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.
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