WINTER EVENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO

March 25, 2019

Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s Your Dog guards the Asian Art Museum entrance.

The cold weather hasn’t stopped San Franciscans from coming out for their favorite local causes. The opening of Adam Lindemann’s “Venus Over Manhattan” at St. Joseph’s Arts Society, the launch of “Kimono Refashioned” at the Asian Art Museum, and an award ceremony honoring philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem were among many artistic and charitable events that drew supporters.

OPENING OF ADAM LINDEMANN’S VENUS OVER MANHATTAN

Opened in 2018 by designer Ken Fulk, Saint Joseph’s Arts Society is a landmark San Francisco former Catholic church transformed into an eclectic arts space. This winter, it celebrated New York art collector Adam Lindemannwith an exhibition from his renowned gallery, Venus Over Manhattan.

Kicking off what is informally known as “Art Week” in San Francisco, the opening drew a vibrant crowd of artists, collectors, and designers.

Saint Joseph’s Arts Society is a new art space in a historic Catholic church that was renovated after being abandoned for nearly 30 years.

The exhibition space will also be used for performances, cultural programs, and residencies.

The arts and social club is a new meeting space with private salons and a cocktail lounge.

The installation in the former vestry featured a site-specific selection of works, including midcentury collectible designs.

Ken Fulk, Sloan Barnett, and Adam Lindemann.

**L to R.:**Allison Speer, Becca Prowda, and Denise Hale.; Susan Swig and Joseph Becker.

Celia Peachey, Michael Murphy, and Caitlin Clark.

**L to R.:** Katie and Matt Paige.; Jennifer Biederbeck and Emilie Spalding.

Andrew Hinek, Cheryl Baxter, and Jarrod Baumann.

Parker Coomans, Kari Coomans, and Joel Goodrich.

Clinton Yara, Fred Seguritan, and Brian Anderson.

**L to R.:** Navid Armstrong and Tony Bravo.; Heide Betz and Mark Calvano.

Kevin Hayashi, Clinton Yara, and Ricardo Richie.

“KIMONO REFASHIONED” AT THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum launched its newest exhibition, “Kimono Refashioned,” with an opening reception for friends and patrons. For more than 150 years, kimono materials, forms, techniques, and decorative motifs have inspired designers world-wide.

Attendees at the opening night party dressed to the nines in Japanese-inspired looks and, in some cases, authentic kimonos.

The Asian Art Museum moved in to the former Beaux Arts-style Main Library in 2003 after visionary Italian architect Gae Aulenti.transformed it into a museum.

Jen Cheng, Hiroko Sato, and Alice So paired kimonos with modern accessories at the “Kimono Refashioned” opening party.

Jay Xu (Asian Art Museum Director and CEO), Akiko Fukai (Kyoto Costume Institute Director and Curator Emerita), Rie Nii (Kyoto Costume Institute Curator), and Mitsunaga Ishikawa (Kyoto Costume Institute Managing Director).

Anita R. Mirani, Janet L. Dobrovolny, Ayumi Furusawa, Mitra Ara, and Darlene Hines.

Isabel Rhee, Charles Huang, and Lillian Qian.

Lucy Sun (Asian Art Museum Board Co-Chair) and Merrill Sherwin.

THE “KIMONO REFASHIONED” EXHIBITION

The exhibit showcases more than 35 garments from the Kyoto Costume Institute.

This 1875 dress was fashioned in London from a dismantled kosode, a forerunner of the modern kimono named for its small sleeve opening.

“Kimono Refashioned” shows that kimono design continues to be a fertile source of ideas for contemporary designers, both in Japan and across the globe.

Yohji Yamamoto crafted this 1995 dress (left) of silk/rayon-blend jersey and polyester/rayon/nylon-blend brocade.

A trio of dresses shows off a “kimono silhouette.”

Japanese print motifs influenced these designs.

**L to R.:** From the 1991 Comme des Garçons “Noir” collection by Rei Kawakubo: A yuzen (traditional dyeing technique) painter drew an avian design on this Western-style crinoline-like skirt.; Jumpsuit and harness, Spring/Summer 2015, by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.

L to R.: A minidress made of ten’nyo no hagoromo, the thinnest, lightest organza in the world, woven from single threads of polyester measuring about one-fifth the diameter of a human hair.; For this dress by Issey Miyake, a folded piece of cloth is transformed, like origami, into a three-dimensional dress when lifted from the center.

Amaike Textile Industry Co. Ltd. applied the shibori tying technique to the ten’nyo no hagoromo, and Iris van Herpen stitched it in layers to black fabric and turned it over on the sleeves and skirt so the shibori protrusions formed a curved silhouette.

When refolded, the Issey Miyake garment again becomes a flat square.

MARIA MANETTI SHREM AWARDED THE ORDER OF THE STAR OF ITALY

It was a banner season for philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem—celebrating the annual University of California Davis Manetti Shrem Museum gala and being awarded an impressive title from her native Italy: “Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia” (Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy).

The Consul General of Italy, Lorenzo Ortona, said he was proud to confer one of Italy’s highest honors on Manetti Shrem for her “exemplary contribution to the internationalization of Italy … in combination with her absolutely outstanding philanthropy and long support to promote Italy’s culture, language, artists, and talents in many fields.”

In her emotional and moving acceptance speech, Manetti Shrem stated that she was very humbled and honored. She considers herself lucky to have been born in Florence, and declared America the land of opportunity: “Hard work, passion, and honesty are always rewarded.”