About Kate Benz

Kate Benz 412-380-8515
Fanfare Columnist
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Kate Benz is the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Fanfare columnist.

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Saturday - May 18, 2013

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Persad Center’s Art for Change continues to grow

The who's who were given a sneak peak at what an exhibit 10 years in the making looks like when the Carnegie Museum of Art kicked off the Pittsburgh opening of “Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World's Fairs, 1851-1939” with a vintage-themed black-tie gala on Friday evening.

“I snuck in this morning and had to call Jason to tell him how amazing it looked,” confessed Dolly Ellenberg.

Accolades were aplenty for co-curators Jason Busch and Catherine Futter (in from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City), as nary a word of anything but adoring praise was uttered for the 230 works of art from 45 lenders in eight countries — together for the first time.

“We're just thrilled we can celebrate with the Pittsburgh community,” Busch commented.

Formalities complete, the party made its way into the Music Hall Foyer for a wine and dine, where Bill Chisnell had crowned the space with centerpieces of red rose clusters that politely took a backseat for two towering clusters of hydrangeas, roses and hanging amaranth to dominate the scene.

“Just say it looked pretty!” he laughed.

Noshing on courses that mimicked the 1939 World's Fair menu of the Ice Terrace restaurant in the Hotel New Yorker, it was back to square one for dessert and drinks in the “Carnegie Speakeasy” for Bill and Janet Hunt, Deedee Wigmore and Emily Lenz, John and Dara Henne, Nicholas and Lee-Ann Bruno, Karin Jones, Chip and Lynn Desmone, Ned and Jo-Ann Churchill, Angela Lawler, Meghan Young, Don Hackworth, Shawn and Heather Bell, Jim and Susan Wehar, Roy and Susie Dorrance, John and Donna Peterman, Dana Dragotto, Al Dragotto, CMA director Lynn and Paul Zelevansky, and curatorial assistant Dawn Reid.

“It's a milestone for the team that put this together,” offered Carnegie Museums prez John Wetenhall. “It's communicating their understanding, and it defines others' interpretations.”

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