This Houston Art Bash Brought Hawaii, Flamingos and Pop Into Play
There's Nothing Quite Like a Lawndale Party
BY Matthew Ramirez // 04.07.19Illa Gaunt, Justin Segal, Lyndsey Zorich at Lawndale's A Kitschy Evening (Photo by Laura Burlton)
What: A Kitschy Evening: A Benefit for Lawndale
Where: Lawndale Art Center
PC Moment: Cheeky fun was the name of the game at Lawndale Art Center’s A Kitschy Evening, where Hawaiian shirts, flamingo prints and Pop Art-inspired outfits ruled the night. Upon arriving, brightly dressed guests were greeted via a flute of sparkling rosé before entering Lawndale’s expansive indoor gallery space.
B.B. Lemon provided the light bites, a delicious sample of the restaurant’s elevated comfort food fare, from fried oysters, mini-grilled cheeses and tiny cans of chili to a bite-size shepherd’s pie.
Matt Johns – aka DJ Ramalama – kept the kitschy crowd grooving as he spun a variety of pop hits, which spanned from the British Invasion to current day.
A balloon artist, sand-art booth and face painting entertained party-goers who mingled before weatherman Frank Billingsley stood above the crowd for a brief but effective live auction. (Yours truly walked away with a balloon flamingo, a necklace shaped like a sea lion, and my guest left with a crab inked on her arm.)
A fundraiser conducted via “chances” gave guests an equal opportunity to go home with prints by Natasha Bowdoin, Melinda Laszczynski, Joe Wooten and Russell Etchen, whose mural previously adorned the mammoth outside wall of Lawndale Art Center.
The only live lot was a doozy, however – a 12-course meal courtesy B&B Butchers, which stirred some spirited bidding egged on by restaurateur Benjamin Berg, who grabbed the mic to plea to the rambunctious crowd.
The winner of the 12-course feast, Andrew Durham, fittingly wore a blazer and matching slacks combo featuring a fluorescent, all-over flamingo print. Kitschy, indeed.
PC Seen: Co-chairs Candace Thomas and Mandy and Will Hixon; Lawndale director Stephanie Mitchell; Project Row House fellow Regina Agu; artist Virginia Lee Montgomery; designer LeTricia Wilbanks; Illa Gaunt; Kellie Jenks; Melissa Redman; Jessica and Blake Seff; Ileana Yordan; Gaynell Floyd Drexler; Sandy Wallis; Ting Bresnahan; Julie Chen; Sydney Isaacs; Victoria and Marshal Lightman; and Jeryn and Walter Mayer.
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