Arts Awards Presenters, Recipients Mean Business at 9th Annual Event

Business and Pleasure

Key players in the local business community and a sprinkling of representatives of local arts groups gathered at the Pacific Mutual building in Newport Beach on Sunday night for a brief awards ceremony followed by a gourmet dinner at the nearby Ritz restaurant. The 320 guests paid $175 each to attend the ninth annual Business in the Arts event--a night of mutual admiration and solemn words on the inherent goodness and public relations benefits of supporting the arts.

The Program

After an hour of champagne and schmooze in the courtyard, guests were ushered into a conference room for an awards presentation kept to a businesslike 20 minutes. Harry Bubb, chairman emeritus of Pacific Mutual and head of the OC Business Committee for the Arts--sponsors of the event--welcomed the dark-suited group. James Cooper, executive producer of Orange County’s KOCE-TV, said a few words (“Harry Bubb made it clear I could talk as long as I wanted--as long as I sat down again in 120 seconds,” he joked). Then Bubb and John Bryan, CEO of the Chicago-based Sara Lee Corp. and chairman of the national Business Committee for the Arts, handed out Baccarat crystal mementos to representatives of a dozen local companies. The Pacific Symphony received a $1,500 grant underwritten by Price Waterhouse.

Keynote Comments

Bryan gave a lively 10-minute speech that was, he admitted, “preaching to the choir.” Mixed in with predictably inspirational statements about “fostering the creative process through supporting the arts” were a few comments with a little more bite.

Warning guests “how critical it is to preserve and build the creative capital of our country,” Bryan said it occurred to him that “Mr. Gorbachev understands this point so well.” While the Soviet Union is entering a “period of new openness” in fine arts, the United States is embroiled in debates such as “the flag-flap in Chicago . . . (and) the Mapplethorpe matter in Washington and Cincinnati.

“Nurturing creativity is usually much more important than redressing some insult to our sensitivities,” Bryan concluded.

Honored

Receiving a Baccarat obelisk and a handshake were representatives from Designmatrix, Shaw Investment Co., Coopers & Lybrand, AT&T;, Tiffany & Co., Security Pacific, the Fieldstone Co., the Irvine Co., C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, Chevron, the Orange County Register and The Times Orange County.

Quote

With tongue in cheek,” said Bryan, “I often describe a New Yorker magazine cartoon which showed Attila the Hun telling one of his cohorts, ‘All I’m saying is, giving a little money to the arts might help our image.’ ”