NAC Chat

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with Emmy award-winning stylist and best-selling author David Zyla. They discuss Zyla's career, his numerous books including "The Color of Style" and "How to Win at Shopping," and his tips for dressing−and feeling−your best.

David Zyla, member of the Fashion Committee, sits down with fashion designer and artist Richard Haines. They discuss Haines's fashion career and his newfound love of blogging.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with burlesque performer Reverend Legs Malone. They discuss the history of burlesque and why it's often considered taboo to this day.

David Zyla, member of the Fashion Committee, sits down with award-winning costume designer Lisa Padovani. They discuss her career and work on shows like Boardwalk Empire and Gotham.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with NAC Board of Governors member Arthur Barnes. They discuss how Barnes became involved with the Club, his love of jazz, and his role in the Club's 120th anniversary celebration.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with artist Aaron Miller. They discuss Miller's unique process of working with charcoal.

David Zyla of the Fashion Committee sits down with fashion designer Jeffrey Banks. They discuss Banks' decades-long career, how he got started in the business, and what he's working on today.

David Zyla of the Fashion Committee sits down with Clare Wilkinson. They discuss Wilkinson's career and books, including Fashioning Bollywood: The Making and Meaning of Hindi Film Costume.

David Zyla of the Fashion Committee sits down with style writer Nichelle Gainer. They discuss her book Vintage Black Glamour and the history of fashion in the black community.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with Judy Mam to discuss DADA.nyc, a new social media network where users communicate through drawing.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with artist Jeremy Ruiz to discuss his background and the art of printmaking.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with photographer Jordan Matter. They discuss Matter's career photographing dancers and his new book.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with artist Jane Lafarge Hammil. They discuss how virtual reality is changing the art world and how its impacting Lafarge Hammil's work and career.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with artist and poet Douglas Florian. They discuss Florian's many celebrated picture books, which he writes and illustrates.

Steve Kass, Chair of the Architecture Committee, sits down with artist architectural historian Cedric Benetti. They discuss the history of American and Parisian architecture.

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with celebrated author André Aciman. They discuss his many novels, including Call Me By Your Name, and upcoming projects.  

David Zyla of the Fashion Committee sits down with menswear designer Alan Flusser. They discuss Flusser's decades-long career, his process, and his costume design work for films including Wall Street. 

Charlotte Kent, Chair of the Education Committee, sits down with anime artist Jeanette Hayes. They discuss the artist's work, her inspirations, and how technology influences her art.

Steve Kass, Chair of the Architecture Committee, sits down with artist and author Adam Van Doren. They discuss Van Doren's most recent book, The Stones of Yale, and his work capturing famous architecture through painting.

David Zyla of the Fashion Committee sits down with fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez. They discuss Rodriguez's career, inspirations, and many accolades, including a recent Medal of Honor from The National Arts Club.

Steve Kass, Chair of the Architecture Committee, sits down with architectural historian Barry Wilson. They discuss the architectural history of New York City and many of its most famous buildings.

This week on NAC Chat we continue with our 120th Anniversary programming as Steve Kass sits down with Dr. Eugene Weisse. Dr. Weisse was recently honored with a medal of his Dedication to our Historic NAC Clubhouse. They discuss how Dr. Weisse was introduced to the club and what he has done to preserve the Tilden Mansion for generations to come.

This week on NAC Chat, Charlotte sits down with legendary portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler to discuss his journey from inking comic books as a teen to painting the portraits of 8 Presidents. Kinstler is also a member of the National Arts Club and has has a studio in the building since the late 1940's where he has painted some of his most famous portraits. He is one of the foremost portrait painters in America and has been honored at The National Arts Club 120th Anniversary Gala for his a Lifetime Achievement in Art and Dedication to the NAC. His subjects include Tony Bennet, Carol Burnet, Katherine Hepburn, Paul Newman, John Wayne, and his portraits of President Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Raegan are the official White House Portraits. His work can be seen at The National Portrait Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Butler Institute of American Art, The Brooklyn Museum, and of course The National Arts Club. 

This week on NAC Chat, Charlotte Kent sits down with Robert Yahner, the registrar and unofficial curator of The National Arts Club, to discuss  the 120th Anniversary exhibition he recently curated, his work shaping the permanent collection into what it is today, and his introduction to New York City and the club. 

