Shelby's Social Diary

Houston Ballet Ball goes over the $1 million mark a week before the curtain goesup at Wortham

Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio

Over the moon — that would be the entire Houston Ballet family as news spread Wednesday night that the 2012 Ballet Ball has brought in $1 million — a first for this organization — and the gala isn't until next week.

Wednesday's brilliant "Art for Art's Sake" event, which is part of the ball's silent auction offering, threw the take into that enviable seven-figure range. Ball chairs John and Becca Cason Thrash and Greggory and Pat Burk all but cheered at the results.

The heavy-hitter crowd consisted of more than 200 gallerists, collectors, artists and ballet patrons.

Becca, Greggory and Catherine Anspon, PaperCity fine arts editor, rounded up 37 pieces of art from local and national artists/galleries including Julian Schnabel, James Surls and Damien Hirst. The works were displayed throughout the Cason Thrash home for the cocktail evening, where Becca, who divined this clever fundraising scheme, circulated through talking art, art, art.

The heavy-hitter crowd consisted of more than 200 gallerists, collectors, artists and ballet patrons. Robert McClain of McClain Gallery, Wade Wilson of Wade Wilson Art, Thom Andriola of New Gallery and Chris Skidmore of Gremillion Gallery, each with contributing artists, perused the offerings.

Contributing to the high energy of the night were artists in the mix including Ibsen Espada, Mel DeWees, McKay Otto, Bert Long Jr., Thedra Cullar-Ledford and, in from Laguna Beach, Joseph Cohen and James Verbicky.

By night's end, six pieces were picked up at the "buy tonight" price. All works will be on display in the Grand Foyer of Wortham Theater Center Wednesday night as bidding continues on the remaining works throughout the Ballet Ball.

The party crowd included Ballet honchos Stanton Welch, Jim Nelson, C.C. Conner and Patsy Chapman plus Haydeh and Ali Davoudi, Duyen and Marc Nguyen, Sarah Dodd-Spickelmier, Gregory Fourticq, Jo and Jim Furr, Merele and Joe Hafner, Beth Muecke, Monsour Taghdisi, Shannon Hall and Dominique Sachse and Nick Florescu.

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Painted with Purpose

21 Houston doctors trade scrubs for canvases at Arts of Healing gala

Photo by Alida Bonifaz

Chita Craft, Bethany Buchanan, and Nora Jarrard.

Turns out, creativity isn’t just for the canvas. It pulses through the hands of healers, too.

Photo by Alida Bonifaz

Chita Craft, Bethany Buchanan, and Nora Jarrard.

That was the spirit of The Arts of Healing Eighth Annual Gala, where physicians traded lab coats for aprons and oils to showcase their artistic prowess at The Post Oak Hotel on November 8.

Guests — close to 500 — were greeted by a floral fantasia courtesy of Blooming Gallery. A grand circular bar anchored the room, while a curated silent auction, wine pull, and an ultra-chic Valobra raffle for a diamond necklace tempted attendees. The centerpiece? Art by 21 physician-artists being honored that evening lining the entire ballroom.

Among the physicians celebrated for their contributions both in hospitals and on canvas were Dr. Shetal Amin, Dr. Deepak Bedi, Dr. Mark Dannenbaum, Dr. Meshann Fitzgerald, Dr. Matthew Goldman, Dr. Brandon Goodwin, Dr. Mollie Gordon, Dr. Maysoon Hamed, Dr. Emily Jamea, Dr. Henry Kuerer,Dr. JP LeFave, Dr. Dean Moore, Dr. Marlene Morales, Dr. Sehar Najamus, Dr. Eric Powitzky, Dr. Terrence Wadley, Dr. Cindy Williams, Dr. Jose Miguel Yamal, Dr. Sarrah Zadeh, and Dr. Isaac Raijman, who, alongside his wife, Lori Raijman, founded the Arts of Healing Foundation.

Co-chaired by Rachel and Warren Ellsworth IV and Natalie and Mark Bordman, the evening marked a fundraising high, collecting more than $560,000 to support The Arts of Healing and its Sunshine Kids Summer Camp collaboration. The initiative brings children facing cancer from across Texas together for creativity, connection, and joy.

A special musical cameo brought the house down when honoree Dr. Jeff Ross took the stage, trumpet in hand, for a guest appearance with Dry Water Band. The dance floor stayed thumping well into the night, a tribute to the spirit of creativity as medicine.

Summoning their inner Picassos were Sarah Collins, Michele and Youval Meicler, Kristen Collins, Betsy and Jimmy Montgomery, Courtney and Zac Harmon, Kristen Cannon, Cathleen Fishel, Stephanie Wilcox, Alexis Rosales, Faith Majors, Bethany Buchanan, Susan and Steve Beatte, Larry Doty, Vanessa and Chuck Ames, Dana Barton and Robert Clay, Rita Shuma, Jennifer Wisler, Dr. Rukmini Rednam, Dr. Victoria Chang, Dr. Danielle Antosh, Katie Tsuru, and Dr. Kathy Nguyen.

fundraisers