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36 DANCING IN THE GROVE CATHERINE D. ANSPON CIRCLES MOBIUS HOUSTON. PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL ORTIZ, XAYMARA GARZA. E very milestone deserves a fête, and so it was when the University of Houston System marked 50 years of its public art collection, which now encompasses close to 700 works by international, national, and Texas talents. The avant-garde eve- ning at UH's Wilhelmina's Grove deconstructed a black-tie gala in favor of something more artful. Adding a cool vibe: Guests paired cocktail threads with sensational sneakers. Public art director and chief curator Dr. María C. Gaztambide and chair trio Beth Madison, Judy Nyquist, and Beth Robertson presided. (FYI: Robertson and sisters Lillie Robertson and Carroll Robertson Ray, both in attendance, are daughters of the grove's munificent namesake — Wilhelmina Daisy Cullen Robertson Smith.) The bottom line: Three hundred art influencers generated more than $325,000 for this inaugural benefit. The soirée unfolded in three acts. Steel-drum band The PANtagonists set a triumphant tone at the arrival zone. Moores Opera House, home of Frank Stella's dazzling Euphonia mural, served as the site for the VIP cocktail. En route to the al fresco supper, guests strolled by Marta Chilindrón's buoyant Mobius Houston, the centerpiece of UHS' new Temporary Public Art Program, and Carlos Cruz-Diez's Double Physichromie. SOCIAL SCULPTURE: Honoree Trenton Doyle Hancock, a talent with two Whitney Biennials under his belt, and wife, artist JooYoung Choi; Lois Stark and Gail Adler, whose late father, Aaron Farfel, chair UH Board of Regents, was instrumental in launching the public art program; artists in the collection including James Surls, Margo Sawyer, Randy Twaddle, and Floyd Newsum; professor Suresh Khator representing his wife, chancellor/president Renu Khator; Liz and David Anders; Meredith and Patrick Chastang; Dawn and Richard Rawson; Geraldina Wise; Cullen Geiselman; George Lancaster; Clint Willour; Weihong and Paul Kronfield; historian Mister McKinney; Nancy and Erik Littlejohn; Emily Griffith and John Wehrle; Cody Fitzsimmons and Chris Scott; the Mitchell Center's Karen Farber; art advisor Lea Weingarten; Karen Steele; and curator Michael Guidry. UH SYSTEM CELEBRATES A HALF-CENTURY OF PUBLIC ART. Chair Beth Madison Mike Guidry Erik & Nancy Littlejohn John Wehrle & Emily Griffith Chair Judy Nyquist Honoree Trenton Doyle Hancock & JooYoung Choi Selven O'Keef Jarmon Alton DuLaney María C. Gaztambide Brad Bucher UH Dance Ensemble performs ColorX with Marta Chilindrón's Mobius Houston Vicki Riedel, Oscar Gutierrez, Lois Stark, Eloise Brice Jim & Jo Furr Scott Nyquist Lea Weingarten Isabel David, Karen Farber, Bridget Wade Chair Beth Robertson Virginia Lee Montgomery Steven Matijcio, Nancy Hixon Bettie Cartwright, Gail Adler Lillie Robertson