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(AUSTIN, TX: February 2, 2011)
On Saturday, January 29, the Blanton Museum of Art at The
University of Texas at Austin hosted, “Gala Lumière,” an
evening celebrating the vital role that The Blanton plays in
the cultural landscape of Austin, and honoring avant-garde
master and former University of Texas at Austin student,
Robert Wilson. The event raised $500,000 to provide
essential funding in support of The Blanton’s wide range of
programs for students, children, and adults. Speaking on
behalf of her fellow gala co-chairs, Janet Allen and Jeanne
Klein, Kelli Blanton remarked, “It was truly an honor to
play a part in such an extraordinary evening. Seeing so many
generous supporters come together to celebrate the
importance of The Blanton to the community was as special as
the recognition of the life and work of the masterful Bob
Wilson.”
The black-tie event was attended by over 300
guests from Texas and across the country, including:
Liz Lambert and Amy Cook, Stephen and Johnna Jones,
Clayton and Andrew Maebius, Dorothy and Sam Winters, Joanne
and Jack Crosby, Melissa Jones, Alice Carrington Foultz and
Eric Foultz and Lynn and Tom Meredith (Austin); Bill Arning
and Mark McCray, Kathryn and James Ketelsen, Judy and
Charles Tate, and the Blanton and Wareing families
(Houston); Kay and Lyndon Olson (Waco); Watermill Foundation
director Jorn Weisbrodt, and Warren Weitman of Sotheby’s
(New York) and esteemed former and current University of
Texas presidents Larry Faulkner and William Powers
and UT Board of Regents member Gene Powell and his wife,
Blanton Museum Council member, Dana Powell.
The evening began with a VIP
cocktail reception in The Blanton’s Klein Gallery, where
guests mingled with Mr. Wilson and were treated to a special
viewing of five of the artist’s acclaimed video portraits
placed throughout the museum. (The videos will remain on
view in an exclusive two-week presentation at The Blanton,
February 1- 16.) Guests were then seated in the museum’s
first floor galleries
-
transformed by Strong Productions and David Kurio Designs
- for dinner catered by the Four Seasons, and a
program emceed by Texas Tribune CEO and
editor-in-chief Evan Smith. Following a video tribute to
the honoree produced by Shiny Object, and a dynamic
piano performance by Austin-based composer Graham
Reynolds, Mr. Wilson took the podium and remarked that
the state of Texas could be found in all of his work. UT
President Powers presented Wilson with a gift on behalf of
the University, and gala co-chairs Janet Allen, Kelli
Blanton, and Jeanne Klein presented him with a pair of
official UT cowboy boots. After dinner, guests enjoyed a
musical and visual performance by Black Book Angel
and music from DJ El john Selector.
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ABOUT THE HONOREE
Wilson's multi-faceted
artistic explorations include everything from fine art
installations and furniture design, to theatrical direction
and scenic design. His drawings, designs, and installations
have been exhibited in
museums and galleries
worldwide. Major artistic collaborations include the seminal
Einstein on the Beach with Philip Glass, and
The Black Rider and Alice with Tom Waits.
Among his numerous awards and honors, Wilson has received an
Obie award for direction, the Golden Lion for sculpture from
the Venice Biennale, the third-ever Dorothy and Lillian Gish
Prize for Lifetime Achievement,
two
Guggenheim Fellowship awards, the Rockefeller Foundation
Fellowship award, and a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in
Drama. Of Wilson's artistic career, writer Susan Sontag
remarked, “it has the signature of a major artistic
creation.
I can't think of any body of
work as large or as influential.”
ABOUT THE BLANTON MUSEUM OF ART
The Blanton’s collection comprises over 17,000 works of
art in a variety of mediums, with particular depth in
Western European art from the fourteenth through twentieth
centuries and modern and contemporary art of the
Americas.The museum enriches and transforms the lives of
learners of all ages by providing inspiring and relevant
experiences with original works of art. Through the
collecting of art, preserving it in optimal conditions, and
creatively displaying and interpreting these objects, The
Blanton serves as an intellectual and social portal
connecting the university and the rest of the world through
visual art and culture.
Located at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard and Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, the museum
is open Tuesday – Friday from 10-5, Saturday from 11-5, and
Sunday from 1-5. Thursday is free admission day and the
museum is open until 9 PM on the Third Thursday of each
month. Admission is free to members, all current UT
ID-holders, and children under 12, and is $9 for adults, $7
for seniors, $5 for college students with ID, and $5 for
youth
(13-25). For information call (512) 471-7324 or visit
www.blantonmuseum.org
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