FIRST
NEW YORK ART FAIR A SUCCESS!
Tom of Finland stomped
into Manhattan during Gay Pride Weekend in June, and the Big Apple
ain't never gonna be the same! In conjunction with the Lesbian and
Gay Community Services Center, GMSMA, and the Leslie Lohman Foundation,
and with the sponsorship of HX Magazine, the first Tom of Finland
New York City Erotic Art Fair was a roaring success.

Foundation President Durk Dehner (c) greets visitors at the entrance
to the NYC Art Fair
Foundation President Durk
Dehner, Board Member Dan Berkowitz, and Erotic Gallery by Mail curator
Volker Morlock traveled from Los Angeles to complete coordinating
the event. Taking over most of the first floor and part of the second
floor of the Center's temporary headquarters in the meat-packing district
was this appropriate or what? the Foundation set up
thirty-six booths in which erotic artists displayed their work to
the public, as well as a small stage area in which artists sketched
live nude models.
The weekend started with
an Artists Reception and Press Party on Friday night, attended by
more than 175 guests, who sipped wine, nibbled on hors d'oeuvres,
and mingled with the artists. On Saturday, the doors opened at 1:00pm,
and despite occasional freak downpours which almost flooded the surrounding
streets, hundreds of people came to browse and buy art. On Sunday,
the day of the Pride Parade, more art-lovers trooped to the Center.
All in all, more than 700 people attended the Fair, and the Foundation
netted almost $8,000 staggering numbers given that it was our
first time in New York, and considering how many other events were
going on around town that weekend. With the success of this first
New York Fair, plans are underway for a second such weekend next year!
The Foundation wants to thank all those who
helped make the Fair such a success. Artist Pet Silvia was a prime
moving force behind the event, and was ably supported by longtime
Foundation member Tom Dennison. The staff at the Center, especially
Ector Simpson, was tremendously supportive, and the volunteers
always a crucial component in any Tom of Finland event were
terrific. In particular, our thanks go to Craig Owen, who spent all
day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday working the Fair and who managed
to find the solution to a balky phone line, without which we couldn't
have used our credit card terminal! See you in Manhattan next year!
Davien,
one of the extremely picturesque life-drawing models,
strikes a pose for artists
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