I was thrilled when a glamorous woman in a satin magenta gown asked me to dance while feting Elizabeth’s Sutton’s 34th birthday along with my husband Mike and our son Michael, my ubiquitous partners in the global art world. The invitation stoked my dormant passion for public, free-form flailing while presenting an opportunity to redeem myself for unleashing a snarky rejection at a middle school dance because the boy didn’t meet my silly, superficial 1980s pretty boy glam rocker standards. As those ugly words erupted from my preteen lips, I realized they were more mean than bitchily pithy, as I’d intended. I hope the boy dismissed it as vanity and insecurity, and that he has gone on to find dance partners who know what it took me years to learn: it’s just a dance and engaging in movement of body is superior to spewing rebuff.
Sutton curated an energetic crowd of individuals, her “good vice tribe,” who restored my faith in humanity when several strangers shared smiles and struck up conversations, a human art that’s too often absent in a digital age. The woman who asked me to dance also reinforced my belief that people can change. I embrace Sutton’s extravagant celebration, a tribute to individual style and personality, as much as I respect her working to recreate her life and emerge on a career as artist and designer.
While she donned an elegant floor-length, one-shoulder black gown that accentuates her svelte figure, cinched at the waist with her signature butterfly motif, her invitation set no rules: “Come dressed however you feel your very best – from casual to cocktail – the only thing I care about is that you bring your good energy!’
Sutton learned the hazards of a normative linear existence, marrying and becoming a mother in her 20s. Her birthday celebration last week was her magnificent coming out party of sorts: introducing the fiercely independent woman who overcame the trauma of an early marriage and unleashed her artistic passion. The soiree at her Manhattan studio was organized by Yael Carmi, CEO and founder of Medici Events, who amplified the already festive feel of the ample Elizabeth Sutton Collection space.
Elizabeth’s Sutton painting a model.
Photo credit: Alison Su
The party itself was a work of art, replete with: fragrant, flamboyant floral displays; an enthusiastic DJ; a woman in a thong bodysuit acting as a canvas for live painting; a delicious marriage of special sushi rolls, herbaceous vegetarian Israeli favorites, and uniformly shaped golden brown latke that reminded me of my maternal babushka’s culinary excellence. It was the ease of strangers who shared more with a few words than most folks today exchange over years of interaction in a workplace. It was in stark contrast to a recent non-art industry gathering where my one hope of engaging in meaningful conversation by eking out another person’s passion for theater ended when he asked nothing of my interests in life outside of my current career as a writer in finance. Just as I lamented that we have devolved into an anti-society where our passion projects dwell in isolation, unrelated to our professional personas, Sutton’s celebration of self and other selves was the tonic that nursed my scarred spirit.
Her art speaks loudly of her past struggles and her flourishing confidence and lust for a life that we may choose, navigate, and appreciate to its fullest.
Elizabeth Sutton Collection in Manhattan
Photo credit: Alison Su.
Sutton’s designs offer many paths to appreciation. Her visual lexicon includes repeated motifs of butterflies, underscoring her rebirth, journey, and awakening. Her portraits depict music, film, and fashion idols. Her narratives celebrate the strength and resilience of Israeli people. Rainbow shapes in shades of brown, beige, and black, remind us that we’re one, stronger together, and unbound to cultural ideals of a typical color spectrum.
Her work is candid, colorful, often glittery, self referential, and emotional, opening avenues into connection and conversation.
Sutton leads by example, showing those in her life that humans have the capacity to change, to transform, to love life. If you’re trapped in a relationship that inhibits your goals, seek a safe way out and begin the most important relationship with yourself before considering a new partnership. If you have creative inclinations, gain the tools and hone your skills, listening to the critic who matters most: you.
If you’re not ready to make a major move like Sutton, start by asking someone to dance. You’ll both feel empowered by the human capacity for sharing space and energy. Not inclined to practice art? Find a way to engage with art. Galleries are free. Auction house previews are free and offer an opportunity to often see works on display for the first or last time in your life. New York City museums are free to New Yorkers, and are worth the entry fee for visitors who likely pay far less in rent or mortgage outside of the city. Sutton will welcome you into her Manhattan studio, and even invite you to create alongside her. And if you have no interest in learning to make art, listen to her story about mastering the art of change. Your soul will thank you.
