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A n incandescent evening at the Moody Center — Rice University's brilliant incubator for visual art, perfor- mance, and ideas — celebrated four visionaries and two anniversaries while saluting the trans- formation of the Rice campus via its public art program. The stars aligned this spring to mark both the 10th an- niversary of James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyspace and the fifth year for the Moody Center, whose program- ming melds international, national, and Texas visual and performing artists, presented in a $30 million LEED- Silver-certified building designed by L.A. architect Michael Maltzan (in for the occasion). Presiding over the eve- ning was Alison Weaver, the Moody's founding executive director, who was lured back to Houston in 2015 from a high-level post at the Guggenheim to lead the new center. The night — which included a seated dinner by City Kitchen, with wines donated by honoree Suzanne Deal Booth and Leslie and Brad Bucher — applauded the munif- icent Moody Foundation, represented by Ross Moody, in from Austin, and his NYC-based daughter Elle Moody. Above all, the evening belonged to artist James Turrell and Austin-based pa- tron Suzanne Deal Booth, whose lar- gesse made the Suzanne Deal Booth Pavilion and the Turrell skyspace possible. Deal Booth, a Rice alum and former intern for Dominique de Menil, revealed that she also interned with Turrell. Collector/patron Brad Bucher moderated a historic discussion be- tween Turrell and Deal Booth focused on Rice's skyspace and the power of the arts. Dinner for the Moody also featured a silent art auction stocked with works by notable talents from its past and future. AT RICE UNIVERSITY'S MOODY CENTER AS JAMES TURRELL SHINES A LIGHT By Catherine D. Anspon. Photography Jenny Antill Clifton. TOASTING DOUBLE ANNIVERSARIES Heidi Gerger with Omar Victor Diop's Pedro Camejo, 2015 James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyspace, 2012, at Rice University Alison Weaver, honoree James Turrell, honoree Suzanne Deal Booth, honoree Elle Moody, honoree Ross Moody Jake Nyquist Judy & Sco Nyquist LeMel Humes Alexandra Mollof Barbara Gamson Paula & Reggie DesRoches Andee Friedrich Michael Maltzan Y. Ping Sun & David Leebron Ganzeer & Kelsey Norman Hiram Butler, Jay Kleberg, Brad Bucher 24