Charleston magazine Society blog

Meandering through the French Quarter last Friday for the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association’s (CFADA) second annual Palette and Palate Stroll, a fundraiser for the group’s visual arts scholarship fund, was a delightful way to spend a midsummer’s eve. Last year’s event raised more than $12,000, and this year’s was a sold-out success.

Hosted by 14 member galleries that affirm Charleston’s position as a destination for fine art, guests were treated to a dazzling array of mediums paired with an equally tantalizing range of hors d’oeuvres that had been provided by some of the area’s top chefs.

As I walked through the door of the Sylvan Gallery, first stop of the night, I was enveloped in the fragrant aroma of curry. Combined with the vibrantly colored broad brushstrokes of nearby canvases, I was transported out of hot, humid Charleston and delivered somewhere distinctively more exotic. Chef Ciaran Duffy (Tristan) had a set up a live cook station toward the rear of the gallery, and guests snapped up plates of seared-to-order scallops just as fast as he could cook them.

A handful of ladies in pretty dresses populated the urbane Ann Long Fine Art, where the prosciutto wrapped sushi was the nosh of choice.

I bumped into artist Karen Olah, whose work is represented by the Corrigan Gallery, on the sidewalk outside the Queen Street spot. She was taking a momentary breather from the crush of people inside, and it gave me a much welcome chance to say hello. Like Jill Hooper (whose work appears at Ann Long Fine Art), Karen is another young woman who is making her mark on the art world. Brava!

From there, it was a short walk down to the bustling corner of State and Queen—location of the Smith-Killian Gallery— where a tray of tempting desserts from Oak magically appeared on the windowsill as I was talking with Betty Anglin Smith and her two wonderfully talented daughters, Shannon and Jennifer.

The night wound down with a stroll down Broad Street during sunset and a final stop off at the Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art Gallery to say a quick hello Susan Mayfield, whose work debuted at the gallery that night. Chef Bob Waggoner (Charleston Grill) was packing up and heading home as we reached the gallery, but he paused long enough to receive hugs and handshakes of gratitude for his effort to make last week’s Dine for the Charleston Nine such an astounding success. Inside, those hugs and handshakes were repeated for Mr. Mickey Bakst, mastermind of the fire fighter’s benefit. From a dinner to honor fallen heroes one week to a lovely art stroll the next, life in Charleston is definitely vibrant.

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As I stood in the grand foyer of Charleston Place on Sunday evening, I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of people waiting to attend the benefit for the nine firemen who lost their lives in the terrible Sofa Super Store blaze a few weeks ago. From the hallway outside the second floor meeting rooms straight out through the lobby’s front door, people were lined up as far as I could see. I have witnessed a lot of interesting things while covering the charitable event beat, but I have never experienced 1,300 people patiently waiting to attend an event that was only two weeks in the making.

Spearheaded by Charleston Grill’s large-hearted manager Mickey Bakst, the event was organized by a team of hard-working volunteers that included Denise Barto, Lynn Hanlin, Randi Weinstein, and several Spoleto Festival USA staffers, among others. Nunally Kersh (Spoleto producer) was one of the first familiar faces I spotted amidst the sea of attendees, and she shared that two of the fallen firefighters, Brad Baity and Earl Drayton, had worked backstage with the festival. I later learned that the festival is making a donation to the firemen’s fund in their honor.

At $150 per ticket, the benefit was a financial success long before the doors to the ballroom opened. Inside, guests discovered an extensive smorgasbord of food courtesy of 42 local restaurants, all of which had donated food and labor. In fact, every penny raised by the benefit will go directly to the firemen’s fund since 100% of the event— food, wine, service, and auction items— was donated. Although I’ve not received word of the final tally, I hear it is more than $400,000.

A touching video tribute captivated the crowd’s attention as images of the fire and its aftermath played on the two giant screens that flanked the stage. As the last note of the video’s musical accompaniment fell silent, muffled sobs resonated throughout the darkened ballroom.

Father Gabe Smith offered a prayer of hope, and Mickey announced that both Trident Technical College and the Culinary Art School have offered scholarships to the children of the deceased firemen.

Doug Warner presided over the live auction, which was capped off by an incredible final lot: dinner for two at 52 Charleston restaurants— one dinner for every week of the year.

Although the site of Stephen Colbert pouring drinks for Charleston Coffee Roasters was rather memorable, one of my personal highlights came after the event itself. I was walking down Meeting Street when a Black Cab pulled over to offer a free ride to two chefs who were toting a large cooler back to Hank’s restaurant. Although the hum of traffic muffled part of their exchange, I heard the driver express his gratitude to the men for participating in the benefit. As Fire Chief Rusty Thomas had remarked earlier in the night, “Charleston takes care of its own.” So true.

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