Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1180194
112 READY, SET, GLOW MATTHEW RAMIREZ SHINES AT FRESH ARTS' GLOW BALL. PHOTOGRAPHY RENA IGLEHART, ROSWITHA VOGLER. F resh Arts' gala is one of the biggest, wildest art fêtes of the year, with a theme that always inspires inventive attire. This year was dubbed The Glow Ball, and a record number of guests — more than 700 — showed off their best shiny and shimmering threads at Silver Street Studios in the sprawling Sawyer Yards complex. The chairmen were a trio of power couples: Kristen and John Berger, Karen and Todd Blue, and Lisa and Josh Oren, while six luminaries of the Houston arts scene were toasted for fostering the city's creative climate: PaperCity's Catherine D. Anspon; John Guess Jr., CEO of the Houston Museum of African American Culture; Ahshia Berry and Sarah-Jayne Smith of the sustainable fashion house Magpies & Peacocks; sculptor/performance artist Emily Sloan, who curates the art space Mystic Lyon in the Fifth Ward; and electronic artist DJ Sun, who oversees programming at Montrose lounge The Flat and spins for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Mixed Media nights. The Instagram-ready night showcased dazzling installations from Brandon Kafarela, Julia Zipporah Allen, Fifth World Collective, Pablo Gimenez Zapiola, and Vincent Fink, alongside Rudy Campos, who worked on-site as a body painter. SHINY, HAPPY PEOPLE: Fresh Arts founder Marita Fairbanks and husband J.B.; designer Kasi Kubiak of the outrageous costumes; Isabel and Danny David; street artist Gonzo247 and Carolyn Casey Figueroa; Stephanie Cockrell; Allie Fields; Melanie Lawson; designer Becky Hollands (who devised Anspon's illuminated frock); Don Mafrige Jr.; gallerists Barbara Davis and Heidi Vaughan; Careen Plummer; René Garza; Marc Sifuentes; Laura and Michael Umansky; and artists Thedra Cullar-Ledford, McKay Otto, and Alton DuLaney. FRESH ARTS TOASTS SIX LUMINARIES. Ella Markovsky, Rich Ortiz Chairs John & Kristen Berger Julia Koivumaa, Marita Fairbanks, Kasi Kubiak Ashley Kaposta Jared LeBlanc Chairs Josh & Lisa Oren Vincent Fink Sarah Sudhoff, James Glassman Honoree John Guess Jr. & Melanie Lawson Honoree Ahshia Berry Becky Hollands Honoree Catherine D. Anspon Don Mafrige Jr. Kate & Steve Gibson, Sallie & George Alcorn Harry McMahan Marci Dallas Chairs Todd & Karen Blue Catherine & George Masterson