Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/122433
Blue Bloods + Regal at Rienzi Antiquarians at Bayou Bend * Maracas + Collectors Erik & Nancy Littlejohn at Bayou Bend Clayton Erikson at Bayou Bend at Glassell FOUR FÊTES AND A FIESTA RAISED FUNDS FOR BAYOU BEND, RIENZI AND THE GLASSELL SCHOOL OF ART. CATHERINE D. ANSPON SURVEYS THE SOCIAL SCENE. PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY ANTILL. Scott Murphy at Bayou Bend Meredith & Cornelia Long at Glassell Weeks later, the vibe switched from azaleas and highboys to Royal Worcester and Caribbean breezes, with a touch of David Webb (inspired by a coral, opal and gold figurine in the collection), and models gliding about in Calypso St. Barth resort wear. So it was at Rienzi's Spring Party, as Carl family chairs Anne and Noble Carl, Laurie and Paul Carl and patriarchs Lucy and William Carl channeled island energy with beach-y cocktails and tropical bites by A Fare Extraordinaire. Rienzi director Katherine Howe and husband George joined the chair tri-couples and the pedigreed set including Courtney and Mark Elias, Nancy and Erik Littlejohn, Gail and Louis Adler, Kathy and Marty Goossen, Nancy Allen, Leigh and Reggie Smith, and Masterson progeny Elise and James Reckling, Angie and John Reckling, Isla and Tommy Reckling, and Christiana McConn. Amy Purvis at Bayou Bend Juleps to 'Ritas … Phoebe Tudor at Bayou Bend Pedigreed to avant-garde, porticos and colonnades to concrete pillars and glass bricks: four sleek and stylish nights and one golden afternoon graced the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's social calendar — all to benefit a pair of hallowed houses plus a Mecca for some very cutting-edge art. Read on. John & Debbie Daugherty at Bayou Bend Carroll Goodman Bob Pulitzer at Bayou Bend Karol Barnhart Sara Dodd-Spickelmier at Bayou Bend Bayou Bend's Triple Crown First up, Kelly and Will Garwood, Estela Cockrell and Heather Lawrence Mitchell, and Bobbie Nau reigned over, respectively, the perennially popular Cocktail Party, Children's Party and Garden Party, held alfresco amid Miss Ima's beguiling gardens and under a splendid tent crafted by McDugald-Steele Landscape Architects, while City Kitchen did the weekend's culinary honors. All total, the three soirées raised more the $760,000 for this temple of American decorative art. In the aristo crowd: Cabrina and Steven Owsley, Bayou Bend benefactress extraordinaire Jeanie Kilroy, Pam and David Ott, Michelle and Frank Hevrdejs, Ann and John Bookout, Rose and Harry Cullen, Carol and Les Ballard and daughter Leslie Hull with husband Mark, Nancy and Rich Kinder, Debbie and John Daugherty, Bayou Bend director Bonnie Campbell joined by MFAH director Gary Tinterow with antiquarian Christopher Gardner, and underwriter Iberia Bank's Kevin Rafferty with wife Ann. Patricia & David Dewhurst at Bayou Bend Elise Reckling at Rienzi Aliyya & Herman Stude at Glassell Hardy & Amy Murchison at Rienzi Bayou Bend Garden Party chair Bobbie Nau Bayou Bend Children's Party Chairmen Estela Cockrell Heather Lawrence Mitchell Rienzi chairmen Anne Carl, Lucy Carl, Laurie Carl Joe Havel at Glassell Jennifer Self, Chris Kimbrough at Rienzi Greggory Burk at Bayou Bend Not Deterred by a Tornado at Glassell Gary Tinterow, Christopher Gardner at Glassell Martha Long at Bayou Bend Lane & Bob Schultz at Glassell Steve Pearce, Beth Robertson at Bayou Bend Glassell chairmen Gwen Goffe Lynne Hudson Bayou Bend Cocktail Party chairmen Will & Kelly Garwood Lisa & Russell Sherrill at Glassell Michael Zilkha at Glassell Rufus & Yvonne Cormier at Bayou Bend In contrast to these timeless occasions, the Glassell School of Art's big benefit was, well, a bit more dramatic, at least in the weather department. Torrential rains and a tornado warning did not deter avid art collectors, who carried on at the South of the Border fiesta, chaired by MFAH's Gwen Goffe along with Lynne Hudson. Before the dessert course of Jackson and Company's savory Tex-Mex dinner, rising waters under the tent caused an evacuation to inside the art school that actually worked to the night's advantage. The captive audience bid, bid and bid even higher on silent-auction artworks by Texas' best and brightest, making for an evening that raised an astounding $485,000 for the Glassell and its storied programs, including the world-acclaimed Core Artists in Residencies. In the cool contemporary crowd: Glassell director Joe Havel, donating a hotly contested work for the auction, and other members of the smart art set including Judy and Scott Nyquist, Martha Long and folks Cornelia and Meredith Long looking hacienda chic, Heidi and David Gerger, Courtney and Christopher Sarofim, Leslie and Brad Bucher, Victoria and Marshal Lightman, Leonard Rutan, Dominic Cellitti, and dealers Barbara Davis, Allison and David Ayers, Dan Allison, and Zoya Tommy, who scored a nice canvas by Cary Reeder.