Work & Process Makes New Holiday Tradition

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RELATED: Photos from the Works & Process “Peter & The Wolf” Family Benefit

The Works & Process series at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum inaugurated a new holiday tradition this weekend with the presentation of “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev. Isaac Mizrahi narrated performances conducted by the New York City Opera’s George Manahan, with the Juilliard Ensemble.

“He’s playing it straight: the duck is cute but not too cute; Peter is adorable but not too adorable,” the founder and producer of the Works & Process series, Mary Sharp Cronson, said.

Mr. Mizrahi was the perfect narrator, but what made the event forward and edgy — in other words, a Works & Process event — was the miniature set constructed out of paper by artist Andrew Scott Ross. The landscape was simple yet intricate. Most importantly, it allowed children to use their imaginations.

Even the performance this morning was sold out in advance, the general manager of the series, Duke Dang, said.

“We do hope this becomes a tradition,” the consulting producer for the project, Charles Fabius, said. “Each year we can pair a different personality with a visual artist.”

The model for the cutout of Peter, Arno Sugarman, attended the benefit performance Saturday evening, which brought out a chic audience, including Susan Baker and Michael Lynch, Mary Libby, Gayle Perkins Atkins, and the aptly named Peter Wolff. With children in tow were the chairwomen of the event, Amy Fine Collins and Caroline Cronson; and Susan Fales-Hill and Aaron Hill, Nicholas Rohatyn and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, and Eric and Fiona Rudin.

After the performance, families gathered in the museum’s rotunda for mini portions of burgers, pizza, and macaroni and cheese, served with juice boxes and Champagne.

“I’m thrilled I can bring my family to the museum to have some fun,” the curator of contemporary art and director of curatorial affairs at the Guggenheim, Nancy Spector, said.

agordon@nysun.com


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