Silky Art and Sly Conversation

January brings two new viewing opportunities at Marco Island Center for the Arts. La Petite Galerie is featuring the fine arts and silk exhibit by artist and dyer Leigh Herndon of Naples. Leigh finds dyeing silk intriguing, whether creating fine art paintings on silk or designing original one-of-a-kind washable silk wearable art like kimonos, scarves, capes, and sarongs. Working daily in her studio Leigh creates nature-inspired paintings and wearable art, primarily Japanese silk dyeing processes.

For Leigh, the design process is a blend of planning, spontaneity, and experimentation with a great interest in the inter-relationship of edges of shapes within the designs. Frequently the process begins with a drawing on the silk and evolves with ideas that occur while working.

Overlaying one transparent dye color over another creates an entirely new color, so the work is constantly evolving and is created in several layers. The versatility of hot wax used in creating the designs lends unique textures to the creations. The fluidity of applying color with dyes is perfect for interpreting the beauty and mystery of nature. Recently Leigh found inspiration from the Everglades ecosystem and its flora and fauna. Leigh also teaches, exhibits and works in her studio gallery in the Naples Art District.

I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers” by John Logan is now playing at the Arts Center Theatre (ACT) at the Marco Town Center. Sue Mengers was once a Hollywood super-agent in the 1970s and her role is revived by Patti Caroli, one of Marco’s most beloved actors. Marco’s revival play is directed by Anna Segreto and Jim Swanker designed the set.

So who’s Sue? It’s been written that the 1970s was referred to as the “great age of personalities” in Hollywood and Sue Mengers was the first enormously successful female agent in Hollywood representing stars like Ryan O’Neil, Ali McGraw, Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Joan Collins, Michael Caine and Barbra Streisand, just to name a few. She is described as a charming, crafty, cutthroat tough, sharp tongue, uncompromising Hollywood agent who beat the boys in their own game and was top dog in a dog-eat-dog show-biz world. In the 1970s, Sue was considered the most powerful female agent representing the biggest female star, Barbra Streisand.

The play contains a flow of profane one-liners that reflect the true Sue Mengers vernacular when she spoke her mind. Pretend that you are one of the “lesser stars” invited to Sue’s “starry dinners” and listen to Mengers sitting on her couch, in full diva-mode, awaiting a phone call from her good friend Barbra Streisand.

As a sole performer, Patti Caroli held the audience together with her fast-paced delivery of Mengers’ witty, hilarious recounting that “stardom’s fame can fade as quickly as it came.” From the first line of the play, “I’m not getting up,” Patty only rose from the sofa in the final minutes.