Kendra Scott is hot. Her jewelry has been featured in many tony fashion magazines such as In Style and Town and Country. On the day we met for this interview, her office was buzzing with the news that a piece of her jewelry, the Ulyssia ring, was going to be featured in the July issue of the Oprah Magazine. Fearless and confident, she opened her sophisticated New York City showroom early this year despite the economic downturn. It has been a tremendous success, expanding her distribution and clients nationwide. What is now a rapidly growing multi-million dollar business has evolved from $500 of stones with each piece hand-crafted by Kendra on her kitchen table. Beginning her business single-handedly, she carried her designs in a tea box going from store to store taking orders with a three-month-old infant in tow. As the business has grown exponentially, Scott continues to design and market her work. In 2007, Scott received the Rising Star Award for the Texas Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In May of this year, she received her Masters’ degree in Entrepreneurship from M.I.T.

While her star is definitely on the rise, Scott’s basic philosophy has not changed. She remains committed to the three philosophies that shape the company and continue to direct its course: family, fashion and philanthropy.

After the birth of her first child, Scott did not want to return to her job as an advertising executive for a travel magazine often traveling for as much as five weeks at a time. Looking for a career that would allow her to “be a mom first” she decided to try her hand at something she was passionate about and could do at home—thus began Kendra Scott Designs. With two young sons at home, Scott continues to maintain a flexible schedule allowing her to put family first. Her husband Albert is very supportive of her dreams and plans for the business. “He is my rock, my confidante and my best friend.”

Scott also believes in treating her employees like family, extending that understanding and philosophy to her entire team. Recognized by Austin Business Journal, Kendra Scott Design, Inc. was voted one of the Top Ten Places to Work in Central Texas in 2007. “My name may be on the door, but I have made these incredible leaps because of my team. Everyone in the company is creative. Everyone collaborates in every aspect of the business..”

One look at Scott reveals a passion for an innate sense of style, grace and fashion. Her remarkable jewelry makes a statement with unique combinations of semi-precious stones, flowing metals, natural elements such as bamboo and wood as well as snakeskin. Scott has stayed true to her customer: “a dynamic woman on the go with a lot going on who wants to look good without breaking the bank.” Her very reasonable price point for quality designer jewelry has garnered a lot of attention from the national press. “Now more than ever people understand and are looking for value and quality. I source my stones direct and am very creative with my designs so that I can pass along the value to my customers. My jewelry has the same look and quality as other pieces two to three times the price, but I try to make it attainable.”

Scott’s jewelry is prized and collected as works of art. “If you don’t want attention then don’t buy my jewelry. Our designs have a personality. They are trend based with an eye on keeping them timeless.” Although Scott’s inspiration comes from many sources, she believes her designs are a reflection of the place she calls home. “I consistently hear that our line feels different, and I think that is because we are here in this city. I use a lot of organic elements and it has an Austin vibe—a flow and a feel. One of my collections was inspired by a walk in the Zilker Botanical Gardens…the colors of the flowers, the leaves, the feathers of the birds, the bamboo. In design I interpret trends as they relate to the personality of our jewelry, which is the personality of Austin.”

Scott is a visible and vibrant part of the city she loves. “I have always wanted to give back. I knew from the first business I started that the true measure of success for me was going to be the ability to help other people.” Although Scott never turns down a request for a donation, her philanthropic focus is on women and children. A percentage of sales from each bi-annual Kendra Scott Design Sample Sale benefits charities like LifeWorks and the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. From 2005-2007, Kendra annually donated over $15,000 in gifts to Go Red for Women, a national movement founded by the American Heart Association to help women to fight back against heart disease, the number one killer of women in America.

With its mission of serving at-risk youth and their families, LifeWorks has become a mainstay in Scott’s philanthropic outreach and focus. “I serve on only one board because I want to give heart and soul to the organization.” Scott also serves as co-founder and co-chair of LEAP, a fundraising and networking organization for entrepeneurs and professionals interested in making a positive impact on the lives of those in need. “We attract a dynamic group of people with a similar mindset. We like to have fun and it is important to give back to this community that has given so much to us.” The White Party is the highlight of LEAP’s fundraising efforts. Influenced by the White Parties of the Hamptons, Scott and her Co-Chair Joe Ross set out to create a wonderland on the grounds of the historic Green Pastures restaurant. Now in its third year, the very chic party was an instant success and is the hottest event of the summer season. “The White party is all about fun, fashion and creativity. We have an unbelievable team that gives so generously to transform a beautiful historic setting into a wonderland…a white hot party. The goal is to raise as much as we can for LifeWorks while connecting with each other and having fun.”

