Shelby About Town

From Paul McCartney to Tom Hanks to an artist on a mission, celebs floatHoustonians' boats

Artist Lee Ufan works on the installation in the Asia Society Texas CenterSculpture Garden.
Photo by Richard Carson
Artist Lee Ufan, left, at the Asia Society Texax Center reception with NancyAllen and Young Chae.
Photo by Richard Carson
Randy and Sue Sim, left, with Eddie Allen at the Asia Society Texas Centergathering.
Photo by Richard Carson
Walt Cunningham, from left, Jehan Sadat and Dot Cunningham stirring upenthusiasm for the Be an Angel benefit.
Courtesy Photo

It was a quick but productive two-day visit to Houston by Korean-born artist Lee Ufan, who was in town on a mission for the new Asia Society Texas Center — supervising installation of his creation Relatum - signal, commissioned for the center's sculpture garden.

Following installation of the work, Ufan was feted at a reception and onstage conversation with center executive director Martha Blackwelder. It was there that he described Houston as a city with "a touch of wildness" and commented that his longtime friend Yoshio Taniguchi did a commendable job of producing a refined building that manages to fit into the city's unruly environment. Famed architect Taniguchi designed the stunning new home of the Asia Society. Lee's comments drew laughs from admirers.

Guests musing over the nuances of Lee's work included Sushila and Durga D. Agrawal, Nancy Allen, Eddie Allen, Monjula and Ravi Chidambaram, Jo and Jim Furr, Sissy and Denny Kempner, Chonk-Ok Matthews, Sue and Randy Sim, Mike Stude and Y. Ping Sun.

The sculpture will officially go on display when the Texas Center opens on April 14.

Jehan Sadat lends support

Dot and Walt Cunningham are pulling in their celeb friends to support the April 13 Be an Angel Awards Gala to take place at The Rice. Last week, Jehan Sadat, the much-admired widow of late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, buzzed through town to tape a message to be screened at the gala. The Cunninghams convinced their friend Tom Hanks to join the party. He purchased a $3,000 table but don't count on him actually walking the red carpet for this one.

Dot Cunningham serves on the Be an Angel board and is helping gala chairs Patsy and Felix Rhymes stir up interest in the evening. Honorees are Shriners Hospital's regional administrator David Ferrell, St. Luke's Episcopal Health System CEO David Fine, Texas Children's Hospital surgeon-in-chief Charles Fraser Jr. and Life Flight/Memorial Hermann.

A Beatle on board

John and Becca Cason Thrash were beside themselves over the weekend when they realized that they were traveling in the same Eurostar high-speed train car as Paul McCartney, his wife and three grandchildren. Becca emailed from the scene that Sir Paul "was just hangin' with them, reading books and laughing. Very cool guy, indeed!" Yes, even Becca can be star struck.

The Cason Thrashes had met McCartney at Phillips de Pury auction house on a previous trip to London. They bought four photographs taken by his late wife Linda Eastman McCartney.

Partying at Beck's Prime

Houston Wellness Association board member Jonathan Lack celebrated his 50th in cool, casual style at the burger house in Memorial Park. With perfect weather, guests partied outdoors and dined on Beck's famed burgers, chicken and hot dogs.

Helping blow out the candles on the huge birthday cake were Andrea and former Mayor Bill White in formal wear, a bit over-dressed as they were on their way to a wedding reception. Also there — Karen and Byron Hood, Fred and Kay Zeidman, Jane Cummins and Bob Borochoff, John Elder, Keith Bickel, Barbara and Paul Frison, Jay Guerrero, Farha Ahmed and her husband Zubair Ashraf.

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Party Watch

Contemporary Western art shines at Galveston museum fundraiser

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

What: Art Untamed, A Night of Contemporary Western Art

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

Where: The Lancaster Hotel

The Scoop: With cowboy boots traded for cocktail attire, more than 115 artists and art lovers moseyed into downtown for Art Untamed, an evening that lassoed the spirit of the West with a modern twist.

Now in its fourth year, the fundraiser benefiting The Bryan Museum was steered by a dedicated committee including Christine Glover, Linda and Bill Reeves, and Guylene and Jay Lendrum. The event spotlighted 32 Southwestern artists featured in the Visions of the West exhibit.

Guests sipped and mingled during cocktail hour, sizing up 73 pieces ranging from luminous landscapes to storytelling textiles. The live auction, led by crowd-favorite auctioneer Randolph Holford, delivered a flurry of paddles in the air, especially for Bob Stuth-Wade’s radiant Santiago Peak from Chalk Draw, Nathaniel Garza’s moody Three Reasons, and Echo Ukrainetz’s intricate batik honoring cowgirl trailblazer Lucy Mulhall.

The weekend kicked off at The Lancaster Hotel, where partner Jay Shinn hosted artists and VIPs at a reception in the historic property set to celebrate its centennial next year. During the festivities, museum founder JP Bryan captured the mood best.

“A collection is an expression of a soul; it speaks to where our heart is,” he said. “That is why the museum was founded, to share the important story of Texas and the American West through a world-class collection, outstanding exhibitions, and educational programming.”

The evening raised nearly $100,000 to support educational programming and outreach at The Bryan Museum.

Who: Lori Leal Wedemeyer and Barkley Wedemeyer, Sassy Stanton, Bill Pinckard, Mike Glover, Shara Fryer, Barry Silverman, Frank Rynd, Deborah and Monte Stavis, Kelly and Luis Zúñiga, Kara Przybyl McIver and David McIver, Dianne Reynolds, Stephanie and Brent Kindle, Penny and Townes Pressler, Linda and Jerry Dickson, Bob Leibrock, Paulina Padilla, Nocona Burgess, Vickie McMillan-Hayes, Ricardo Robles, and Bob Stuth-Wade.

museums fundraisers bryan museum visual-art