Re-opening this September is the amazing exhibition about the three years of Studio 54 in Manhattan.
ARTWEAR opened the same year as Studio 54, in 1977. During the three short years that the world famous dance venue thrived, I was making wild jewelry and masks that were often purchased by the glitterati and worn there. Below is a photo of Halston, Lisa Minelli and Andy Warhol playing with a mask from ARTWEAR.
STUDIO 54 was THE place to go at night, night after night, and the jubilant free spirit of the late 70’s was pervasive in the NYTC culture. Artwear was a symbol of this sensibility, and the constant editorial we got from all the media gave the gallery tremendous credibility and respect.
The Brooklyn Museum of Art borrowed two pieces from me for the exhibition shown below. A nickel cross body piece called Zeta Sling, which was also featured on a cover of the Manhattan Catalog in 1979. Also a brass mask with a slit for viewing is on display.
The exhibit originally opened March 12 2019 for private viewing which I attended. The next day due to COVID 19 the National lockdown started and the museum closed, with the exhibit in the dark all these months,. The show reopened in Sept and ran until November 8.
The mask was then borrowed for a Studio 54 scene in the upcoming Netflix series on HALSTON in 2021
