Sep
27
Greenwich Post
More from Bonita Springs
Sep 27, 2007
Floating art show sets sail in Greenwich Harbor
By Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter
Below, event co-chairman Leah Rukeyser, Bruce Museum Executive Director Peter Sutton and SeaFair co-founder LeAnn Lester posed aboard the 228-foot mega yacht before the traveling art and antique exhibition kicked off with invitation-only fundraiser Tuesday. — Ken Borsuk photo
It was “welcome aboard” for art and antiques lovers Tuesday night as a first of its kind event began in Greenwich Harbor behind the Delamar Hotel.
What is usually reserved for museums and galleries became a seagoing experience when SeaFair launched its first international fine art exposition on board a 228-foot, three-dock mega yacht. The Grand Luxe yacht, which is the fourth largest in the world, had its world debut on Tuesday night and will remain in town until Sept. 30 offering everyone a chance to view 28 different art and antiques galleries or dine at two gourmet restaurants before it begins a 44-week tour of 38 ports along the eastern seaboard.
SeaFair is the brainchild of David and LeAnn Lester of Florida, who had been the force behind major international art and antiques fairs for 15 years, building a sterling reputation in the process. After selling their company in 2001 and retiring to sail around the world in their yacht, the couple wanted to try something that had never been done before.
“The idea slowly developed as we visited these ports all over the world, including Greenwich,” Mr. Lester told Greenwich Post on Monday. “We thought that if we could build a boat that was suitable for exhibitions we could bring it to all these different places and it would really be something fresh and interesting for the business.”
Building the boat from scratch took a little longer than Mr. Lester first envisioned, especially since the idea was so new there was nothing to model it on. But four years after the idea was first born, the couple’s vision is now docked in Greenwich Harbor. After the Greenwich exhibition, the yacht will sail to Long Island’s North Shore and then into Manhattan. The yacht’s appearances are booked for the next year and a return to Greenwich is set for next June.
“This was an entirely new concept,” Mr. Lester said. “There’s no such thing as a boat with galleries on it. This is the largest boat of its size that can go into the smallest board. It’s innovative in so many ways of marine design.”
In talking about the design, Mr. Lester noted how stable the boat was. None of the wiggling one gets just from walking on a dock is even felt on board and that was done by design so that fragile and valuable items could be displayed without worry.
The exhibition kicked off with an invitation-only charity gala Tuesday night where tickets ranged from $1,000 to $5,000. Greenwich resident Leah Rukeyser served as co-chairman of the event and said she loved the idea of having the event on a yacht and also that Greenwich was hosting the inaugural exhibition.
“It’s very appealing to be the first for something like this,” Ms. Rukeyser said. “While there is more work when you’re the first of something because being the first of anything means breaking new ground and asking questions for the first time, everything is new and you kind of just hope that everything turns out well. But you take a little bit of faith and with hard work and a meticulous attention to detail it’s all worth it. It’s a very special event to have in Greenwich.”
The event was given the final go-ahead in May and while putting together the details over the summer presented some challenges, Ms. Rukeyser said the volunteers put in the hours to make it happen.
Finding the exhibitors fell to the Lesters and Mr. Lester admitted it wasn’t easy to get them to sign on to a new project like this, especially since it’s in such an unusual setting.
“The average art dealer tends to be very conservative,” Mr. Lester said. “There was no frame of reference for this and people really were resistant to the concept. They told us they were afraid they’d get seasick on the boat or it would be claustrophobic. No one can really understand it until they come on board and see what we’ve done. Once they came aboard it was really a case of seeing is believing and a tremendous camaraderie has developed between the dealers and the ship’s crew.”
Ms. Rukeyser promises the exhibition will have “something for everyone.” One certainly need not be amongst the rich and elite to view it either. While the charity events are invitation only, viewing the galleries is free to anyone who signs up at Expoships.com.
Proceeds from the two charity events as part of the exhibition will go toward the Bruce Museum. Peter Sutton, the museum’s executive director, said he has no specific fund-raising goals because it is the first time an event like this has been held. He is hoping the impact goes beyond a monetary one and leads to increased awareness of what the Bruce had to offer.
“I think this will be a genuine windfall for the museum,” Mr. Sutton said. “It’s a very good idea and it brings in new constituencies from outside Greenwich that might not necessarily know the Bruce very well. Over 30,000 invitations were sent out to people far and wide and that’s a lot of people they’re going to reach. They might not be as familiar with us as we’d like them to be and I think this will help with that.”
Mr. Sutton said the timing of the event worked out very well for the museum because it coincides with the Bruce’s new show of contemporary and cutting-edge art from 10 local collectors. That show, which is the third in a series called “Pleasures of Collecting,” opens this weekend at the museum and Mr. Sutton said the exhibit and art fair are “perfect complements.”
Ms. Rukeyser, a former chairman of the Bruce’s board of directors, said it was a “wonderful opportunity” to help fund the museum’s education programs, which are used by 18,000 children in Fairfield and Westchester counties.
The Lesters were the ones who approached the Bruce about participating and Mr. Sutton said he was happy to be involved after having known the couple through their earlier art fairs. He called the yacht “magnificent” and said the curiosity factor could only help attract interest.
Mr. Lester thanked Mr. Sutton, Ms. Rukeyser and the town for their “leap of faith” in playing host to the new event.
Mr. Sutton said he would attend Tuesday’s event not only because of his role at the museum but also as an art lover. He said he was looking forward to seeing items on display he might not ordinarily come into contact with.
“I always like to find little diamonds in the rough,” Mr. Sutton said. “That’s the nice thing about art fairs. You often find things that haven’t gone through the trade or auctions. You’ll find little surprises and little unexpected treasures. That’s what anyone who comes to an art fair is hoping to find.”
SeaFair is tied into the concept of “pop-up retailing” where a short-term event is held in an unusual place. Mr. Lester said it gives people a sense that they’re attending something special close to their house.
Mr. Lester said he and his wife are very excited and proud to be launching their new venture and the couple has no plans to stop. A second yacht is being designed to bring the latest and hottest fashions and jewelry around on a similar tour and Mr. Lester said the yacht, which will include a catwalk for the fashion shows, will also make its debut in Greenwich once it’s complete.
“The harbor is just beautiful here and the demographics of Greenwich are very good for us as well,” Mr. Lester said. “By coming here we’re able to reach into Fairfield County and Westchester County. We’re able to reach the customers that know us and are interested in what we’re doing. The response here has been overwhelming.
We’re fully subscribed for the Bruce Museum nights and our restaurants are almost totally booked. People have been left speechless by this. We think we’re at the beginning of a new industry here.”
The plan is for SeaFair to come to Greenwich every June and September for art exhibitions.
More information about SeaFair is available at expoships.com.