Renowned event planner David Stark reveals whimsical, artistic, unexpected designs often created from sustainable, industrial, or low-cost materials to inspire readers—whether planning a wedding, dinner party, or holiday gathering—looking for ideas for their own events. Twenty-five of David Stark's events are featured—both private celebrations and charitable galas— and showcase how he developed the inspiration for the overarching theme, color palette, and the thoughtful, coordinated details he's known for, and which truly make an event memorable. From the New York Metropolitan Opera opening gala to Target’s large-scale charitable events and pop-up shops, David Stark’s inimitable influence is sweeping the design world—and thanks to his books, becoming more accessible for his legions of fans. No matter the event, The Art of the Party is sure to inspire creativity and become an essential resource for years to come.
David Stark is one of New York’s most creative and sought-after event designers. This book explores forty of Stark’s elaborate yet eco-friendly events—corporate, non-profit, and private—with 200 exquisite photographs and descriptive text. Organized according to the designer’s quirky phraseology—“Animate the Inanimate” “Don't Take It So Seriously . . . At the End of the Day, It's a Party” “From Many Little Things Make One Big Thing” "It's Not What You Use, But How You Use It" and "Make Packaging the Prize"—this book is unique in both its presentation and its content. Stark considers his events “art installations” and when guests enter his spaces, that is exactly how they feel—surrounded by the kind of creative input and passion that can only be described as art. Clients include Condé Nast Publications, Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Hearst Corporation, Michael Graves, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, Museum of Arts and Design, Rachael Ray, Tory Burch, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora, Sundance Institute, and Target.
A revealing guide to a career as an event planner written by W Magazine executive editor Armand Limnander and based on the real-life experiences of powerhouse event planner Bronson van Wyck—necessary reading for anyone considering a path to this profession. Becoming an Event Planner takes you behind the scenes to find out what it’s really like, and what it really takes, to become an event planner. Behind every great event is a visionary planner, and Bronson van Wyck, founder of the award-winning event firm Van Wyck & Van Wyck, treats his events as works of art. He has masterminded celebrations for Dior, Condé Nast, Rolex, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyoncé, and the Obamas. W Magazine executive editor Armand Limnander shadows van Wyck as he and his team produce a marquee event: a gala for the New York arts organization Creative Time. Using design, food, and entertaining, van Wyck transports his guests to carefully conceived, often fantastical temporary spaces. He reveals how the best event planners are aesthetic gurus, skilled social connectors, talented collaboration artists, and, most important of all, makers of memories. Discover van Wyck’s path to prominence as you gain wisdom and insight from an event planner operating at the highest level.
An indispensable wedding planner with 100+ stunning photos and insights from top event professionals for couples preparing the wedding of their dreams When planning a wedding, you might feel overwhelmed by the many tasks and crucial decisions. Now, with the PartySlate team behind you, you can create the wedding day of your dreams with less stress. For this beautifully designed planner, the PartySlate editors tapped into their premier network of wedding vendors and event professionals to gather the essential information couples need to know while planning your exciting day. Inside you’ll find: 100+ stunning, professional photos from real weddings Full list of vendor credits for all 100+ photos so you can recreate what inspires you Insights from industry experts and PartySlate editors for every step of the wedding planning process Important questions to ask your venue and vendors and terms to know when you're building your wedding team A complete planning timeline so you know what to tackle when Convenient note-taking sections throughout to track ideas and choices PLUS: This spiral-bound book opens flat making it easy to use! No matter where you are in the planning process—choosing a color palette and event style, designing your event decor or creating a wow-worthy ceremony space and dance floor—this planner will be your go-to guide and then serve as a beautiful keepsake to treasure long after the big day.
Chinese Contemporary Art in the Global Auction Market charts the rapid emergence of a multi-million-dollar global market for Chinese Contemporary art by revealing the strategic activities of art world agents in promoting the work of ‘avant-garde’ Chinese artists to a Western audience.
When and why do people obey political authority when it runs against their own interests to do so? This book is about the channels beyond direct repression through which China's authoritarian state controls protest and implements ambitious policies from sweeping urbanization schemes that have displaced millions to family planning initiatives like the one-child policy. Daniel C. Mattingly argues that China's remarkable state capacity is not simply a product of coercive institutions such as the secret police or the military. Instead, the state uses local civil society groups as hidden but effective tools of informal control to suppress dissent and implement far-reaching policies. Drawing on evidence from qualitative case studies, experiments, and national surveys, the book challenges the conventional wisdom that a robust civil society strengthens political responsiveness. Surprisingly, it is communities that lack strong civil society groups that find it easiest to act collectively and spontaneously resist the state.
