Preservation Park Cities 2024 Distinguished Speaker Luncheon Living With Art Featured An Insightful Panel Discussion
(Featured photo: Alisa Sell, President, PPC; Richard and Jenny Mullen, Honorary Chairs; Lindsey Doramus and Cate Ford, Luncheon Chairs.)
Preservation Park Cities (PPC) 2024 Distinguished Speaker Luncheon chairs Lindsey Doramus and Cate Ford were joined by honorary chairs Jenny and Richard Mullen and a wonderful group of speakers. Presented by Highland Park Village, the event began with a champagne and wine reception as guests arrived and chatted about the upcoming presentations.
Alisa Sell, PPC’s president said, “We are so pleased with the sold-out turn out! The panel discussion with Thomas Feulmer, Curator at The Warehouse Dallas; Ashley Avrea Cathey, Founder & Principal of Avrea & Company; and Robyn Siegel, Advisor at CCS Fine Art, moderated by Joyce Goss, Phillips Regional Director, was brilliant. They discussed how to value art and how to create a more exciting, thoughtful connection with works of art when they enter the most important space in our lives – our home. From the perspective of their roles in the art world, they talked about the practical matters of acquiring and owning art, as well as the bigger question of how a relationship with art might evolve and deepen over time.”
Sharing PPC’s mission, Alisa said the Distinguished Speaker Luncheon celebrates historic preservation and is designed to generate awareness of the role history and preservation play in enhancing the quality of life for everyone who lives and works in the Park Cities communities. Remember to check out Preservation Park Cities’ newest book, The Houses of the Park Cities, An Architectural Guide to the Historic Houses of Highland Park and University Park Texas, which is a comprehensive survey of the architecturally significant historic homes in the iconic Dallas suburbs by R. Lawrence Good.
Alisa also encouraged everyone to visit the PPC website at www.preservationparkcities.org and take a few minutes to watch the videos, including the Oral Histories of the Park Cities, which interviews long-standing and influential members of the community highlighting how the history, architecture, people have shaped this unique place we call home.
Sara Fay Egan shared a brief history of her home in the Volk Estates and the joys and challenges of renovating it to preserve the home and said she is honored to help continue this effort to leave a legacy for the future.
Led by Joyce, the speakers in the panel discussion shared their experiences with their clients’ artworks, beginning by saying that art is whatever speaks to one’s soul. Another point was that it’s all right to have contemporary art in a classic home or vice versa and that crafts also have a place in every home. If there is not a space for a new artwork, then go ahead and move other art to create a space. They encouraged everyone to be free and express themselves. They said it is good to see art in a dialogue with the room and that the most expensive piece doesn’t necessarily have to be showcased at the front of the house. And to keep a home evolving, it’s all right to put some art in storage to bring out at another time.
Click on the book covers above to learn more about each one. For more information about Preservation Park Cities, visit the website at www.preservationparkcities.org or email info@preservationparkcities.org
Overview:
• The Historic Home Tour, Distinguished Speaker Luncheon and the Park Cities Car Show are the organization’s only fundraisers each year. The proceeds are allocated to help further our mission to celebrate and promote the preservation of Park Cities architecture, history, aesthetics, and cultural traditions.
• The purpose of the annual Historic Home Tour is to showcase architecturally and historically significant homes of the Park Cities and illustrate how these homes have been restored or remodeled to serve the lifestyle needs of families today.
• The organization landmarks architecturally and historically significant homes in the Park Cities, some of which are on the Historic Home Tour.
• Members of the organization enjoy historic and preservation oriented educational programs.
Preservation Park Cities Mission:
Preservation Park Cities mission is to preserve and promote the history, architecture, aesthetics, and cultural traditions of the Park Cities. Proceeds of the Distinguished Speaker Luncheon, Historic Home Tour and the Classic and Antique Car Show will be used to fund:
- Property Landmarking
- Stewardship of the PPC archives at the UP Library
- HPISD Architecture/History Student Scholarship Award
- The Distinguished Chair for History at HPHS
- The “Save the Top 100” campaign and the new book: The Houses of the Park Cities: An Architectural Guide to the Historic Houses of Highland Park and University Park Texas
- Membership in PPC is open to the community. For more information visit www.preservationparkcities.org
(Photos by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio.)
(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, is honored to represent Preservation Park Cities and post this Philanthropy Lifestyles Scene.)
