A Match Made in Heaven
It is atypical for me to write about something before it happens. This, however, was not your typical invitation. On a snow-packed Saturday in January, I was invited to spend some time with the legendary fashion designer Jeremy Scott as he was working on a forthcoming exhibit at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
The exhibit, A Match Made in Heaven: Katherine Bernhardt x Jeremy Scott, is, as the title suggests, a collaboration. Scott’s fashion creations will be shown alongside the paintings of Katherine Bernhardt in a mixed-media extravaganza consuming the entire first floor of the museum.
Katherine Bernhardt is a contemporary artist based in St. Louis. Her paintings are primarily composed of thinned acrylic and spray paint and are nothing short of exuberant. Her subjects are quotidian objects, often tying back to consumerism or pop culture—tacos, Crocs, Lucky Charms, melon slices, E.T., McDonald’s, Windex, Pink Panther, etc. For anyone familiar with Jeremy Scott’s work, it is, as the exhibition’s title declares—a match made in heaven. Immense congratulations are due to the Nerman Museum’s executive director and chief curator, JoAnne Northrup, for envisioning this unimaginably perfect pairing.
When I visited, Bernhardt’s works had already been installed along the gallery walls, and I couldn’t help but notice so many themes overlapping Scott’s oeuvre. Scattered throughout her pre-existing works are some new pieces directly inspired by articles within Scott’s collections—namely, from his longstanding collaboration history with Adidas. If visions of his winged sneakers or those donned with plush teddy bears or poodles don’t come to mind, they should. And their use as subject matter for Bernhardt’s paintings feels like destiny.
For anyone unfamiliar, Jeremy Scott is most well known for having spent ten years as creative director of the Italian high-fashion brand, Moschino. Almost two years since his departure, I asked what his life looked like now. He cheekily replied that he felt like the busiest “technically unemployed” person on the planet. Did I mention he’s modest? With his ongoing Adidas collaborative work, a recent capsule collection with cosmetics brand Spoiled Child, and his own eponymous line—he’s hardly lacking work. He ticked off several future projects I promised not to divulge. By every account, he appears to be making the most of his time away from helming a titan fashion company. And given fashion’s game of musical chairs, one wonders—as I did—how long he may remain on the sidelines of that specific circus. He declined to share.
Scott was especially grateful that his more flexible schedule allowed him to take on this major project. And what a project it is shaping up to be. Scattered across the museum’s expansive lobby were dozens of rolling racks containing hundreds of priceless couture garments. From his Los Angeles warehouse(s), his team packed up a multitude of options. In fact, nearly every space of the museum was filled with these objects of flamboyance. The cafeteria space had been cleared for accessories. Golden sunglasses, Happy Meal handbags, and tables of bejeweled costume jewelry had me mesmerized. One entire room was dedicated to several hundred pairs of shoes. And the auditorium was sheathed in the most precious garments, presumably too delicate for hanging. After leaving him, I spent hours just looking and examining. A black velvet gown outlined in what appeared to be a golden baroque wooden frame was, upon further inspection, handwoven gold bullion. There were bloomers made entirely of pearls and headpieces sculpted to look like whipped frosting The dedication to craft, detail, and precision can only be properly appreciated in person and up close. And it is for this reason that this body of work is unequivocally deserving of a proper museum exhibition.
This man who’s famously dressed Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Madonna, and Paris Hilton—to name just a few of his top fans—is a Kansas City native. It’s a fact that is not lost on him. He made a particular point to tell me how proud he was, not only of this exhibition, but of the ability to share this complete retrospective in his hometown. For a country boy, once declined admission to FIT for “lacking originality and creativity,”and later living homeless on the streets of Paris, it’s not just an exhibition of talent and beauty, but one of hope and fearlessness.
From the moment I walked into the museum, falling into a chaotic cyclone of irreverent fashion pieces, I was overcome with a sense of pure, unbridled joy. The blank, white canvas became an exploded Lisa Frank sticker box of iconic garments and viral fashion moments. Once open, you’ll get to see both the 40-pound chandelier dress and the hamburger garment Katy Perry famously wore to the 2019 Met Gala, as you’re immersed in a vibrant world. I shared my visceral response to the space with Scott, and he, too, was overcome with joy.
