To inject some color and whimsy into its scholarship fund benefit on Wednesday, the Bard Graduate Center partnered with husband-and-wife design team Isabel and Ruben Toledo to provide scenery at Bonhams that would complement an extensive silent-auction display. Around the collection of 1950s furniture, textiles, tableware, and accessories, the duo created a concept that mixed graphic wall coverings with vignettes of life-size dolls for the 250-person reception.
The event, dubbed "Mid-Century Modern: Designs for New Lifestyles," was hosted by the institute's founder and director, Susan Weber, honorary design chair Eva Zeisel, and the event and alumni committees, and produced by Kara Minogue of Kara Minogue & Company.
Long sheets of watercolor paper decorated with artist Ruben Toledo's black-and-white '50s-inspired illustrations covered the walls of the auction house's lower level, providing a simple and playful backdrop for patterned plates, shapely tableware, and brightly colored ceramics. To draw more attention to the items and create a three-dimensional effect, the Toledos placed them on floating white shelves. For the vignettes exhibiting larger furniture pieces, Isabel Toledo dressed handmade rag dolls in the auction's clothing—including a Bonnie Cashin suit and coat—and arranged them animated poses, adding a little life and levity to the tableaux.
Although the amount of funds raised is still being tallied, the Bard Graduate Center has calculated that the proceeds from the auction have surpassed last year's take.
