Artscape Reimagined Committee Hosts Great Contributor to Art Award at Dallas Arboretum
(Featured photo: Salvador Impastato, Kaki Hopkins, Craig Hall)*
Following the success of Artscape Reimagined at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Artscape Chairwoman Kaki Hopkins and her committee hosted the Great Contributor to Art Award. The award program and Invitational Fine Art Auction were held at Rosine Hall Friday, May 12. The black tie event began with a cocktail reception and hors d’oeuvres, so attendees could peruse the live and silent auction items. Acclaimed artists and local Dallas notables like Mayor Mike Rawlings, Dr. Kern Wildenthal and Jim Keyes donated items to the auction.
J. Mark Wolf, Dallas Arboretum chairman of the board, welcomed guests. After dinner, he invited Gloria Snead, Artscape Award Chair, to join him in presenting the award. The Great Contributor to Art Award, designed and contributed by Gary Lee Price, was given to Craig Hall. Hall is an entrepreneur, businessman, New York Times bestselling author and philanthropist, and a lifelong art collector. HALL Group displays an extensive contemporary art collection at their properties.
Hall said, “It is an honor to receive the Artscape Great Contributor to Public Art award, and being able to share our art collection with the public has been a great joy of mine. However, tonight’s award is really a tribute to the talented artists who make all of this possible. It is because of their hard work and creativity that we are able to contribute art for our communities to enjoy.”
Hopkins said, “It was a great pleasure to have Craig Hall as our inaugural awardee. He has done so much to make art available for the public to enjoy by investing in many artists’ works and displaying them so they can be seen by all. He is a terrific citizen of our city, and we are fortunate that he calls the Dallas Arts District his home.”
Hopkins added, “I was overwhelmed by the artists’ and galleries’ generosity and pleased that our audience showed them the appreciation we all felt by participating in a spirited and fun auction.”
The Artscape Selection Committee and Heritage Auctions chose the following pieces for the live auction. Each artist donated their work to benefit the Dallas Arboretum. Artists included Carly Allen-Martin – Exhale Doubt 2/50; Carolyn Brown – White Rose and Orange Ruffled Rose; Marianne Gargour – Visions Revisited; Beth Hickman – Moonlight Gardening; Arienne Lepretre – Arboretum Day; Christopher H. Martin –Cassini Disc II; Pamela Nelson – Mother Plant; Brad Oldham – Traveling
Man; Jessie Palmer (Am. 1882-1956) – Still Life with Roses; Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir – Source II; George Tobolowsky – Looking for Light; Mary Tomás – Bloom; and
Mary Vernon – Raccoon.
The live auction generated plenty of spirited bidding, especially Pamela Nelson’s “Mother Plant,” which graced the invitation cover, program cover and notecards given to patrons. Hopkins added, “I was overwhelmed by the artists’ and galleries’ generosity and pleased that our audience showed them the appreciation we all felt by participating in a spirited and fun auction.”
About the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden:
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is located on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake at 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas 75218. The Dallas Arboretum is also the home of the internationally acclaimed Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. It is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The Dallas Morning News is the principal partner of the Dallas Arboretum. The Arboretum is supported, in part, by funds from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department. WFAA is an official media sponsor for the Dallas Arboretum. Visit dallasarboretum.org or Facebook for more information.
*Photos by Steve Foxall.