Following my afternoon with him, I watched the 2015 documentary (available on Amazon Prime) Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer. In his wrap-up interview, he shared: “I think so much of fashion is, in a way, not real because it’s not going anywhere but down a runway or maybe on an actress on a red carpet for one moment. I feel like those clothes aren’t going to have a real life. And that makes me sad. I want my clothes to live, to party, to have fun…. To me, that’s true fulfillment as a designer.” Having spent the better part of a day immersed in the playful, kooky world filled with those very garments, I can be the first to testify—they are partying and having so much fun.
The exhibit opens February 7. Go—and have fun.
Honoring Forty Years
The Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey recently hosted their annual Race, Place & Diversity event at the Zhou B Art Center of Kansas City. This year, on the occasion of the organization’s 40th anniversary, the event was reimagined. In lieu of a local and national awardee, the event was an evening of recognition honoring its founding board members. Those present included founder Allan Gray II, Bunni Copaken, Sharon Hoffman, and Ronald Posey.
Following a cocktail hour of hors d’oeuvres and post-holiday catching up, KCFAA CEO, Carla Williams-Evans welcomed guests at a dinner taking place on what was once the gymnasium floor of the historic Crispus Attucks School—now an event space inside Zhou B Art Center. Tyrone Aiken, the KCFAA chief artistic officer, served as MC for the evening and took us on a historical journey of both KCFAA and Alvin Ailey’s life.
Later, KCFAA founder Allan Gray II recounted for us both how he met Alvin Ailey and KCFAA was subsequently born. In summary, they bumped into one another at the Kansas City airport. He showed Ailey around Kansas City, including the 18th & Vine area (prior to its current redevelopment), where they spotted children playing at a car wash. Ailey wanted to stop and interact with the kids, and he showed them a few dance moves. Feeling stifled by the pressures of New York, he imagined an offshoot of the company where he could express his creativity without the weight inherent to operating an internationally acclaimed company. In coordination with Mayor Richard Berkley, more than 100 prominent community leaders came together to form Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey.
At the program’s conclusion, we all enjoyed a soul-warming performance by a troupe of KCFAA dance students. They performed a piece from their recent participation in the Owen/Cox Dance Group’s modern jazz rendition of The Nutcracker & the Mouse King. Later, we all danced!
Still in the Ailey spirit, the following week I attended KCFAA’s annual Ailey Trio event. Held at the GEM Theater. The event is part performance, part lecture, and part audience participation. Every year, fresh off their month of performing at New York City Center and ahead of their national spring tour, three dancers from the company bring their talents to Kansas City. In addition to performing at area schools, the Trio event is the capstone of their days here. This year, we were fortunate to have Solomon Dumas, Ashley Kaylynn Green, and De’Anthony Vaughan.
The three performed, individually and together, a series of excerpts from pieces across the company’s hailed repertory. Robert Battle’s Takademe was new to me and was an exquisite deconstruction of Indian Kathak dance rhythms set to a syncopated score. Solomon was brilliant. And one of my absolute favorites, Kyle Abraham’s Are You in Your Feelings? had me entranced. In addition to others, they performed the interim artistic director Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs, which resurrects and reimagines the spirituals used in the original version of Ailey’s seminal Revelations that were later redacted.
But I’ve saved the most touching and special part for last. This was Vaughan’s first time performing in his hometown since he joined one of the most elite dance companies in the world. Vanghan was a KCFAA AileyCamp participant (a now-national summer program that originated in Kansas City), and he was a student at the studio. He is the first Kansas Citian to become a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and it started with KCFAA. It was incredibly moving to hear his story.
In a 40th Anniversary tribute video, Tyrone Aiken offered this about the children KCFAA serves: “When they’re inspired to do the work, the result is incredible. And it is our job to clear a path that allows them to do the work and flourish.” Vaughan is a living, breathing, dancing example of what can happen when that path is cleared.
Spotted: John Hoffman, Paul Copaken, Ellen & Jamie Copaken, Lynn Carlton, Jamila & Dr. Michael Weaver, Debby Ballard, Tammy Edwards, Susan Stanton, Brian Williams, Karen Curls, Pamela & Irvin Bishop, LaMonica Madden, Denise & Calvin Ricks