The night of July 8 was a great night to be Garbo Hearne's comrade or client.
The owner of Hearne Fine Art celebrated HFA's 29th anniversary with a progressive party for 40 that started at her gallery on Wright Avenue, continued with a cocktail buffet at the home of noted collectors Jackye and Curtis Finch and ended with cordials and locally made chocolates at the Cantrell home Hearne shares with her husband, Dr. Archie Hearne. A party bus carried guests between destinations.
The Hearnes bought the Finches' party as a live auction item at last year's Artissimo, an every-other-year fundraiser for the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College's Center for Humanities and Arts. At $1,005, the experience was a steal.
"I couldn't have asked for a more appropriate buyer," Jackye Finch said prior to the big night.
The guest list included friends, artists, art teachers and collectors. Special guest was artist Alfred Conteh of Atlanta, whose work is currently featured in the Hearne gallery. A self-portrait of Conteh, titled Me, hung on the wall of the Finches' home. The couple's massive collection includes mostly works on paper and many self-portraits, including those of Delita Martin, Gaela Erwin, Laura Rayburn, Robert Pruitt, James Bonner, Reynier Llanes and others.
Trio's provided the fare, including a signature drink called the "Contehmpary," and Chocolatier Carmen Portillo of Cocoa Belle Chocolates created dark chocolate truffle pyramids with edible gold "snowcaps." The Finches, whose collection is influenced by the late Arkansas Arts Center director Townsend Wolfe, have donated more than 100 pieces to the art center.
HFA, in its fourth location, also includes a bookstore and frame shop.
"Art and real estate are the two things that if you take care of them, they will take care of you," Garbo Hearne said.
During the champagne reception at the gallery, she toasted some longtime helpers: gallery/bookstore manager Patrece Brown, framer Randy Taylor, volunteer Rena Sampson and the Hearnes' daughter, Auna Hearne and Brown's daughter, Alyssa Pride, both of whom grew up in the business.
The Hearnes' own home collection is extensive and impressive, with lots of nods to black artists. Archie Hearne, also an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, said of his wife: "Garbo has been the ultimate warrior that has brought out the goal I set out to accomplish with our collection."
High Profile on 07/16/2017