The Preview Gala last night was off the charts. Eight hundred guests, a true Dallas/Houston convergence. Fair co-founders Chris Byrne and John Sughrue, with winsome collector wife Marlene, were beaming. Stay tuned for our print coverage including all the party pics. Highlights included Neiman Marcus’ style arbiter Ken Downing checking out his reflection in an Anish Kapoor sculpture in James Kelly’s booth and influencers like the Nasher’s director Jeremy Strick confabbing with the king of Houston’s public art, Jonathon Glus, of the Houston Arts Alliance, both eying a circa 1955, never-before-exhibited painting by Joan Mitchell at Lennon, Weinberg … The party continued on at the Mansion, where Barbara Buzzell, Susan Posnick, artist Rachel Hovnanian (whose feminist installation at Jason McCoy is attracting tremendous iewbuzz), Kenny Goss, and visiting Brit painter, Michael Craig-Martin (on view at Goss’ The Goss-Michael Foundation), clinked cocktails and dished art … This morning’s adventure was a Design District studio visit with Jay Shinn, one of the stars of Marty Walker’s stable (and on view at the Fair). Also on the art trek, gallerist Barbara Davis, who after investigating Shinn’s amalgamation of steel, architecture and light, offered the sculptor a one-person show during ArtHouston this July … Back at the Fair, ran into Dario Robelto, in from San Antonio, a Whitney Biennial talent represented at both Inman Gallery and D’Amelio Terras’ spaces. Robleto was there with best gal, Connie McAllister of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston …What we coveted today: Tai Gallery’s extraordinary presentation of Japanese basketry and contemporary photography; Angelo Musco’s epic photography of thousands of nudes entwined in a wave at Carrie Secrist Gallery and at the Fair entrance; Brian Gibb’s “Choice Cuts” presentation at The Public Trust (again at the main entrance – you couldn’t miss Gibb in his handle-bar mustache and butcher’s uniform, emitting a performance vibe; and a cinematic screening of Factory superstar Ultra Violet’s  long-lost cult classic from 1972, The Last Supper, with women playing all the leads, at Colton & Farb Gallery, curated by authoritative international Liutauras Psibilskis. (Shown: film still from Ultra Violet’s The Last Supper, 1972, at Colton & Farb Gallery.) … Check in tomorrow for an update of the symposium, presenting the hot topic – “Finding Frida,” – and more on tonight’s Fair fetes.