Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/845163
26 UNDER THE BLACK LIGHT Payson Tucker, Susie Bowen, Kaleta Blaffer Johnson Gordon Huddleston Joan Blaffer Johnson Andrew Davis Divya Brown, Hunter Martin Philamena & Arthur Baird Mary Ann Simpson, Gladys Hooker Neal Simpson, honoree Shirley Rose Jim & Helen Shaffer, Sally & Norman Reynolds Kendall Hanno, chair Tamar Mendelssohn, Saba Jawda, chair Caroline Starry LeBlanc Christiane & Kristopher Stuart James Bell, Cortney Cole-Hall Chair Marit Babin Stout Kathleen Jennings Tommy Jackson & chair Elin Jackson Amee McInnes, Jason Presley Cabe Nowlen, Sarah Starry de Mendoza & Victor Mendoza Matthew Ramirez reports in living color. Photography Morris Malakoff. R ainbow lighting worthy of a James Turrell installation transformed the University of Houston's Blaffer Art Museum for this year's Blaffer Gala. The Color Splash theme inspired guests to don bold and bright party wear for an evening chaired by Elin Jackson, Caroline Starry LeBlanc, Tamar Mendelssohn, and Marit Babin Stout, and honoring lifelong educator and museum advisory board member Shirley Rose. A silent auction proffered works by past, present, and future Blaffer artists, including Leonardo Drew, whose sculptures can be seen at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate Modern, and the Guggenheim Museum; multimedia master Analia Saban, who has shown at LACMA; and UH alums, MFA grads Mike Guidry and Darryl Lauster. DJ Sun manned the decks, importing chic mature vibes from his main haunt, Montrose-area lounge The Flat, for post-dinner dancing. GLOWING: Philamena and Arthur Baird, collector Judy Nyquist, Kathleen and James Jennings, Divya Brown, Claudia Solis and Matthew Wettergreen, Jo and Jim Furr, Bridget and Patrick Wade, and Sarrah and Jim Petersen. The Blaffer set also turned out to support their family-founded museum, including Kaleta Blaffer Johnson, Wirt D. Blaffer, Seth Blaffer Johnson, and Joan Blaffer Johnson. Welcome to the Color Splash