Winds may have been howling outside on Tuesday night, but inside, the art world’s finest were gathered in the warm home of patrons Warren and Abigail Klem Spector. The occasion? A revelrous apéro dînatoire celebrating the launch of the Spector Craft Prize. Launched by the Spector family, it aims to support fine craft and its makers through recognition and financial support.
The Scene: The evening was co-hosted by CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson and artist Katie Stout, with the night’s festive chatter largely focused on buzzy discussions of forthcoming prize winners and juries.
The Locale: The Spectors’ New York residence, reimagined as a gallery of Katie Stout’s works. Her ceramics were integrated directly into the tablescape—plates, vessels, and sculptural forms blurred function, adornment, and discipline straight out of the artist’s studio.
The Crowd: A tapestry of New York’s cultural heavyweights packed into the space, including Spector Craft Prize Jury Chairman Glenn Adamson; jurors Zesty Meyers and Rosanne Somerson; artist Chloe Wise; designers Adam Charlap Hyman, Misha Kahn, and Sasha Bikoff; arts leaders Nicole Berry, Anne Pasternak, Zoe Lukov, and Elissa Auther; landscape architect Sara Zewde; and CULTURED at Home guest editor Alexandra Cunningham-Cameron.
Food and Drink: A roaming array of snacks developed by chef and creative producer Feisal Lagos mingled easily with an installation of Stout’s ceramics.
Cause for FOMO: As they celebrated the prize’s launch and an upcoming rollout at the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, anticipation in the room from attendees was palpable. All that’s left to do is wait and see what comes next, though we expect to get a sneak peek of our own soon.
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