Martinis and Mistletoe

10th Annual KMAC Event Toasts New Director

By: Tonya Abeln

Published On: December 28, 2011

There is never a lack of good cheer at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft’s holiday event Martinis and Mistletoe. Of course sponsor Finlandia Vodka’s festive martini concoctions always help with that as guests chose from the Artic Cosmo, Tangerine Twinkletini, and Candy Cane Martini while listening to the holiday musical ensemble John Austin Clark and Friends. But this year, there was added excitement in the air as KMAC members buzzed about the new hire of Aldy Milliken as Executive Director and Chief Curator. Board President Elizabeth Mays shared with us the thrill of welcoming his accomplished talents to Kentucky in January when he will return from Sweden to assume the role.

Celebrated Louisville Jewelry designer Summer Eliason displayed her unique coveted baubles, making it difficult for fashionable shoppers to remember that the spirit of the season is to give to others and not buy for oneself. The trunk show also featured Kea Carpets and Kilims, acquired and displayed by Susan Gomersall and Ozzie Scheter. The tribal collection of rugs is the culmination of thirty years of traveling around the world seeking unusual carpets and textiles. Gomersall pointed out that the alpaca hair pieces are used in tribal villages as shawls by day and sleep mats at night. “All of these rugs have a purpose,” she explained, “and are so much more than decoration.” The Brooklyn-based couple, visiting Kentucky for the first time, raved about the opportunity that KMAC gives to local artists and crafters.

Members Sharon Seefeld and LeRaye Bunn touched their martini glasses together to toast their friend Bev Patterson who had just decided to become a member at the event. Bev said, “I am so impressed with the energy that KMAC brings to our downtown. I can’t wait to meet even more new and wonderful people here.” The ladies stood under the current exhibit Visions of Lewis and Clark: Contemporary Kites Tell the Story, and I couldn’t help but think about how KMAC will certainly take flight and soar in the year ahead as they explore new possibilities with world-renowned Director Aldy Milliken.

—photographs by josh miller