One of the true North Texas harvests is the crop of art sprouting with fundraising and honoring. While others may splash with big-time occasions, the Friends of the Katy Trail‘s Katy Trail Art Society holds its very intimate supper at Le Bilboquet. This year’s come-together didn’t disappoint with Katy Trail’s “Wild Flowers” artist Ivan Argote flying in from the Big Apple to check out his work of art along the Trail and joining the gang. Ivan was seated next to Jessica Nowitzki, who had just two one-degrees of separation, thanks to a presence in Venice.
Ah, but more about that later. In the meantime, here’s a report from the field: The annual Katy Trail Fall Art dinner for members and friends of the Katy Trail Art Society was held at Le Bilboquet on Tuesday, October 1. A happy harbinger of fall each year, the space overflowed with friendly conversation and discussion of all things art. Guests enjoyed Le Bilboquet’s favorites like Cajun Chicken and raved about the beautiful floral arrangements by KLH Floral on the long tables.
Guests included the featured Katy Trail artist speaker Ivan Argote, Katy Trail Art Co-Chairs Amanda and Charlie Shufeldt, KT Board President Blake Shipp and KT Executive Director Amy Bean plus Vivian Li of the DMA and Jed Morse of the Nasher.
It was a quick stop in Dallas for Ivan, who arrived from New York City, where he has been working on his installation at the High Line Plinth. Ivan visited his work on the Katy Trail on Tuesday afternoon and was delighted to see how nature had transformed his work over the spring and summer months. Ivan managed to fit in purchasing his first pair of cowboy boots before heading on to the dinner. Ivan reported that cowboy boots were on the top of his Texas to-do list, while showing off the Lucchese black crocodile skin boots.
KT Art supporters attending included Peggy and Mark Zilbermann, Christina and Sal Jafar, Bela Cooley, Janelle and Alden Pinnell, Laura and Greg Koonsman, John Relton and Christina and Sal Jafar. Attending for the first time were Peter Augustus Owen plus Rachel and Adam Green of the Green Family Art Foundation. Vivian introduced Ivan, whose current installation on the Trail is “Wild Flowers” shown for the first time in outdoor public space to engage with visitors to the Katy Trail. “Wild Flowers” is an ongoing series of immersive installations comprised of scattered cast bronze fragments of a figurative statue. Appearing as if nature has taken over and playing upon notions of monuments and time, the artist prompts the viewer to wonder if the statue is being removed, abandoned, or getting ready to be installed. The guests found Ivan charming and interesting, learning he touches on ecological concerns and resistance, while straddling the line of past and future. He comes from an interesting family of activists (his sister is a politician in Colombia) and has a way of starting a dialogue.
Jessica realized when seated with Ivan at dinner that they were in the same places in Venice for the opening of the Venice Biennale earlier this summer. Ivan is showing in the Giardini and the Arsenale with two separate works. Jessica said she was fortunate to see Ivan’s sculpture of a deconstructed monument that had fallen with grass and weeds growing out of it, similar to what he has created for the Katy Trail.
* Photo credit: Kristina Bowman Photography