Recap: Art Strut 2015 Brought Together Soho Galleries and I Won Art!

I don't really need an excuse to wander around SoHo looking at art and drinking wine, but Art Strut 2015 gave me a reason to do just that last week.

Sponsored by lifestyle website Soho Strut, Art Strut reminded me of the once-upon-a-time community event Fashion's Night Out, but swapping fine arts for fashion and in a smaller sect of the city. My friend and I began at LUMAS (362 West Broadway), where we were greeted with refreshingly chilled white wine and a rocking performance by La La Lush. I loved the art at LUMAS because it was seemingly affordable and all pieces required no framing and were ready to hang.

LUMAS Gallery

La La Lush

Next stop was LIK Gallery (419 West Broadway) where we were enthralled with the travel and landscape photography of Peter Lik. I seriously wanted to head straight home, pack my bag, and grab a passport after being inspired by some of Lik's pieces. We also enjoyed the musical stylings of Jana Pelle and sipped on oaky chardonnay.

LIK Gallery

Jana Pelle

Stop number three was Martin-Lawrence Galleries (457 West Broadway) where we closed down the show--gallery hopping ended at 8--and listened to Benny Oyama sing some tunes.

Martin Lawrence Galleries

Benny Oyama

Then it was time to pick up our tickets in the form of limited-edition Moleskine notebooks...don't mind if I do!

Limited-edition Art Strut Moleskine Notebook

The party continued over at the pop-up gallery featuring local artists Barbara Thomas, Zuzanna Kozlowska, Linda Mason, Zigi Ben Haim and Laura Kaplan and live music by Cat, Cat, Cat, KT Mulholland and Lily Lane. Wine and whiskey was provided by The Handy Liquor Bar (where we also hung out at the after party).

Pop-up Art Gallery

Pop-up Art Gallery

There was also a silent auction benefitting ACE Programs for the Homeless, and I absolutely LOVE silent auctions--something about the rush, winning, and benefitting a good cause I guess.

Silent Auction (I loved the rose!)

I got in a bit of a bidding war over Rüdiger J. Vogel's Jetty, but ended up winning! I can't wait to hang it up at home and have a fun reminder of an "Awesome in New York" night.

Rüdiger J. Vogel's Jetty

I won the silent auction!

Stay tuned for more Soho Strut events--on Thursday, May 14th from 7-9pm, they are hosting 'Cocktails & Conversations' at The Handy Liquor Bar. Tickets are $20 are and include a cocktail.

Skip Around SoHo with Art Strut 2015

Missing some art in your life? The folks at Soho Strut want to change that with some razzle dazzle.

Tomorrow night (5/7) from 6-10pm is the first annual Art Strut. From 6-8pm, over 20 galleries will be open to the public for free, many with live music and wine from The Handy Liquor Bar. Main galleries include AFA, Peter LIK, LUMAS, Martin Lawrence, and Michael Ingbar, but the full list can be found here.

Then the fun begins. From 7-10pm, there will be a pop-up gallery featuring local artists and a silent art auction to benefit ACE Programs for the Homeless. Pick up your ticket at Moleskine (436 West Broadway) or 28 Wooster Street, which includes a commemorative Art Strut notebook!

Tickets for the pop-up gallery are $35 and are available here. The live music schedule for the event is as follows:

7-8pm – Cat Cat Cat
8:15-9:15pm – KT Mulholland
9:30-10pm – Lily Lane

I'll be there bopping around. Anyone else planning on joining? Tell me what your favorite galleries are!

Sip Sake and Browse Japanese Art at Onishi Gallery Tomorrow

Looking for something unique to do tomorrow night? Check out Chelsea's Onishi Gallery (521 West 26th Street) for a one-of-a-kind exhibition on contemporary Japanese arts and crafts.

Onishi Gallery founder, Nana Onishi, will launch the exhibition My Japanese Discoveries: Toyama Prefecture Japan – The Extraordinary Koei Art and Contemporary Design. Artists featured will include:

• Ozawa Komin, a metal artist who is Toyama Prefecture’s sole “Living National Treasure of Japan.” Ozawa is a master of the yakigata casting technique, while blending innovative technology with creative design to push the boundaries of traditional metal casting.
• Hannya Tamotsu, another celebrated metal master, who is the only known artist to have ever made a three-metal cast piece.
• Shakunaga Yukio, a widely-admired ceramic artist, who creates simple forms and exquisitely colored ceramic pieces that have attracted devoted collectors all over the world, including Apple Company’s Steve Jobs.

Food and sake tastings will be served in traditional lacquerware and metalware, courtesy of Union Square Events. The opening reception takes place Friday 5/16 from 6-8 pm, while the gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 am - 6 pm.

A Chromatic Fantastic Benefit

Last night my friend Christine and I attended Publicolor's annual Stir, Splatter + Roll benefit at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School and were seeing in technicolor by the time we painted our way home. The event was well attended by renowned designers, architects, and artists, most of whom were wearing uber cheerful and bright clothing representing the entire color wheel.

