The Crowd: Gray Matter Museum of Art’s night of ‘Film, Art, Fashion and Music’ draws local influencers

The L.A. and NYC vibe landed in “Bubble Land,” a.k.a. Newport Beach, last week turning up the volume at Newport’s Gray Matter Museum of Art.

An evening of “Film, Art, Fashion and Music,” produced by the much-admired art dealer Georgeana Ireland of Ethos Contemporary Art, brought out local influencers to mingle with the L.A. element for a particularly wild mid-weeknight on the Orange Coast.

L.A. fashion and celeb press and paparazzi chronicled the scene as the crowd danced to the performance of recording artist Luciana, “Queen of Electro.” Fashion designer Ninja Monk, L.A. based creator of fashionable unisex clothing, put on an ongoing parade of trending styles all night long while a graffiti artist was stationed in one section of the museum showing off her work.

Platinum recording artist Luciana, the Queen of Electro, stole the show as she sang “I Like That” in her stunning straw dress at the evening of “Film, Art, Fashion and Music,” held at the Gray Matter Museum of Art June 10.

(Courtesy of Sheri Determan)

In the crowd were O.C. Real Housewife Braunwyn Windham-Burke with Fernanda Rocha, Michele Ann Einert, Steve Cederquist, body builder Lauren Powers, Matthew Rhodes, and “This Is Us” actor Bill Chott. Songwriter Nick Clow was front and center along with pop artist Saint Heart.

Another kind of East Coast summer style also landed at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The vibrant prints and soft flowing sensuous fabrics of FARM Rio, so familiar to the chic summer wardrobes of the casually fashionable women on Martha’s Vineyard or the Hamptons will be available and on display at Anthropologie through June 25 in a specialty pop-up space. Ladies only need the perfect wide brimmed straw hat and sexy summer sandals to make a statement with signature silhouettes from FARM Rio.

A model wears a summer hat featured at FARM Rio at Anthropologie shop running through June 25.

(Courtesy of Ann Marie Oseguera)

The O.C. community is losing two long-serving culture champs. Kathryn Glassmeyer Cenci, South Coast Plaza’s community relations empress who has interfaced with so many important nonprofits, cultural institutions, and local missions of mercy representing the community outreach standard of exceptional generosity established by the late Henry Segerstrom, will depart and move east with her retired husband, a former airline captain. Also leaving us for a new chapter in life is Tim Dunn, publicist extraordinaire who has served the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (SCFTA) for some 30-plus super dedicated years. Tim is headed to Palm Springs. “I have a one-story home there which will serve me well going forward,” he said, grinning.

One very special O.C. Girl Scout alum, Isabella Madrigal, current Harvard University freshman, was selected to moderate a national Girl Scouts of the USA virtual event with former First Lady Michelle Obama. The event held May 6 gathered tens of thousands of Girl Scouts and adult members from across the nation, as well as around the world. A focus of the virtual conversation centered on the “Becoming Me” program being established by Girl Scouts in collaboration with Mrs. Obama’s recently published book Becoming: Adopted For Young Readers. This new Girl Scout program will be offered at no cost to any Girl Scout enrolled in the 2021-22 membership year.

Local Girl Scout alum Isabella Madrigal was selected to moderate national virtual event, the Becoming Me program, with Former First Lady Michelle Obama on May 6.

(Courtesy of Caron Berkley)

Homelessness is not just serious in Los Angeles. The numbers continue to grow in the O.C., and in particular in the coastal neighborhoods, which never before experienced the challenges to any quantifiable degree. Among those suffering most are the children. Tracy Carmichael, president and chief executive of Project Hope Alliance, Newport Beach, reports that the organization’s connection with the Newport-Mesa School District recently produced a confidential list of 200 students newly discovered to be experiencing homelessness. Many local citizens have no idea about the crisis. Parents with school-age children may be sitting in class next to a friend pretending to go home after school, but instead going to a car, tent, or possibly a shelter of some kind.

Margaret Bayston, CEO and Executive Director at Laura’s House and Tana Amen, a New York Times best-selling author, founder of Amen Clinic and a Brighter Futures award honoree and keynote speaker at June 4 luncheon.

(Courtesy of Ann Chatillon)

Yet another issue we tend to avoid facing is the cycle of domestic violence in our midst. Laura’s House, a local agency with the mission of breaking the cycle, converged on the Balboa Bay Resort, Newport Beach, June 4 for the sixth annual “Brighter Future” luncheon. The event raised nearly $100,000 in support of various Laura’s House programs.

Yvonne Polanco, Laura’s House Brighter Futures award honoree and event committee member Batty Bucklen and Staci Fournier at luncheon held at Balboa Bay Resort on June 4.

(Courtesy of Ann Chatillon)

Laura’s House chief executive Margaret Bayston welcomed generous supporters including Patty and Patrick Bucklen, Laura and Mark Feld, Staci Fournier, Laura Khouri, Maryam Malek, Melissa Olson and Angela Ponce.

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