David Stark The Art Of The Party

Renowned event planner David Stark reveals whimsical, artistic, unexpected designs often created from sustainable, industrial, or low-cost materials to inspire readers—whether planning a wedding, dinner party, or holiday gathering—looking for ideas for their own events. Twenty-five of David Stark's events are featured—both private celebrations and charitable galas— and showcase how he developed the inspiration for the overarching theme, color palette, and the thoughtful, coordinated details he's known for, and which truly make an event memorable. From the New York Metropolitan Opera opening gala to Target’s large-scale charitable events and pop-up shops, David Stark’s inimitable influence is sweeping the design world—and thanks to his books, becoming more accessible for his legions of fans. No matter the event, The Art of the Party is sure to inspire creativity and become an essential resource for years to come.

David Stark is one of New York’s most creative and sought-after event designers. This book explores forty of Stark’s elaborate yet eco-friendly events—corporate, non-profit, and private—with 200 exquisite photographs and descriptive text. Organized according to the designer’s quirky phraseology—“Animate the Inanimate” “Don't Take It So Seriously . . . At the End of the Day, It's a Party” “From Many Little Things Make One Big Thing” "It's Not What You Use, But How You Use It" and "Make Packaging the Prize"—this book is unique in both its presentation and its content. Stark considers his events “art installations” and when guests enter his spaces, that is exactly how they feel—surrounded by the kind of creative input and passion that can only be described as art. Clients include Condé Nast Publications, Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Hearst Corporation, Michael Graves, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, Museum of Arts and Design, Rachael Ray, Tory Burch, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora, Sundance Institute, and Target.

As sweet as a love note, as welcome as a holiday, as easy as pie. Take simple squares of cloth, succinctly written directions, and clearly photographed steps and create fantastic napkin folds that transform your table into a showpiece. Mixing whimsy and elegance, celebrity event designer David Stark fashions stylish setups for every occasion. In Napkins with a Twist, Stark turns his unerring eye to the art of the perfect table setting, focusing on the quick, inexpensive, and creative. From everyday to evening, children's parties to black-tie affairs, a clever napkin fold turns any gathering into a memorable event. Classic folds such as the Tuexedo Fold, together with Stark's own innovative designs—including the wildly fun Fortune Cookie and Sushi Roll folds—make setting the table a no-brainer. Folds from Buckingham Palace and the Kennedy White House, New York's Pierre and Napa Valley's French Laundry, reveal how royalty, the rich and famous, the world's legendary restaurants, all put just the right touches on their signature starched linens. Along with its array of napkin folds, Napkins with a Twist spills over with useful tips, how-to lists, etiquette reminders, table settings, and surprising suggestions for how a napkin fold can become the starting point for designing an entire occasion.

David Stark is Arthur Lehman Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Columbia University, where he directs the Center on Organizational Innovation. His most recent book is The Sense of Dissonance: Accounts of Worth in Economic Life. Nancy Warner is a fine-art and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. Many of the photographs in this book were first exhibited at the Great Plains Art Museum as Going Back: Midwestern Farm Places (2008).

Stunning contemporary tabletop designs inspired by historical decorative objects from the world's great museums Throughout history, tabletop decoration has been at the nexus of utilitarian function and innovative design. In At the Artisan's Table, designers and event producers Jane Schulak and David Stark pair historical tableware from the world's finest design museums with pieces by an international array of contemporary artisans who reinterpret traditional crafts and styles, including Aptware (marbled clay), blue-and-white Delft, chinoiserie, faux bois, plaster, splatterware, and trompe l'oeil. Each chapter features a museum object that serves as a "muse"; the work and studio of the artist who has updated the traditional craft; and gorgeous table settings designed by Schulak and Stark that incorporate the artist's handmade wares and provide inspiration for everyone who has ever wished to wow their dinner guests.

WINNER OF THE EISNER AWARD • A bold and fascinating graphic novel history of the revolutionary Black Panther Party. Founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was a radical political organization that stood in defiant contrast to the mainstream civil rights movement. This gripping illustrated history explores the impact and significance of the Panthers, from their social, educational, and healthcare programs that were designed to uplift the Black community to their battle against police brutality through citizen patrols and frequent clashes with the FBI, which targeted the Party from its outset. Using dramatic comic book-style retellings and illustrated profiles of key figures, The Black Panther Party captures the major events, people, and actions of the party, as well as their cultural and political influence and enduring legacy.

A revealing guide to a career as an event planner written by W Magazine executive editor Armand Limnander and based on the real-life experiences of powerhouse event planner Bronson van Wyck—necessary reading for anyone considering a path to this profession. Becoming an Event Planner takes you behind the scenes to find out what it’s really like, and what it really takes, to become an event planner. Behind every great event is a visionary planner, and Bronson van Wyck, founder of the award-winning event firm Van Wyck & Van Wyck, treats his events as works of art. He has masterminded celebrations for Dior, Condé Nast, Rolex, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyoncé, and the Obamas. W Magazine executive editor Armand Limnander shadows van Wyck as he and his team produce a marquee event: a gala for the New York arts organization Creative Time. Using design, food, and entertaining, van Wyck transports his guests to carefully conceived, often fantastical temporary spaces. He reveals how the best event planners are aesthetic gurus, skilled social connectors, talented collaboration artists, and, most important of all, makers of memories. Discover van Wyck’s path to prominence as you gain wisdom and insight from an event planner operating at the highest level.