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CATHERINE D. ANSPON DONS A HARD HAT. PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY ANTILL. The Glassell School of Art's fond, fun and final farewell, Wrecking Ball, saluted and sent off the iconic glass-brick building. A WRECK A NIGHT MOVE OVER MILEY CYRUS In keeping with plans to create a third building and birth a new Glassell School of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's celebrated home of Core Fellows and fine-art classes tossed its final farewell fête at its present glass- bricked building. The goodbye bash to the Glassell was aptly titled The Wrecking Ball. (While the Glassell School remains open, next spring the party will move elsewhere). Presiding were a duo perfect for the grand send-off: Sara Dodd and Greg Fourticq Jr., great pals and patrons extraordinaire. I can say with certainty that I've never ever missed this bash — and this one decidedly goes down as one of the very top, right up there with the Gone Fishin' theme (an ode to its namesake benefactor's passion for the big catch) a few years back when Mr. Glassell was still with us. And while a tornado and torrential downpour did not threaten — as it did several years ago — there was drama of another kind: among the auction lots. More on that in a minute. So they came. Socialites and art types — gallerists, curators, collectors and, above all, visualists (painters, drawers, sculptors, conceptualists and photographers) — mixed it up with swans and tycoons to make a blockbuster canvas. SEEING SAFETY TAPE Construction-chic orange was the new black — as well as yellow safety tape, which adorned guests and party props galore, setting a democratic and down-home tone quite at odds with recent Glassell Galas in the past. And the crowd loved it. Other clever demolition touches included a giant wrecking ball at the entrance in lieu of the traditional step-and-repeat and, in the adjoining Cullen Sculpture Garden (site of the buffet dinner), a tabletop tableau that paired orange tulips with miniature trucks bearing disco-mirrored wrecking balls, setting up a nice contrast with elegant black ghost chairs. (Rebekah Johnson, the go-to decor maestro of the art set, devised the mise en scène). The bites lived up to the deconstructed, blue-collar theme — A Fare Extraordinaire crafted yummy braised beef and brick chicken — while DJ Lucy Wrubel, in from Dallas, provided dance music coordinated with a slide show of imploding buildings and other outtakes from a construction zone. AUCTION-RAMA The presence of Paddle8 fueled advance auction bidding, ensuring that top lots such as a deft drawing by John Alexander (in attendance) and goodies by international art star Shahzia Sikander (a past Core Fellow), Core Fellows-in-our- midst Katrina Moorhead and Francesca Fuchs, and Glassell teachers including Ken Mazzu and Arielle Masson went to really good homes. Little 12x12-inch masterpieces, displayed on a grid, went faster than chicken-and-waffles at the Breakfast Klub — even Glassell director Joe Havel whipped up a little piece for the small-work auction. Our fave, a jaunty dame with cherries in her hair by Alexandra Weems, went before we arrived to Cabrina and Steven Owsley. This fervent collecting action, as well as the social allure of the chairs, coaxed big benefactors Leslie and Brad Bucher, Clare Glassell, and Bill Hill to come in as major underwriters. The end take: a building-busting $425,000 for the Glassell's coffers. May the bricks come tumbling down. of HARD HATS ARE THE NEW PHILIP TREACY Revelers embraced the theme with abandon. Poppi Massey sported boots worthy of a construction foreman, while artist Selven O'Keef Jarmon accessorized his safari hat with denim overalls and South African beads, a nod to the Art League building that his social practice project will soon hand-bead. Fluorescent yellow safety vests were also popular attire. Laura Bellows and Marshal Lightman, both of whom are in the building professions, had theirs ready and waiting. Tatiana Massey, head-to-toe in blue-and-white from her Laboratoria boutique, was one of the few who did not opt for orange or yellow or dress-down. SEPTEMBER | PAGE 14 | 2014 Sanford Criner Gary Tinterow Construction cruise Christopher Gardner Noguchi-designed mise en scène Brad Bucher Leslie Bucher Joe Havel Brooke Davenport Heidi Gerger David Gerger Anthony Grant Eliza Osborne Alexandra Weems Emily Embrey Doug Ankenman Page Kempner Jay Baker Esther Guillory- Kyle Michael Gamson Barbara Gamson Kerry Inman Jereann Chaney Susanna Moldawer Palmer Moldawer Bringing down the house Nick Silvers Kelly Silvers John Alexander Bridget Wade Patsy Fourticq Greg Fourticq Mary Cobb Disco-bulldozer table decor Robert McClain Dean Giuffre Catherine Giuffre DJ Lucy Wrubel Selven O'Keef Jarmon Tatiana Massey Stephen Newton Reggie Smith Leigh Smith Betty Newton Marshal Lightman Victoria Lightman Chairman Sara Dodd Chairman Greg Fourticq Jr. Sissy Kempner Denny Kempner Susie Criner Claire Ankenman