March 6th 2013, a Wednesday night, and at 5:00 PM The Gallery at Altos de Chavón was gleaming with light and life, with art and music.
This was the first fundraiser for the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation at the handsome Chavón Gallery. It was also a welcome opportunity to see and buy the work of Chavón students, graduates, faculty, and artists in residence, and also of some renowned artists such as Antonio Prats Ventós and Jorge Pineda. The 154 pieces of art were on sale to raise money for The School of Design’s Scholarship Fund and for The Foundation’s programs at The Regional Museum of Archaeology.
Frank Lara was the creator of one of the evening’s most popular pieces
There were some real standouts, among them a patchwork of varnished bamboo leaves and gold-leaf squares by Chavón student Frank Lara, which was elegant and sophisticated beyond all expectation. And Mildor Chevalier, a Haitian artist in residence and a graduate of Chavón and Parsons the New School for Design, showed a life-size sculptural self-portrait; when the artist appeared and was instantly recognizable as the author and subject of one of the show’s most imposing works, the effect was extraordinary.
Mildor’s sculptural self-portrait took center stage at the exhibit
The walls were fairly bursting with excellent work. The north wall featured a mosaic of museum-quality black-and-white drawings Some could almost have been the work of Egon Schiele or Albrecht Dürer, such was their level of quality.
On The Gallery’s second floor, a wall of Chavón students’ twice-life-size portraits conjured up images of poster art and even of great works by Tamara de Lempicka, the artist famous for her Art Deco figurative style. Opposite the portraits was a grouping of landscapes so verdant and rich as to create the illusion of an ecosystem, a micro–rain forest, right there in The Gallery.
Art Chavón 2013 at The Gallery in Altos de Chavón
Some pieces were sold via silent auction, others for a flat price, and patrons snapped up the artwork like hot johnnycakes. Before the evening was out, the walls were dotted with red stickers, indicating sale after sale. In only two and half hours, some US$30,000 was spent on artwork.
The Foundation is a U.S. not-for-profit entity, and the proceeds will go principally to support students unable to meet their expenses at The School of Design. As lodging and tuition for a year costs Dominican students US$3,700—very reasonable by many standards—the funds will help a good many talented and qualified students.
Recently the School of Design hosted a recruitment team from its affiliate, New York’s Parsons the New School for Design. The team was deeply impressed by the students’ skill level. In fact, Chavón is known throughout the Americas for its focus on skills and refined techniques in the arts, an attribute that few other art schools can match. These skills were certainly evident to the savvy villa owners, as they invested in art while enjoying bit of music, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails in the garden patio of The Gallery, with the soft breeze off the Río Chavón and the star-flecked velvet sky making the evening all the more memorable.
Monica & Michael Belancourt, Dominique Bluhdorn & Peter Winterstein
THE SALE CONTINUES! As pieces have been sold and taken home by their proud new owners – Casa de Campo villa owners such as Patti Rambesek and Rick Laird, Bryn and Arnold Cohen as well as Rebecca Hughes and Philip Silvestri – the walls of The Gallery have been refilled and replenished with new pieces, which remain on sale! This exhibit of the student’s work will remain in the Altos de Chavón gallery until Sunday the 31st of March – so don’t miss your opportunity to add a new piece to your art collection and contribute to this great cause!
The following images were taken on Wednesday the 6th of March during the opening night for the Art Chavón 2013 event at The Gallery in Altos de Chavón:
Article contributed by Stephen Kaplan
– Thank you Stephen!
Stephen Kaplan is the Rector of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design
Spanish
This was the first fundraiser for the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation at the handsome Chavón Gallery. It was also a welcome opportunity to see and buy the work of Chavón students, graduates, faculty, and artists in residence, and also of some renowned artists such as Antonio Prats Ventós and Jorge Pineda. The 154 pieces of art were on sale to raise money for The School of Design’s Scholarship Fund and for The Foundation’s programs at The Regional Museum of Archaeology.
The Foundation is a U.S. not-for-profit entity, and the proceeds will go principally to support students unable to meet their expenses at The School of Design. As lodging and tuition for a year costs Dominican students US$3,700—very reasonable by many standards—the funds will help a good many talented and qualified students.
Recently the School of Design hosted a recruitment team from its affiliate, New York’s Parsons the New School for Design. The team was deeply impressed by the students’ skill level. In fact, Chavón is known throughout the Americas for its focus on skills and refined techniques in the arts, an attribute that few other art schools can match. These skills were certainly evident to the savvy villa owners, as they invested in art while enjoying bit of music, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails in the garden patio of The Gallery, with the soft breeze off the Río Chavón and the star-flecked velvet sky making the evening all the more memorable.
Article contributed by Stephen Kaplan – Thank you Stephen! Stephen Kaplan is the Rector of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design