As she speaks of plans for this year’s event, Kendra Scott bubbles over with the things that have made her a success: passion for her community and her work, attention to detail, confident creativity, connection and reaching out to others, and a zest for life that cannot be contained. While she may be a white hot style maker, it is the genuine warmth and caring that gives Kendra Scott an unforgettable glow and makes her heartfelt invitaion to the White party impossible to resist.

The Event: 2009 Austin Wine Festival
May 23rd through 25th, Saturday through Monday, Memorial Day Weekend
Uniquely Austin, the three-day Texas wine celebration takes place RAIN OR SHINE! Wineries from Lampasas to New Braunfels and from Fredericksburg to Dripping Springs have flourished from a pioneering few into an internationally awarded and recognized wine region. Designated as the #2 Fastest Growing Wine Destination in the Nation, second only to Napa, according to the Orbitz Insider Index, and the #1 of the best “Places to Go This Summer” by The New York Times, the Austin Wine Festival is the place to be and be seen. This winery-owned festival is unprecedented in its ability to provide direct to consumer wine sales on site. For the first time in Texas wine enthusiasts can purchase wine by the glass, bottle and case on the spot!
While you taste the splendor of the fruits of our wineries’ labors, your kids will enjoy our expanded children’s area that will include outdoor laser tag and mobile video game theater.
Created with the intent to saturate The Live Music Capital of the World one glass at a time, the Austin Wine Festival is designed to be extraordinary, unforgettable and different. Attendees will not find themselves crammed into one large circus big top, but will discover a well-organized trail of individual and spacious winery tents with plenty of room to converse and sample. Wine enthusiasts attendees not only enjoy tasting Texas Hill Country wines, in many cases will have the opportunity to meet the actual wine makers and learn about the process, grape and location of its particular birth. Wine is about the experience and this festival presents enthusiasts with a rare opportunity to purchase wine by the glass, bottle or case directly from the winery itself, practically in their own backyard. 
 
Bang For the Buck: The Organization and it’s Mission
Creating local wine awareness, as well as improving wine esteem, is one of the main goals of the Austin Wine Festival. Wine lovers will delight in the unbelievably diverse and seemingly countless wines that are only improving with quality over time. Many wine lovers are unaware that the Texas Hill Country, which is lovingly shaped by many rivers and rolling knolls, sits just on the western edge of a gorgeous humid subtropical climate that provides gentle winters and long, warm summers making it a mecca for wineries. As for awareness, reaching out to the connoisseurs is just as important as reaching out to different, less predictable crowds. Texas Hill Country Wineries want to create a relationship between all people and Texas wine, which is no longer just your run-of-the-mill elegant dinner decoration but should be a heart-healthy part of your daily life. 
Interested in local and healthy business, The Austin Wine Festival has once again chosen the Austin Farmer Market and Sustainable Food Center as the 2009 beneficiary. This natural partnership gives a nod to the mutual passion between these two organizations about drinking local wines, eating local foods and keeping Texas investment dollars within the local economy.  

For more information visit: www.AustinWineFestival.com

Sally Jacques has had several “aha moments” in her life and career and at least two of them have made her and her dance company, Blue Lapis Light, a must see in Austin.

Her first “aha moment” came while spending a whole week in a New York City window. She realized that bringing her art out of the theater and to the people, she was able to interrupt the drudgery of their daily routines, and in a sense, force them to look at the beauty in the world around them. Construction scaffolding along then Town Lake brought her to the second “aha moment” – 360 degrees of dance.

As artistic director for Blue Lapis Light, Jacques has taken dance to a new dimension in the capitol city and mesmerized Austin with her site-specific aerial dance group. Harnesses, silks and rappelling gear catch the audience’s imagination by angelically suspending the dancers in mid-air against an unexpected background. The stage for Blue Lapis Light is ever-changing; the structured lines of architecture seem to speak to Jacques, almost begging to be juxtaposed with the fluidity of dance.

Very few people attempt what Jacques has produced beautifully over the past 28 years. For that work, she was named “Best Site-Works Artist” in 1995, and “Choreographer of the Air” in 2002, by The Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin Critics Poll.

Born an activist and trained a dancer, Jacques has found a way to meld her two passions and create a beautiful statement of life. She is not simply bringing art to the streets of Austin; she is giving confidence and an awareness of life to those who are often overlooked. For the past 20 years, Jacques has taught movement and awareness of the body’s ability to at-risk teenagers, senior citizens, the differently-abled and prison inmates.

In recognition for her work and her passion, Jacques was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2007 and nominated for a USA Fellowship Award in 2008.

