Heather Goss talks about 'Flaunting' Art and Fashion at Honfluer Gallery

The exhibition, which has been on display since April, will close tomorrow night with a bang: a reception and Fashion Runway Show, beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Intrigued and attracted to the intersection of the creative worlds of fashion and art, I recently talked about this unique art exhibition with one of the curators, Heather Goss, who has become a regular fixture in the DC area's photography world.

Heather is the Director of Ten Miles Square, a venture to promote local photographers through independent, art supporting businesses, while also nurturing a new generation of collectors by offering real art at affordable prices. She's also is the Managing and Arts Editor of DCist.com, where she has covered visual art in D.C. since February 2006. She created and now organizes and juries the annual DCist Exposed Photography Show, and has served on the jury panels for the first annual FotoWeekDC contest and a photography contest by The Phillips Collection in 2009.  She's been a guest on the Kojo Nnamdi Show to discuss visual art in the metro area, and spends her days working as an attorney at a large law firm in downtown D.C.

Here's Heather's thoughts from our interview:

The idea started when Honfleur Gallery contacted me about two photographers I represent, Joshua Yospyn and John Ulaszek.  They have very different styles, but both tend towards artistic portraiture.  We thought a great exhibit would examine these differences within the same genre.  Since Ten Miles Square focuses on new talent, we decided to bring in two more budding portrait photographers and make it a real collaborative project by finding them each a local designer, who each created an outfit.  Giving the four photographers and four designers the same loose guidelines and timeline, but free creative reign resulted in outstanding and very different work.  You can see Yospyn's focus on color and anonymity, Ulaszek's "behind-the-scenes" shots with a bit of whimsy, Meaghan Gay's humorously sardonic eye, and Steve Goldenberg's in-your-face street style.

I hope viewers are able to appreciate each artist's work in itself, but also the comparison between the four of them.  Fashion photography is typically very commercially appealing, but it can also be artistic and challenging, and we wanted to see all sides of that.  We hope viewers will also, perhaps, get a glimpse of the "process," knowing that we commissioned the work and paired the local designers and artists all for this project. 

Initially, I had planned to curate the design part of the show, too, and started asking people for recommendations, including Rachel Cothran from Project Beltway. She responded, asking if she could help because she'd been thinking about doing something like this, and thank goodness she did.  I could have gotten some folks on board, but Rachel is really in the local fashion scene and has done an amazing job working with the designers and curating the show for our June 6 runway event.  We both have visions of creating a bigger art/fashion community in D.C. by giving a stage for local work, so it has been a great partnership.

What was your experience like to curate a show with so many components like Flaunt?

I was lucky to have Rachel come on board to handle the design curating, not to mention the ladies who run Honfleur, Briony Evans and Amy Cavanaugh.  Flaunt has been such a unique exhibit, requiring the production of so much original work in just a couple months preceeding the opening, and ending with the huge runway show with the four designers, along with models, stylists, DJs, and more photographers.  It never would have come together if the four of us didn't work so well together and have the same vision -- not to mention the flexibility to adapt and respond quickly, with so many moving parts that sometimes didn't fit together.  We've been excited to see the event come together, the work that's been created, and the experience that the artists and designers have gained by working together towards the same goal.

The reception and runway show should be quite the spectacle.  We don't get to see runway shows by real budding talents -- or anyone -- enough in this town.  Our guests will get to see these designers put on a real show, featuring four unique and eclectic visions for fashion, complete with popping flashbulbs and video art, and then sip some cocktails afterwards while wandering about the gallery with the exhibit photographers' interpretations of those visions.  We'll also have a pop-up boutique upstairs with designers work for sale.  This is a great time to buy something from both the photographers and designers, before they become unaffordable stars!

Honfluer Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Road, SE, Washington, DC
Tickets: $10.00 contact 202-580-5972 or arts@archdc.org

Advanced ticket purchase only!!! Tickets will not be sold at the door!