The outcome of innovation processes are determined by complex, historically grown valuation practices. In this book, a wide range of innovations are taken into consideration, from small inventions like entertainment novelties to large societal changes through new technologies. The chapters observe the particular local or distributed sites in which their episodes of innovation take place, and they identify the initial dissonance among those judging a newly proposed alternative. The emphasis of the inquiry, however, is on the practices of valuation that are at work when something succeeds in being "new". The authors represent a wide variety of sub-disciplines and national backgrounds in the social sciences. They share an interest in social valuation and a pragmatist approach. The differences between their empirical evidence reflect the wide variety of appearances that valuation takes in contemporary society. They are anthropologists, economic or cultural sociologists, organization researchers, historians or political scientists. A number of chapters deals with aesthetic valuation, as in the tasting of a new vintage, or in the socio-technical process that shaped successful synthesizer sounds. Other chapters discuss the judgment processes in organizations, like architect offices or consultancy firms, and processes of evaluation and valorization in larger fields of practice, like accounting or mathematics. The studies are both of interest in their various professional fields, and contribute to a more general understanding of the social and cultural conditions under which innovations fail and succeed.
The postsocialist contemporary joins a growing body of scholarship debating the definition and nature of contemporary art. It comes to these debates from a historicist perspective, taking as its point of departure one particular art programme, initiated in Eastern Europe by the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. First implemented in Hungary, the Soros Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA) expanded to another eighteen ex-socialist countries throughout the 1990s. Its mission was to build a western ‘open society’ by means of art. This book discusses how network managers and artists participated in the construction of this new social order by studying the programme’s rise, evolution, impact and broader ideological and political consequences. Rather than recounting a history, its engages critically with ‘contemporary art’ as the aesthetic paradigm of late-capitalist market democracy.
The 7 Key Principles to achieving YOUR business and life goals What could a graffiti artist, eminent neurologist, star athlete, celebrity chef, fashion designer, rocket scientist, and Grammy Award–winning musician possibly have in common? In this groundbreaking new book, Rana Florida shares their formula, giving you the tools to achieve unimaginable success in work and life. Upgrade gathers the best practices, not just from CEOs and business executives but from entrepreneurs, innovative thinkers, and creative leaders. Upgrade includes interviews with Sir Ken Robinson, Dan Pink, Mark Cuban, Andre Agassi, Kenny Scharf, Zaha Hadid, Governor Martin O’Malley, Tory Burch, Tim Brown, and many other leading figures. Despite this cast’s vastly different backgrounds and skills, Florida’s research concludes that there are seven key principles to achieving your business and life goals: Envision the future Find your passion Get creative Design your time Collaborate Take risks Embrace failure Unfortunately, this is exactly what the majority of us don’t do. Instead of developing a real strategy to upgrade and optimize our lives, too many of us just slog through life in a state of “managed dissatisfaction.” But it’s never too late to envision an entirely different future—or to actively upgrade your life. It’s not about finding more time, money, or resources. Anyone can do it. This smart and entertaining guide delves deep into each principle, giving you the insights, tools, and inspiration to take your life from ordinary to extraordinary. Praise for Upgrade “Why ride in coach, when you can upgrade? A must-read for a better journey through life.” Don Tapscott, bestselling author, Wikinomics and Grown Up Digital “Upgrade is an a-ha book that will change how you look at life’s challenges and give you tools to upgrade your life.” Touré, cohost of MSNBC’s The Cycle “Read Upgrade for its stories, examples, and strategies and get ready to live the life you always wanted.” Frank Toskan, founder, M.A.C. Cosmetics “Creative and innovative strategies to upgrade your work and life, with seven simple principles.” Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com, Inc., and New York Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness “Rana’s perspective on business and life is a fresh new take, breaking the traditional corporate mold. Upgrade is a must-read for anyone not buying into the conventional wisdom.” Ali Velshi, CNN Chief Business Correspondent; anchor, CNN-I World Business Today; and host, CNN Your Money “Upgrade welcomes you to take a fresh approach to everything you do to get the most out of work and life.” Nelly Furtado, Grammy Award–winning musician “If I’m going to listen to anyone’s good advice about how to improve my approach to work and life, it’s Rana’s.” Kate Betts, contributing editor, TIME, and columnist, The Daily Beast "Rana's voice is refreshing--as real as a memoir and a great vessel for this self-help and business book wrapped up in one easily-digestible package." Paper Magazine "A very interesting book." Business Learning Solutions
