The Crowd -- B.W. Cook

They are among Newport-Mesa’s most ardent and visible supporters of

the fine arts. Joan and Tom Riach, transplants from Los Angeles’ Hancock

Park to the tip of Lido Isle, have positioned themselves as pivotal

members of the art community’s version of the social-cultural “round

table.” This year, Joan Riach will chair Art of Dining XV, the premier

spring charity ball on the Orange Coast.

With tickets starting at $1,000 per person and escalating to more than

$100,000 for generous underwriting positions, the affair will generate

seven figures for the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach. The

event will unfold June 1 under a spectacular tent erected adjacent to the

Orange County Performing Arts Center. It is the first time Art of Dining

has left the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach.

Last week, the Riach estate was opened to prominent Art of Dining

patrons for a cocktail reception to honor two young, talented artists

participating in Art of Dining 2002. The bronze sculpture of Guy Ferrer

and the colorful handblown glass of Caleb Siemon were on display

throughout the contemporary backdrop of the Riach waterfront residence.

The works have been commissioned to benefit the museum and will be

available for sale at Art of Dining.

“I grew up at Bayshores,” offered glass artist Siemon, his youthful

exuberance underscoring a formidable talent.

Siemon mingled with his equally impressive young wife, a candidate for

a master’s degree in architecture from the Art Institute in Los Angeles.

The pair has recently bought a home in Laguna Canyon.

Conversation at the Riach home drifted from fine art to the art of

navigating the commute from South Orange County into downtown Los

Angeles. Kedrick Francis, editor of the slick fashion-society magazine

Riviera, joined in the diatribe.

“I commute the opposite direction,” he offered. Francis lives in a

downtown L.A. loft and works in Newport Beach. “I’ve discovered the back

roads, such as Whittier Boulevard, to avoid the freeway. It’s so cool,

seeing these neighborhoods. These are the streets Los Angelinos traveled

before there was a 5 or 405 freeway.”

A lavish and sumptuous buffet was served as guests, including the

lovely Sandi Simon and husband Ron, Patricia and Karl Neisser, Pat and

Eugene Hancock, Barbara and Jim Glabman, Lauri and Mike Mendenhall, Twyla

and Chuck Martin, and Marsha and Daryl Anderson, relished the Lido sunset

on the limestone terrace of the Riach quarters, facing the mouth of the

Newport Harbor main channel. The light of evening enchanted the glass

creations of Siemon, displayed on pristine white blocks set on the

terrace.

“I want that one,” commented one patron, pointing at an enormous glass

bowl infused with a multitude of primary colors surrounding the

perimeter. The creation looked like a giant swirling pinwheel lollipop

that had transformed into a work of glass art.

“It has such life,” added the admirer.

The upcoming Art of Dining XV will honor Orange County philanthropist

and major supporter of contemporary art Henry T. Segerstrom, founding

chairman of the Orange County Performing Arts Center and chairman of the

National Business Committee for the Arts. Segerstrom, best known as the

Medici prince of retail, the managing partner and creative vision behind

C.J. Segerstrom & Son’s South Coast Plaza, will be joined by his

beautiful wife, Elizabeth, to accept the honors.

The pair have become serious bicoastal Americans, jetting between

homes in Manhattan, where Segerstrom met Elizabeth, and here in Newport

Beach, where they maintain a fabulous waterfront estate on the Balboa

Peninsula that has been undergoing renovation and re-creation to reflect

the imprint of Elizabeth and Henry’s union.

In grand Art of Dining tradition, John Baldessari -- an artist of

renown who works in many fields, including painting, photography, film,

printing and more -- will also grace the affair to accept recognition for

a lifetime of “pushing the envelope” and challenging the conventional

view of contemporary life through his creations.

Riach, working with co-chairs Diane Coon and Erin Trunel, as well as a

committee that is nothing less than a local who’s who of doers and

givers, is producing a dinner under the charge of executive chef Paul

Squicciarini of the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center in Costa Mesa

that will be the culinary talk of the social season.

On top of all, jazz artist Diane Schuur has been tapped to entertain.

Major sponsorship for the affair comes from JP Morgan Chase. For more

information, call the museum at (949) 759-1122, Ext. 232.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.