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Poetic Party F ew exhibits have generated as much deafening pre-buzz as "Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers," which recently opened at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth after a heralded nine-month run at the Guggenheim New York. The show chronicles three decades of the multidisciplinary artist's works, including painting, sculpture, installation (with wondrous live plants), photography, and film. Poised to be one of the biggest blockbusters in our region this year, it demanded nothing less than a spectacular opening soirée — a glittering swirl of cocktailing, dining, and dancing at The Modern. I was fortunate enough to be the date of the show's brilliant curator, Andrea Karnes. After cocktails with hundreds of The Modern's patrons, a smaller group of the art world's most insidery clique convened at a tent set up on Sculpture Terrace, where we dined with one of the permanent residents of that spot, Rashid Johnson at The Modern By Billy Fong. Photography Kim Leeson. Henry Moore's Two Piece Reclining Figure No. 2 from 1960. I spotted quite a few Dallas friends who had also made the trip over to Fort Worth, including art advisor John Runyon and collectors Tim Headington, Michael Corman and Kevin Fink, and Jessica Nowitzki. Museum director Dr. Halona Norton-Westbrook (who started at this hallowed institution last July after her previous tenure as the head of the Honolulu Museum of Art) welcomed the man of the hour, Rashid Johnson himself. The dashing and charismatic artist shared humorous anecdotes of the journey leading to the exhibition and acknowledging the team at renowned gallery Hauser & Wirth for their diligent work. Karnes shared from the podium that The Modern "has become a second home for 'A Poem for Deep Thinkers' — and it's a place that champions artists who expand and energize the cultural conversation. That spirit feels deeply aligned with Rashid's work." The evocative title references the work of political activist Amiri Baraka, a writer and teacher often cited in Johnson's oeuvre. Close to 90 works touch on key moments of Johnson's career, including a site-specific installation, a sculpture you'll want to explore outside the museum's walls, and two pieces activated through live performances during the run. My favorite moment as I walked the galleries that evening was finding myself amongst the plants that hung in amazing juxtaposition with the dramatic architecture created by Tadao Ando. Karnes said of the plants, "They suggest growth and resilience, but also responsibility; they remind us that attention and connection matter — in art, and in life." Other well-heeled guests that night included Christopher Wood from Fort Worth's new Forty Five Ten; SMU professor Jenny Davis; artist Kris Pierce; Leon Bridges; Adam Green; Jeny Bania; collector Barbara Gamson, in from Houston; gallerist David Kordansky, in from New York; Dr. Asad Dean; and Shannon and Stuart Schultz. Leon Bridges Barbara Gamson Rashid Johnson Andrea Karnes Ching Lau & Ying Liu "Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers" at The Modern Andrea Karnes Michelle Blair Jeny Bania Tim Headington Dr. Halona Norton-Westbrook Rashid Johnson, Rafael Garza Dr. Asad Dean, Shannon & Stuart Schultz 30