The Event: Premiere of Impermanence
June 18, 2009. 9:15 p.m. Premiere of Blue Lapis Light’s new show, Impermanence. J.J. Pickle Federal Building 300 E. 8th St. (Enter on the west side of Trinity St., 800 block.) Casual Attire.

Enjoy a spectacular show, meet the artists and indulge in hors d’oeuvres, wine and live music before touring the historic LBJ Suite. Cost: $100 Platinum, $75 Gold. Tickets available at the door or at www.austix.com. (A special gift awaits Platinum guests.)

Bang for the Buck: The Organization and its Mission

Blue Lapis Light is a local site-specific aerial dance group with a mission. Jacques and her group offer works set in a time and place where the evils of this world do not exist. Their work is about coming together as a global community and creating beauty rather than destruction. The name Blue Lapis Light refers to being in-the-moment. “The hope is that audiences can come to see and experience beauty…to feel connected to that beauty and to something greater,” said Jacques.

Once the audience has been entranced by their work, Blue Lapis Light does not simply leave them hanging. The group offers classes and workshops in aerial dance, as well as Youth Taking Flight, an outreach program for Austin’s youth.

Monies from the premiere are put towards artists and crew compensation, production costs, and funding their “Pay What You Can Night.”

http://www.bluelapislight.com

“In aerial dance, there is a big illusion of ease happening,” said Nicole Whitehouse, principal dancer. Achieving proper form in the harnesses is “hard and physically uncomfortable; it goes against your body’s natural inclination, but that is the awe of dance ­— making it look effortless.”

Blue Lapis Light’s 2006 show, Requiem, in which they added life and beauty to the abandoned Intel building made the group a household name in Austin. “It is quite a spectacle what we do,” said Whitehouse, “transforming something utilitarian into a wonderland.”

The architecture of each “stage” plays a very intrinsic role in the choreography. “The performances are not on the buildings,” said Jacques. “The site speaks to me,” and the choreography becomes a collaboration between the building and the dancers.

Blue Lapis Light’s latest show is titled Impermanence, in which performers leap, fly and climb across the edifice of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, mimicking the recent fall of industries that were once thought invincible. The tension in which the performers find themselves speaks to the fragility of these times, but the balletic movement and continuance of form express the possibility of continual forward movement in any situation. Combined with lights and music, the dancers seemingly pull the viewer through the air, whispering, “There is beauty and significance in each moment — look for it and celebrate it!”

May 2
Austin Children’s Museum’s Imaginarium Fundraiser
Historic Browning Hanger at Mueller
May 9
Austin Museum of Art’s ART BALL XIII
May 9
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Promise Ball
Westin La Cantera in San Antonio
June 19 – 21 & 24 – 28
Impermanence
J.J. Pickle Federal Building
Time: 9:15pm
Tickets: $25, $20 general admission, $15 seniors and students

For more information, visit
www.bluelapislight.org

Part practical planner and part travelogue of the authors’ own journey, Live Your Road Trip Dream is useful and inspirational if you’ve ever hankered to cross the country in an RV. The helpful to-do’s and things to consider in the first half of the book give advice on what to do with your house while you’re away, choosing a vehicle, traveling with pets, and other questions the beginning traveler may have. Following the extensive planning section, the authors detail their own journey visiting America’s national parks, complete with pictures. The cost of the authors’ trip may exceed some reader’s “cost of staying home,” but for anyone looking to get inspired to plan a trip, this will have you eager to pull out the map. It includes a helpful appendix containing worksheets for you to plan out your own journey.

Dreamt of a career as a writer, getting a Ph.D., designing your own home, but never been able to take the steps needed to make it happen? Silverman, a psychologist and brain researcher who serves as therapist to many celebrities in his New York City practice, lays out in his first book a three-step process to help the reader break down fears and barriers to achieving their dreams. Backed up by scientific research, clinical experience and success with countless clients, Silverman’s book reads like a kind but challenging personal guide that helps you identify your fears and goals, along with showing you how to combat what might be holding you back from success. This book is a good information source and toolkit for getting serious about your dreams.

More than living a dream, Lisa is answering her true calling. Raised in Los Angeles, she comes by an appreciation of fine art from both her father, a passionate art collector, and her mother, an interior decorator. Her grandmother was an artist and although Lisa had no artistic ability she developed an appreciation and an eye for fine art. A born merchant, Lisa would set up a store in her bedroom as a child happily selling her “wares”. She was fascinated by the Beverly Hills gallery and the dealer, Michael Schwartz, who helped her father with his collection.

