The Triton Museum of Art celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a Golden Gala last weekend raising money for educational programming. Apart from the great food and bubbly and wonderful company, it was particularly exciting to see the art generously donated by so many bay area artists for the silent auction!
Here’s a piece that Melissa McKenzie of Santa Clara Weekly published on the event, David Stonesifer’s painting is bing bid on in the photograph below:
Triton’s Golden Gala Celebrates Museums 50th Anniversary Melissa McKenzie
Photo courtesy of Ron Dell’Aquila
Photographer Ron Dell’Aquila, who had donated one of his gorgeous Pastel Diner photographs from his recent solo exhibition at the Triton, was there with his camera. He took these shots of me with donating artists, Mei-Ying Dell’Aquila and Holly Van Hart. Mei-Ying had donated her impressive oil painting, Dawn of Knowledge and Holly had donated a beautiful giclée from her Possibility Abounds series which also enjoyed a solo show at the Triton recently.
Photo courtesy of Ron Dell’Aquila
The piece I had donated was Frozen Thoughts (that little purple dot on the wall below).
Here’s a close up, it was painted on a convex canvas emulating the paperweight that had inspired it.
Chief Curator, Preston Metcalf and his men in black about to announce the closing of one of the silent auction rooms.
Paparazzi about to capture the moment.
Photo Courtesy of Ron Dell’Aquila
It was such a pleasure to attend the event with my husband Robin. That’s Ron’s Pastel Diner photograph behind us (which we were outbid on). We did what we could to bid on many pieces but only lucked out with one….. and it was a goodie too – an original photograph of Frida Kahlo taken by Bay Area artist Emmy Lou Packard in 1941.
Emmy Lou Packard had lived with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Mexico working as a studio assistant for a time, taking lots of photographs like the one above. She had also worked as Diego Rivera’s chief assistant for the Pan America Unity Mural for the Golden Gate Exposition. In this image you can imagine Frida pausing for a smoke break in the sun outside her studio.
I can’t begin to say how much it means to me to have this photograph of my favorite painter where I can see it every day – so very inspiring!
Also inspiring is how many people came out to support the Triton an institution that has been serving our community for so long and so well!