Works of Art

Local PR maven Lisa Shenkle was elegantly turned out for last weekend’s Decanter Wine Festival at Laurel Racetrack. She recaps the ensemble this way: “The light wool powder blue coat I bought in Paris in St. Germaine. The blue shift is Calvin Klein; the navy blue taffeta hat was a steal at Burlington Coat Factory, as was the navy velvet burnout scarf for $12.99! Shoes are Gucci, from Neiman-Marcus. Glasses were a gift – Valentino.”

This year’s Light City festival had lots to look at, but this installation may qualify as the most stylish of the lot. Named “House of Cards,” it consisted of 128 light boxes with art from 20+ artists, which light up and turn off in order to mimic the building and tearing down of a house of cards. The piece was created by OGE Group of Israel.

I stopped by the current installation by The Contemporary, which is a large, two-story sculptural piece designed by artist Michael Jones McKean, dubbed “The Ground.”

The show is open through May 19 at the old Hutzler’s Bros. department store “Palace” building on Howard Street.

What I found as fascinating as the installation though, was the architecture of this long-dormant space. The sleek Art Deco details of the entryways of the 1931 section of the store, and the Romanesque façade of the original 1888 Palace building.

Shuttered now for a generation, it’s a fun trip back in time for those who’ve never been inside this historic building that once housed the most stylish shopping emporium in town. {Hutzler Bros. Palace Building, 210 N. Howard Street, downtown}

As promised, a look at some more of the new Sagamore Pendry Hotel, with interiors designed by Patrick Sutton. The main dining room features expansive circular banquettes upholstered in ivory leather, oversized suspended light fixtures, and the original brick walls of the City Pier building, which houses the hotel.

The sleek cocktail lounge, which overlooks the outdoor atrium garden space, has clusters of soft seating around low tables, as well as large metal chandeliers overhead.

Some of the individual design details include the floor of the dining room bar area, clad in three shades of Italian marble in diamond shapes laid in a pattern that suggests an M.C. Escher print, and…

…this illuminated infinity wall sculpture in the entryway ramp. {Sagamore Pendry Hotel, 1715 Thames Street, Fells Point]

Here’s a fun pairing, currently featured at the bar at Dylan’s Oyster Cellar: dubbed the ‘High & Mellow,’ it’s a pony-sized classic Miller High Life with a Mellow Corn Whiskey shot chaser—fun! {Dylan’s Oyster Cellar, 3601 Chestnut Avenue, Hampden}