Profiles of Contemporary Art and - ARTisSpectrum

A feather in your cap!
by Lisa Di Bello
Put a feather in your cap, or just put on a cap! The display of style seen at art receptions is one to be marveled at, and why
not join the fun at Agora! This year, and for the past 10 years, Agora Gallery has encouraged Fashionistas to strut their stuff
with a little more verve than usual when attending art openings. It’s been inspirational to know that there are still folks out there
who aren’t afraid to really stand out from the rest.
for the past 10 years, Agora Gallery has
encouraged Fashionistas to strut their stuff
with a little more verve than usual when attending
art openings.
Twenty years ago, my mother was the director of The Gallery at Lincoln Center, home of, among other companies, the Metropolitan
Opera and the New York State Theater - and if the glitterati weren’t going there dressed to the nines, they weren’t going
anywhere! I can remember a time when it was celebrated as a relief when someone realized they could show up for La Boheme
in jeans and cowboy boots. I can appreciate that there was some need at that time to break strict social convention - times do
change… but the pendulum has perhaps swung too far. More often than not, we see a sort of bland and generic outfitting of
the masses.
Fortunately, we live in a free society where we can choose what to don and when to don it. Fashion is creative free-expression,
not unlike art. The special benefit of fashion is that it is available for everyone to express themselves through. Without individuals
celebrating existence through self-expression, life would be very dull indeed. Artists draw us to their work because while most of
us may not possess artistic skill on a professional level, we all have it within us in some form, and it expresses our shared natural
emotions: joy, anger, passion! If we are not inspired to produce it ourselves, we seek it out to aid in evoking what resides within
us. Some of us choose to do that through our choice of attire.
Fashion is creative free-expression, not
unlike art. The special benefit of fashion is
that it is available for everyone to express
themselves through.
Though clearly, not all art or fashion speaks to everyone. We do all have our own tastes, our own style… and nothing about
art, or fashion, can technically be classified as right or wrong. No real laws govern it, which is a testament to its raw beauty! So,
whether it’s the Easter Parade or an art reception at Agora Gallery, don’t be afraid to arrive in your finery and perhaps wear a hat
that could land you in the next issue of ARTisSpectrum Magazine as a Fashionista!
90 ARTisSpectrum