This week on NAC Chat, Charlotte Kent sits down with a sculptors couple Babette Bloch and Marc Mellon to discuss their lives together, their art practices, and how the National Arts Club has had an impact on both.  Babette is a pioneer in the use of laser-cut and water jet-cut stainless steel in creating figurative works of art. Her sculptures explore form and the interplay between object and light, reflect their environments, and expand the ways in which stainless steel is used in contemporary art. Marc is one of America's foremost representational sculptors and medalists, well known for his portrait busts, commemorative statues, and works in bronze exploring the worlds of dance, sport, and family life. His works have been displayed from New York to Los Angeles to Tokyo and are in numerous corporate, private, and public collections worldwide. 

Steve Kass sits down with Architectural Historian Francis Marrone to discuss the history of the Gramercy Park area and it's illustrious residents including Edith Wharton and Samuel Tilden, who's house the NAC calls home. Marrone was the 2012 recipient of the Arthur Ross Award of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, and a 2016 recipient of the Landmarks Lion Award of the Historic Districts Council. He teaches at NYU and his essays on architecture have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, City Journal, American Arts Quarterly, the New Criterion, Humanities, and the New York Times.

David Zyla sits down with costume designer Lisa Padovani to discuss her design process, and her career designing costumes for shows like Boardwalk Empire and Gotham, which filmed at The National Arts Club. Lisa is a five time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, and a two time Costume Guild Award Winner. In addition to many film credits, her television credits include Madmen, Boardwalk Empire, Gotham, Dirty Dancing (The ABC Movie), and Sneaky Pete. You can follow Lisa on instagram @lisapadovani on twitter @lisapadovani1 and on her website www.lisapadovanicostumes.com

Charlotte Kent sits down with Matthew 'Levee' Chavez AKA The Subway Therapist to discuss art, activism, and what he is doing to make a big impact on his community through his art. Matthew “Levee” Chavez is the creator of Subway Therapy, an ongoing immersive project in the subway stations of New York City that received the 2017 Brendan Gill Prize and earned Chavez the Demos Transforming America Award. A believer in the therapeutic power of communication, Chavez has worked in the field of education in a variety of different roles, including at a magnet school for students with autism. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

David Zyla sits down with Tanisha C Ford PhD to discuss her book 'Radical Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul', which narrates the powerful intertwining histories of the Black Freedom movement and the rise of the global fashion industry. Liberated Threads won the 2016 Organization of American Historians’ Liberty Legacy Foundation Award for best book on civil rights history. She is a co-founder of TEXTURES, a pop-up material culture lab, creating and curating content on fashion and the built environment.

Steve Kass sits down with Greg Young and Tom Meyers, the hosts and producers of the Bowery Boys: New York City History podcast to discuss their favorite architecture and history in NYC. Greg and Tom started the podcast on a whim as a fun project during the summer of 2007. Both had some amateur radio experience in our past (Greg in college in Missouri and Tom in high school in Ohio), and talked for years about producing some sort of fun New York-related radio show. Eleven years later they're having more fun than ever recording monthly episodes that help tell the fascinating story of New York. They have a quarter of a million listeners per month and, in 2016, have also produced a book -- The Bowery Boys: Adventures in Old New York." You can their podcast on iTunes, find them on Instagram @boweryboysnyc, and on Twitter @boweryboys. NAC Chat is the official podcast of The National Arts Club.

David Zyla sits down with Rose Callahan and Natty Adams are the co-creators of the books 'I am Dandy' and 'We are Dandy' to discuss what exactly is a Dandy and the impact their books have had on a new generation. Around the world, dandies embrace style while respecting their local cultural traditions. Dandyism transcends fashion―it is a committed way of life and an obsession with elegance. It is fashion in the best sense, self-esteem through style. And, in every country, it takes a unique form as dandies draw on the local context and fashion culture to shape their looks. Through Callahans photos and Adams writing, the intricate world of each Dandy unfolds before our eyes in dazzling splendor. You can find Rose on Instagram and Twitter at @rcallahanphoto. You can find Natty on Instagram and Twitter @nattyadams. NAC Chat is the official podcast of The National Arts Club

Charlotte Kent of The National Arts Club sits down with digital artist Carla Gannis to discuss the intricacies of what it takes to be a digital artist and where she sees the market going. Gannis identifies as a visual storyteller. Her work examines the narrativity of 21st century representational technologies and reveals the hybrid nature of identity, where virtual and real embodiments of self diverge and intersect. Best known for her work 'The Garden of Emoji Delights', Gannis’s work has appeared in over 20 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @carlagannis and at http://carlagannis.com/ NAC Chat is the official Podcast of The National Arts Club