B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

The sixth annual series of programs sponsored by the Decorative Arts

Society of Newport Beach premieres Oct. 3, introducing the community to

interior and furniture designer Barbara Barry.

For those in the know, Barry is one of the hottest designers among the

Los Angeles circle. Her furniture has revolutionized home decor

internationally, and she has impacted every social level, from the look

of the bachelor pad to the executive penthouse. Her topic will be

“Gracious Living ... A Certain Sensibility.”

Then on Nov. 14, the series will take its guests on a journey through

American treasures displayed in diplomatic reception rooms. Gail F.

Serfaty, the director of diplomatic reception rooms for the State

Department and the curator of The Blair House, Washington, D.C., will

share her knowledge of American interiors with emphasis on historically

significant items and locations.

For landscape enthusiasts, David Streatfield, renowned garden

historian and professor of landscape architecture and planning at the

University of Washington, Seattle, will share his wealth of information

on the pioneers of American landscape design. This program, the third in

the series, will be presented Feb. 6.

Among the most sought-after fabrics in the world of design are those

from Brunschwig & Fils. On March 13, Murray B. Douglas, senior vice

president of Brunschwig & Fils, will reveal the “ABC’s of toile de jouy.”

Finally, on April 10, the Decorative Arts Society will present William

R. Sargent, curator of the department of Asian export art for the Peabody

Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. Sargent will discuss Chinese influences in

American design. Organizers are calling his lecture “Imitation as

inspiration.”

All of these event experiences are underwritten by local devotees of

the design art world including the Laguna Design Center, Nicholson’s

Antiques, Dan Marty Les Interiors, Ann Dennis Designs and Northern Trust

Bank of California.

Newport’s Bonnie McClellan will chair the series with unfailing

support from a team that is comprised of founding members Elana Donovan,

Louise Ewing, Carolyn Garrett, Margie Jager, Mary Anna Jeppe, Cecilia

Nott, Joan Sammis, Dennis Scholz, Janet Smith, Carole Steele and Lois

Tingler.

Also very involved are Lido Isle’s arbiter of fine taste Marion Paley,

Sandra Ayres, Meredith Graves-Foreman, Sharon Henwood, Maureen Madigan,

Kathi Ramming, Jaime Shepherdson and Peggy Strong.

The series of five presentations will take place at the Newport

Edwards Stadium Theater, and the cost is $160 for the series.

The decorating series is under the umbrella of local recovery

organization New Directions For Women. With a commitment to providing

treatment services for women with alcohol or chemical dependencies, New

Directions’ mission is recovery.

Providing treatment in a residential setting, the New Directions

program takes an individual approach with each woman seeking treatment.

Lifelong after-care is offered, as well as assistance to the families of

women seeking help. Alcoholism and drug addiction are not just the

problem of the afflicted. Families may suffer as much as the woman

fighting to regain her life.

In a sense, the coordination of the efforts of New Directions For

Women with the lecture series provided by the Decorative Arts Society are

quite compatible. Both are about building a better world. Surely, the

personal struggle of a woman battling dependency can not be compared to

building a better piece of furniture. Such an odious comparison would be

insulting to the sheer importance of overcoming alcohol or drug

addiction.

Yet, enhancing our existence, seeking a higher plane of artistic

expression vis-a-vis our personal environment, sharing a vision for a

better lifestyle, educating ourselves on art forms and historical life

trends as expressed by generations past are all ways to enhance ones

grasp of the real world. And in so doing, on one small plane, this effort

represents the goal of New Directions in its attempt to help women take

control and reshape their lives.

For more information, call 949 675 2415.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.