Fast forward to 2000…after receiving her MBA from Arizona State University, Lisa and her fiancé moved to Austin, completely unemployed. “It sounds crazy but the first time I saw the green water and the rolling hills I fell in love with this city. It was nothing like I imagined Texas would be. My husband, Chris is a software developer so Austin was a great fit for us. We bought a house, married and have two children.” Building a Dream that Transcends a Lifetime The Russell Collection Art Gallery

With a little research, Lisa quickly realized that Austin did not have a gallery carrying the museum quality, fine art she was passionate about and in 2002, she opened her first gallery at the Arboretum before moving to her current location at 1137 West 6th Street. Lisa rotates shows that focus on one artist with a diversity that ranges from pop artist Peter Max to contemporary Spanish artist Royo with her permanent collection which includes paintings by Impressionist Camille Pissarro and his descendants; Austin master sculptor Charles Umlauf; and master artists from Rembrandt to Matisse to Picasso. “From the beginning I have been totally committed to developing relationships with my clients and guiding them in developing collections they can completely enjoy. I love the idea of helping someone find a special piece-maybe discovering a new artist or finding a piece they missed out on. I will use all of my resources to find exactly what they are looking for. Serving my clients gives me great satisfaction. I want to know what makes them passionate about art. I know it sounds trite, but I absolutely love what I do.”

Fortunately for serious collectors passionate about art, Lisa Russell found a home in Austin and followed her dream of building collections of art that transcends a lifetime.

For more information go to: www.russell-collection.com

Larry Connelly’s eyes twinkle as he talks about ZACH Scott and Red, Hot and Soul. “I have never chaired an event before, although I have been asked many times. I joined the board of ZACH four years ago and I immediately felt comfortable. This year I decided it was my turn to chair this wonderful event. It has been a lot of work, but I have gotten tremendous support from both the volunteers and the staff at ZACH.” Having been named to the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2007 along with partner, James Armstrong, Connelly’s commitment to ZACH and many other non-profit and arts organizations harkens to his days both as an elementary school teacher and principal. “I believe that the arts can be used to educate and specifically educate about diversity. The leadership of Austin’s arts organizations – the ballet, the opera and the symphony- has been exceptional and each organization has outreach and educational programs. That is what keeps me involved. What I love about ZACH and Dave Steakley is that his productions always have an Austin element – something the people in Austin can relate to. The casts reflect the diversity that is Austin as well. Take the bilingual production of Jesus Christ Superstar – it was the best production I have ever seen.” Connelly stepped out in 2008 having performed a sophisticated foxtrot/cha cha/hustle dance for the Center for Child Protection’s Dancing with the Stars. “I love to support organizations that work with children. It was a unique experience and I guess I have always wanted to be on stage. It was great fun.” Smiling at the thought Connelly says, “My goal for Red, Hot and Soul is that it gets better every year. I want to try to create memories for the people who attend.”

The Event: Red, Hot and Soul Celebration. Red Carpet Chic: Broadway meets Runway.

April 4, 2009. The Downtown Austin Hilton. Dress: Cocktail attire. True to its theatrical roots, this party will be a production. From red carpet interviews, to having your photo taken for the cover of Playbill, watching yourself as you enter on a catwalk populated with acrobats and dancers, you will arrive at center stage ready to have fun. Models will mix with the beautiful people and both will populate the runway. From the cocktail hour to dinner and the live and silent auctions Red, Hot and Soul is definitely not your run of the mill event. Music by Austin favorite, Skyrocket featuring Trish Murphy. Zach Scott Theatre RED HOT & SOUL

Bang for the Buck – The Organization and its Mission

ZACH is the oldest resident theater in Texas whose history as the creative epicenter of Austin began with its formation in 1933 as the Austin Civic Theatre. In 1993, ZACH became one of only 42 arts organizations in the entire United States that are selected for participation in the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Advancement Program. Dave Steakley was appointed ZACH’s new Producing Artistic Director in 1997. Under his leadership ZACH has grown from a budget of $700,000 to $2.6 million, and from 25,000 audience members to over 150,000 annually. In 2006, under the leadership of Ann Ciccolella who served as Managing Director from 2000 to 2007, the Austin voters passed a 10 million dollar bond initiative which will help fund a new state of the art 500 seat theatre and Creativity Center at ZACH. Today, ZACH is a fully professional Equity theatre that produces plays and musicals that garner national attention and reflect the vitality and diversity of Austin. Zach serves more than 110,000 adults and children annually through Mainstage shows and educational outreach programming. Proceeds from Red, Hot and Soul support both Mainstage productions and educational outreach. For more information go to: www.zachtheatre.org