Silk & Spice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER'S ANNUAL GALA, HONORS JAY CHATTERJEE AND CELEBRATES CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
CAC marks its fifth anniversary in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art with an architectural Visionary Honoree and a high-profile auction of new artworks from ten world-renowned architects
Silk & Spice Gala
Saturday, May 10, 2008 6-10 pm.
Built/Stacked Gala After Party
Saturday, May 10, 2008, 10 pm - 1 am
Advance tickets for gala and after party available to members online
CINCINNATI-The Contemporary Arts Center celebrates its Silk & Spice Gala, May 10, 2008, making history while marking its historical fifth year in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. For nearly 70 years, the CAC has presented contemporary arts in Cincinnati with the generosity and commitment of supporters like this year's Visionary Honoree, Jay Chatterjee, Professor and former Dean of the University of the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning.
"As we celebrate our fifth year in the Rosenthal Center, we honor Chatterjee as a leader and visionary in the discipline of architecture," says Raphaela Platow, CAC's Alice & Harris Weston Director and Chief Curator. "Chatterjee's contributions have literally given shape to the landscape of Cincinnati - and his influence is a key factor in bringing Zaha Hadid's architecture to Cincinnati, and to us, the CAC."
In the early 1990s, when Hadid lectured at UC, Chatterjee asked her to "keep Cincinnati in mind." That conversation led in part to the selection of Hadid to design the new Center, which opened May 2003. This year, the CAC marks its fifth year in the building with a year-long series of celebrations, beginning with the heightened attention to the Gala and the selection of Chatterjee as nominee.
"Participation in the CAC's new Center is certainly most memorable," says Chatterjee, when asked about his favorite Cincinnati building moments. "It happened when I walked into the building one day for a personal tour during the construction stage. I had seen the drawings, but experiencing the spaces set my spirits soaring." He continues: "Silk & Spice this year is about the celebration of architecture and the celebration of CAC. How can you top it?"
Heightened attention to this year's Gala is indicated by a number of partners and participants coming together to bring FORM: Contemporary Architects at Play into existence. CAC is offering FORM, a collection with ten new artworks by architects including Hadid, Michael Graves and Bernard Tschumi, in live auction, officiated May 10 by Christie's, and in exhibition through August 31.
Formica Corporation is sponsoring the gala and auction by providing Formica® brand materials and commissioning fabricators to build the architects' designs. The architects were asked to design pieces people could sit upon, lie upon, lean upon and play upon. "This gala, exhibition and auction are particularly appealing to us because they connect three Cincinnati-based design leaders - the Contemporary Arts Center, Jay Chatterjee and Formica Corporation - with the imaginations of the world's most influential architects," says Renée Hytry Derrington, Senior Vice President of Global Design, Formica Corporation.
The CAC presents FORM: Contemporary Architects at Play May 3 through August 31, and Five by Five Under Thirty, a juried show of works on paper by architects under the age of 30, organized by AIA Cincinnati and independent curator Kip Eagan.
Built/Stacked, this year's Gala After Party in Kaplan Hall, CAC's windowed lobby, extends the glamour of the gala to new audiences in an art-inspired atmosphere. Built/Stacked takes place immediately following the gala.
Inside the Design Studio: Beginning in late March, CAC will present a series of one-on-one interviews and in-depth profiles on the architects involved in FORM. This web and e-mail-based series offers intimate, surprising and enlightening views into the artists' studios, leading up to the design unveiling and the presentation of the e-catalog in early May. This information is available at www.contemporaryartscenter.org/FORM. On this page, visitors can sign up to receive information and view Inside the Design Studio series. Call Stacey Czar at 513 345 8415 or e-mail pr@cacmail.org to receive information, updates and previews of the designs.
Participating Architects
Peter Eisenman, Eisenman Architects
Michael Graves, Michael Graves Design Group
Zaha Hadid, Zaha Hadid Architects
Thom Mayne, Morphosis
William Pedersen FAIA FAAR, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC
Laurinda Spear, Arquitectonica
Bernard Tschumi, Bernard Tschumi Architects
Jaime Velez, Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP
Massimo Vignelli, Vignelli Designs, Inc.
Buzz Yudell, MooreRuble Yudell Architects and Planners
About the Visionary Honoree
Jay Chatterjee
Professor Chatterjee served as Dean of the College of DAAP from 1982-2001. His leadership resulted in the development of a process whereby the world's leading architects were commissioned to design major buildings for the University of Cincinnati. DAAP's own complex, the Aronoff Center of Art and Design, served as the model for successive campus projects.
He has received numerous awards and honors, including: the 1991 ACSP award from the Association of the Collegiate Schools of Planning, an annual award which was later named in his honor; the1996 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; an Apple Award in 1996 from the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, the Lifetime Achievement Post-Corbett Award in Cincinnati in 1999; induction as a Fellow of the AICP in 1999; and the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture from the American Institute of Architects in 2000.
Professor Chatterjee serves on many major civic and professional committees for the City of Cincinnati, including the Urban Design Review Board and the Contemporary Arts Center Board of Trustees. He is a past-president (1983-85) of the national Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) and a past founding member of the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB).
Event details
Silk & Spice Annual Gala
Date: May 10, 2008
Time: 6-10 pm Gala
Location: Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art
Visionary Honoree: Jay Chatterjee
Live Auction and Exhibition
FORM: Contemporary Architects at Play
Exhibition Dates: Saturday, May 3 through Sunday, August 31, 2008
Live Auction Date: Saturday, May 10
All proceeds from the live auction benefit CAC exhibition and education programming.
2008 After Party
Built/Stacked
Date: May 10, 2008
Time: 10 pm-1 am, immediately following the Gala
Location: Kaplan Hall in the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art
This after party extends the glamour of the gala to new audiences in an art-inspired atmosphere.
Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor:
Formica Corporation
Visionary Sponsors:
KnowledgeWorks Foundation
Lois & Richard Rosenthal Foundation
Major Sponsors:
Jennie Rosenthal Berliant & Allan Berliant
Supporting Sponsors:
The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
Turnbull-Wahlert Construction, inc.
James A. & Mary Miller
Dr. Stanley & Mickey Kaplan Foundation
Sandra Gross & Dr. John Hutton
Michael Lee and Proxi Market Solutions
Award Sponsors
Lightborne Inc.
Tiffany & Co.
Auction Sponsor
Christie's
In-Kind support provided by:
American Institute of Architects, Cincinnati
Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati
bigg's
Bruegger's Catering
Grand Lubell Photography
John Hinger, Quince & Quinn
Caryn & Dr. Arthur Lee
Phyllis at the Madison
Red Bull North America, Inc.
Deni Tato & Tom Sapinsley
About the Contemporary Arts Center
Founded in November 1939 as the Modern Art Society by three visionary women in Cincinnati, Contemporary Arts Center was one of the first institutions in the U.S. dedicated to exhibiting the art of our time. In May 2003, the Center relocated to its first free-standing home, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, designed by Zaha Hadid. Throughout its distinguished history, the Center has earned a reputation for stimulating thought and introducing new ideas by presenting the work of diverse artists from around the world, including hundreds of now-famous artists such as Laurie Anderson, Jasper Johns, Louise Nevelson, Nam June Paik, I.M. Pei, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol. CAC focuses on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media, presenting eight to 12 exhibitions and 20 to 40 performances annually.
The CAC is supported by the individuals and business that give annually to the Fine Arts Fund; Ohio Arts Council; City of Cincinnati; All Over Media; and the generous contributions and grants of individuals and corporations and foundations, CAC memberships, facility rentals, special events and sales from the CAC Store.
# # #