern Trust, JPMorgan, Ralph Lauren, Abbott, Jenner & Block, Takeda, Bain & Company, FedEx, Quaker-Tropicana-Gatorade and AIG.

Dave Wagelilng and Laura Davis

Tara Marsh, Sophie Bross, and Suzette Bulley

Tony and Laura Davis

L. to r.: Shaun and Erin McGuire; Garreth Gwyn, Dr. Martha Gulati, and Dr. Neil Stone; Alison and Andrew McNally.

For the 18th year, the Women’s Association of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra sponsored Corporate Night at Symphony Center. The headliner was George Benson, but there was also music by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) conducted by Stuart Chafetz.

Again this year, Corporate Night hosted Chicago-area music educators and students who were invited through the generosity of Winston & Strawn LLP, Sidley Austin LL.P. and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois.

Buntrock Hall Decor

The 2007 Corporate Chairman was Frank Clark, CEO of ComEd. Cheryl Istvan of Chicago was the CSO Women’s Association Chairman. Members of her committee included: Julia Goalby, John Pratt, Diane Collison, Judy Goldberg, Karen Yates, Mary Jane Smyth, Liz Stein and Dianne Tesler from Chicago. Representing the north shore were Jetta Bushonville and Susan Stein of Winnetka and Carol Gilbertson of Northbrook .

Corporate Night 2007 was sponsored by Citadel Group Foundation. Additional sponsorships were provided by ComEd, Merrill Lynch, National City Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Cheryl Istvan, Maestro Stuart Chaffetz, and Julia Goalby

Mar Rafferty, George Benson, and Scott Rafferty

Bill Strong with his daughter, Meredith

Frank Clark and Colette Rau

Ken and Ann Griffin

Ken Griffin and Scott Rafferty

Jennifer and Bryan Johnson

Kenneth and Lori Julian

The Palm Beach Theater Guild recently held a celebration of the season’s accomplishments. The fledgling theatrical organization managed to halt a developer’s efforts to tear down the Royal Poinciana Playhouse in PB. The Guild, which has rapidly grown to more than 600 members, also signed performance partnerships with Ballet Florida and the Palm Beach Symphony. The organization will shortly complete its inspection of the theater and launch a $4 million restoration campaign with the celebrity leadership of actors Christopher Plummer and Sally Ann Howes.

“We can see some running room on the field of preservation of the playhouse and operating venue,” said Patrick Henry Flynn, president of the Palm Beach Theater Guild. “We have to act soon…before developers return with new plans and try again to demolish the Royal Poinciana Playhouse.”

Besides Mr. Flynn, the party, which was held at the Founder’s Room Library of the Kravis Center in West Palm, were Winston and Helen Guest, literary agent Douglas Rae, Sally Ann Howes, Patricia Cook, Marc Rosen and Arlene Dahl, Charles and Amanda Schumacher and Melanie Cabot.