A Toast for The Bottom of the Harbor, Illustrated by Joana Avillez
“They don’t throw book parties like this anymore” seemed to be the consensus during the evening hosted to toast the newest edition of Joseph Mitchell’s The Bottom of the Harbor. First published in 1959, the volume gathers fifteen years of Mitchell’s New Yorker essays documenting the underbelly and unseen sides of New York City’s waterfront. For the celebration highlighting Joana Avillez’s illustrated edition of the volume, the surroundings were decidedly more chic than the gritty world of Mitchell’s subject matter. Behind velvet curtains in the sunroom of Chez Nous, Vogue’s own Chloe Malle joined Jazmine Hughes, Doreen St. Felix, Thessaly La Force, Natasha Stagg, Josh Safdie, David Kuhn, and Andy Ward in celebrating Avillez over rosé and watermelon margaritas. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
The 44th annual Artscape—America’s Largest Free Outdoor Arts Festival
Artscape—which takes place annually in Baltimore—welcomed more than 100,000 attendees during Memorial Day weekend. Grammy-winner Stephanie Mills and iconic hip-hop group The Roots served as festival headliners, while industry panels and talkbacks—titled In Conversation Series—were hosted by Emmy-nominated makeup artist Ngozi Olandu Young, NAACP award-winning actor and producer Tyler Lepley, activist and poet Lynae Vanee, YouTube award-winner George “Conscious” Lee, strategic advisor Amanda Sabreah, influencer Mr. Jay Hill, and comedian D.L. Hughley. Other festival highlights included a Beyond The Reel film festival, an artisan market, the Scout Art Fair and Sondheim Art Prize, The Flavor Lab, and Kidscape—an offshoot dedicated to parents and children. At the close of each day, the festival continued with after-parties called Artscape: After Dark, featuring local nightclub activations, a square dance, and performances by Frenchie Davis, Buddy Red, and Navasha Daya. Speaking on Artscape’s legacy and impact, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott stated: “Baltimore has a dynamic festival season, and this year’s Artscape—featuring local and national talent on three different stages—simply put, was incredible.” Chiming in agreement were Create Baltimore’s chief executive officer Robyn Murphy and chief marketing and programs officer Tia Goodson. Murphy shared: “Maryland and Baltimore are exemplary in the support and investment they provide to arts and culture. Last year, the festival saw an average of 60,000 attendees each day and made an economic impact of $8.8 million.” Goodson agreed: “Each year, the team works to ensure the festival is overflowing with art, pushes the envelope on what art can be, and is free of any barriers that could make art inaccessible.” —Avon Dorsey