Publicolor is a youth development not-for-profit that has a multi-day multi-year program continuum that uniquely engages disaffected students in their education. The annual benefit sought to raise money to fund programs that empower students through commercial painting and an applied learning model to transform their institutional-looking schools into warm, welcoming student-centric environments. They also offer programs to involve the students in planning and preparing for college and career, while teaching strong and transferable work habits. Publicolor students are almost always the first in their families to go to college.

Event guests were invited to don Tyvek jumpsuits and try their hand at painting tote bags inspired by various designers. I spied Simon Doonan chatting it up with clothing designer Nicole Miller and briefly spoke with artists Rashid Johnson about his yellow palm tree design.

Simon Doonan with Nicole Miller at her table

The event also featured a silent auction of more durable canvas tote bags decorated by huge names in the fashion and design world. I particularly loved the ones by Narciso Rodriguez, Betsy Johnson, and Paula Bell (so much so that I bid on that one!).

Silent auction table

Betsy Johnson's tote

Paula Bell's tote

Catering was by David Ziff Cooking and was superb. There were more choices of passed hors d'oeuvres than I've ever seen, including tiny Texas-style BBQ sandwiches, zucchini wrapped shrimp, vegetable sushi, cumin chicken empanadas, tuna tartare on taro chips, and macadamia nut chicken chicken and grape skewers (sorry for the blurriness in some of the photos!).

As for beverages, my newly discovered palate (or palette if you will...) for whiskey was satisfied by Johnnie Walker Black and Macallan 12. Panther Creek Winery was also sampling their 2009 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir, which interestingly tasted like brown sugar. Yum!

Unfortunately we didn't stay for the dinner/awards portion of the night, but the sneak peek of the decked out gymnasium looked super colorful and fun. Thanks for having us!

Christine and I in our colorful garb

You can check out more about Publicolor and their mission by visiting their website.

If You Need A Good Reason to Party

Need something to do tonight before the Like You Like It concert (or tomorrow night or Friday night)? Check out a pop-up gallery featuring work by gonzo artist Ralph Steadman at Red Bull Studios in Chelsea.

The exhibit accompanies the artist's upcoming film For No Good Reason, (in theaters 4/25). Joined by long-term friend Johnny Depp, the film explores Steadman as he finds his voice through his art, driven by a sense of duty to change the world into a better place. Working with the artist over 10 years and gathering his prolific output into a single film was a monstrous task. This exhibition, like the film, omits more art than it includes. Steadman is now in his 70’s and continues to work daily.

It will be open today 4/23 from 4-8pm, and tomorrow 4/24 and Friday 4/25 from 12-7 pm. There will be a free premiere after-party accompanying the movie premiere on Friday, 4/25 8 pm at Red Bull Studios New York (220 West 18th Street). You must RSVP to attend the after-party and can do so here.

Pottery Barn Turns Art Gallery

Art gallery shows can always be fun (hello free wine!), but I was intrigued by this particular event because it's hosted not by Gagosian Gallery or David Zwirner, but Pottery Barn!

Join Pottery Barn on 59th and Lexington on Saturday April 26th from 1-3 pm for schmoozing and browsing photography by Nichole Robertson. Sip free wine and take home a pillow or two if you feel so inclined. To RSVP, click here for your free tickets.

Unleash Your Creativity with Simon Doonan

Who doesn't love a good Spring gala? Better yet, who doesn't love a Spring gala where you get to don Tyvek jumpsuits over colorful clothing and create a masterpiece 4 easels down from the world-famous Simon Doonan?

Benefiting the educational non-profit Publicolor, Stir, Splatter + Roll will take place Tuesday 4/22 at 6pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School (122 Amsterdam Avenue, just behind Lincoln Center). All proceeds go towards Publicolor's mission to engage disconnected students in their education, while teaching them strong and transferable work habits so they are prepared to be productive in both college and career.

Stir, Splatter + Roll 2014 will be co-chaired by respected architect Gene Kohn and award-winning menswear designer Jeffrey Banks and emceed by Simon Doonan. The event will celebrate, among others, Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center + Founder of the DeVos Institute for Arts Management and long time supporter of Publicolor. Benjamin Moore, Publicolor’s corporate sponsor, has donated every single drop of paint used at Publicolor and Gary DeBode of Edison Properties.

The first half of the event will feature fun-filled party where guests paint alongside some of the city’s leading artists, designers and architects while sipping cocktails. The high-energy fete takes place in a Publicolored school and will draw dynamic New Yorkers and luminaries in the worlds of business, fashion, politics, design, education, and philanthropy (anyone for swapping watercolor tips with Bloomberg?). The second half will be a sit-down dinner and awards presentation. There will also be a silent auction of limited edition tote bags created by top designers.

To purchase tickets and see photos from last year's event, check out the event website. Look out for a full Awesome In New York recap after the event!

Update: Sadly Michael Kors will no longer be attending. Sad face.