Holidays and wine are a natural pairing. On December 5, 2012 to celebrate the season, pop-up gallery, Art in Flux Harlem and Souleo Enterprises, LLC presented Art Enology, featuring the works of celebrated and local artists. Special guests included media veteran, Florence Anthony, make-up artist Ayanna Bynum, Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets and Derek Fleming (Director of Business Development for the Marcus Samuelsson Group). Throughout the evening viewers enjoyed wine by Simone International/Papi Wines and magazine giveaways courtesy of, Cuisine Noir magazine. EBONY.com also served as a media sponsor for the event.
Then on December 8th, the exhibition hosted a special panel/wine tasting with appearances and expert advice from noted interior design professionals: Michael Tavano, Roderick Shade, PJ Mehaffey and Simone International/Papi Wines Spokesperson, Danny Hernandez.
The conversation offered tips on incorporating art and holiday décor into the home setting. Tavano offered a valuable piece of advice by encouraging viewers to select a wine bottle or two as statement pieces for their home and not to go overboard. “It’s enough of a statement and you don’t want to have the coasters out at the same time with the wine bottle art,” he advises. “That one piece as a statement piece is fine especially for a wine tasting at home since it keeps with the theme.”
Of course it helps to hire an interior designer to oversee the look of one’s home and the first step in doing so is to set-up an interview, according to Mehaffey. “You can interview a designer so don’t hire someone blindly. Make sure you sit down with them and vibe with them. I always say I’m more than a designer. I’m like a therapist and that ends up happening during the process of working together.”
Finally, Shade encouraged attendees to make sure that they convey what they want to an interior designer, and then give them the freedom to work their magic. “With any creative professional let them get you first and understand your goals. Once that designer gets you then give them some rope to run with and let them surprise you. Plus a good designer will save you money in the end.”
You can save money and enjoy art, wine and food on December, 15, 1-3pm, when Art Enology will be one of the featured stops for the ArtCrawl Harlem and Taste Harlem Food and Cultural Tours’ food tasting and four gallery tour throughout Harlem. In addition, wine experts and creative artists from the exhibit will host a lively talk on celebrating wine as a fluid source of inspiration for the arts.
For more information click here and check out event photos by NayMarie in the gallery above.
