Join us for a preview of Studio 54: Night Magic—the first museum exhibition devoted to one nightclub

Join us for a preview of Studio 54: Night Magic—the first museum exhibition devoted to one nightclub.  Enter and Sparkle! Virtual tour created by Matthew Yokobosky, Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture. SETTING:  NYC in the 1970s was rundown, almost bankrupt, and in need of escapism.  Because rents were low though, many artists and musicians flocked to the city.  It was during this time that three genres of music emerged: punk, hip-hop and especially disco. THE CREATORS:  Two Brooklyn-born entrepreneurs Ian Schrager (right)  and Steve Rubell (left) created Studio 54 in 1977, the same year the I Love (insert red heart) New York campaign began and Saturday Night Fever was released–together they helped to re-brand NYC. THE PLACE:  The building at 254 West 54th Street first opened in 1928 as the Fortune Gallo Opera House, became a CBS television studio for three decades (What’s My Line), and in 1966 “The Velvet Underground and Nico” album, produced by Andy Warhol, was recorded here at Scepter Studios..  DECOR: In 1977, the designer Ron Doud and lighting wizards Jules Fisher and Paul Marantz transformed the theater/soundstage into a discotheque–replacing the stage with a dancefloor but keeping the balcony for viewing, and so that everyone could be seen and become a star for that moment. Voyeuristic architecture.LOGO and MUSIC:  LIFE magazine art director #GilbertLesser with Schrager created the iconic tilted 54 logo—one of the most widely recognized logos of the ‘70s.  Later, 54 became the cover of the double-album “A Night at Studio 54”, mixed by DJ Roy Thode.  Along with the album, Thode’s custom headphone, original reel-to-reel recordings,  and “beats-per-minute” bible are also on display.  Each gallery of the exhibition has a soundtrack based on original Studio 54 mixes.OPENING NIGHT:  On  April 26, 1977, The Alvin Ailey Dance Company performed to a disco soundtrack, with choreography by Kay Thompson and costumes designed by the legendary illustrator Antonio Lopez for Fioirucci.WHO GOT IN:  Studio 54 soon became a must-see destination for celebrities, fashion designers, and New York’s most interesting residents–as doorman Marc Benecke described: “people who could bring energy to the room”.   One such person was performance artist Richard Gallo, who wore outrageous costumes designed by Phillip Haight and Ronald Kolodzie.  BUSBOYS: Kolodzie was also the designer of the “eye-catching” busboy uniforms composed of  satin shorts one size too small, knee-high tube socks and sneakers. Many photographs in the exhibition are by @miestorm1 who himself was a busboy known as “Lenny 54”. STARS:  The exhibition features over 650 works, including twenty original paintings by Richard Bernstein of Studio 54 regulars featured on Interview magazine covers.  Studio hosted the 10th Anniversary Party on June 7, 1979.DIVERSITY:  Truman Capote on The David Susskind Show, February 1979:   Studio 54– “Its everything the way it ought to be.  Its very democratic.  It’s all kinds of colors.  All kinds of sizes.  Boys and boys together.  Girls and girls together.  Girls and boys together.  Poor people. Rich people.  Taxi drivers.  Anything you want.  It’s all mixed up together and that’s what I like about it.”Truman Capote, 1979 by Roxanne LowitNEW YEARS EVE: The nightclub became known for extravagant décor by Renny Reynolds, Richie Williamson (Moon and the Spoon), and Tony-award winning designer Tony Walton (Neon Fan).  Schrager’s most favorite party of all was New Year’s Eve 1978-79 which he described as “Standing on Stardust”.  Reynolds brought in 4 tons of diamond dust: two for the floor, and two to sprinkle on the dancefloor throughout the night.Background: Stroke of Midnight at Studio, 1978-79 by Dustin Pop, with dresses by Zandra Rhodes Giorgio DiSantAngelo and Kenny Bonavitacola in foreground.DISCO FASHION: Fashion designer Halston installed disco lighting in his atelier, so that he could see how his designs would look at Studio 54 and other nightclub settings. His clients included Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor and Lauren Bacall. ICONS: Elizabeth Taylor famously wore her Bulgari 62-carat sapphire necklace to Studio, for Martha Graham’s 1979 benefit honoring Halston.  Other attendees included past Graham students: former First Lady BettyFord, DorisDuke and LizaMInnelli. COMING SOON:  Though it only lasted for 33 months, Studio 54 –  known for its legendary parties that attracted the most diverse, famous and glamorous clientele of its day  –  is considered to be the most important nightclub of the Twentieth Century. See why at the Brooklyn Museum. Stay tuned for more updates about Studio 54: Night Magic.Thank you for joining us on our tour of Studio 54: Night Magic. Join us next Sunday for another virtual tour of our galleries!Installation view of Studio 54: Night Magic. (Photo: Jonathon Dorado)(Source: brooklynmuseum.org) -- source link

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