Cocktails follow us around in ways we often do not think about. Yes, of course, they are with us at the club, they relieve us at 5 o’clock and they love hanging out with food. There are, however, other occasions where they make a quiet yet valuable presence: when we converse with friends, meet new connections or try to slow time on a Sunday afternoon. Certainly, they were with us last week through Art Basel. “Art, food, drink, there is a thread running through them,” said Bombay Sapphire Brand Manager Rich McLeod on the eve of the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series finale.
In collaboration with Russell and Danny Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and Mark Ecko’s Complex Magazine, the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series set out to discover the next big names in urban photography and multi-media art. Giles Woodyer, VP Brand Managing Director of Bombay Sapphire commented on the partnership: “We don’t see ourselves as separate from art. When we sponsor, we don’t just sit back. We get involved. We see Bombay Sapphire and cocktails as being interwoven into the program, into the arts.”
Setting its pace with Rush Philanthropic's commitment to supporting emerging artists in urban areas, the Artisan Series began its nationwide search in June. Six months, 10 cities and 20 finalists later, the finale came to Miami during Art Basel. After showing at Verge Art Fair, the works were judged by an expert panel that included visual artists Danny Simmons and Andre Guichard, designer Mark Ecko and photographer Eric Henderson. Two finalists (one multi-media artist and one photographer) were selected to have their work shown at Manhattan's Rush Arts Gallery in January.
Saturday night marked the final showing and the announcement of the two winners. With Sapphire Armature in hand, we had an early opportunity to browse the finalists’ fine work. “What’s been really amazing to see is the passion that they have, the love of the craft,” Rich McLeod had said the night before; he was not exaggerating. The artists’ dedication to their craft showed through brilliantly. Taking a sip of the juicy, stone fruit cocktail, we moved among pieces, lingering over loving surrealistic visions, beautifully textured nudes and haunting photography. Expert skill, thoughtful conception and fine execution covered a range of subject matter: tender memories, movement in stillness, heavy social commentary and radiant, natural beauty.
Picking up a pair of clean, crisp Artist’s Proof cocktails, we walked with photographer and judge Eric Henderson. Stopping at his beautifully soft black and white photography captured exclusively on his beloved 1950 Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, he spoke about “the infinity between supposedly outdated parameters”. “You know, there’s a tendency to think that when one black artist is discovered, everything’s been covered or that the possibilites have been exhausted. It’s a misconception; there’s so many people not being seen; there is an infinity in between those parameters.” We moved to artist and judge Andre Guichard's work full of intricate lines more akin to a base relief sculpture than to traditional painting. Sipping our drinks, we realized Guichard has figured out how to rework Pollack in a way, not imitative, but utterly fresh, individual and inventive.
Our attention was turned to the stage, where Russell and Danny Simmons began speaking about their deep love of the arts and Rush's absolute commitment to artists. “You know, when we started [Rush]15 years ago, we really just wanted to focus on artists, on getting artists exposure, and to help children in New York tap into their creative voices. Not that they’re all necessarily going to become artists but they all have creative voices...It’s about a way of thinking,“ said Danny Simmons
Russell Simmons continued on his brother’s thoughts, “Supporting the arts and giving back to the community are things I’ve always cared about deeply. Each one of us has creativity inside of us; it’s in everything we do, and we’re working on getting kids to tap into that, into their imaginations. Given the times that we’re in, I can’t imagine how we’re going to get out of it without young, creative minds.”
The Simmons brothers’ love of the arts and commitment to supporting undiscovered artists had set the tone for the evening. As the bartenders were mixing up the fragrant Sapphire Sea Salted Watermelon Collins, we looked over the crowd and saw something palpably special. Approachable, grounded established artists were talking shop, emerging artists were eagerly sharing their ideas with interested curators, and celebrities were mingling with the crowd. Without pretension. Without exclusivity. There was only finely crafted art being shared, celebrated and toasted among a group as beautiful in personality as in appearance.
This passion for the arts resulted in a difficult judging as well. “You know, it's really hard to judge which are the best because art is so subjective. But, we have come up with a decision," Danny noted before the winners were announced. Representing the 305, multi-media artist Jorge Cavalier was selected for his intricate Laberinto while D.C. photographer Stan Squirewell was selected for his striking Carbon Anomaly. Commenting on his concept, Squirewell reflected: “I wanted to use it as a way of talking about how we categorize people. Really, there’s no green or yellow or red people. That’s been a little bit of an issue for me: these division lines.” We toasted to his success, to the night and to the blooming of the Artisan Series.
As the event began to close, we took one last, long look. Fiercely independent viewpoints were on the walls; below, their creators were in discussion with the receptive crowd. They were laughing, conversing, clinking glasses. We snapped one last shot, capturing drink culture at its finest: seamlessly intertwined into celebration and the joyful exchange of ideas.
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