Stanlee Gatti

Last updated
Stanlee Ray Gatti
BornOctober 28, 1955 (1955-10-28) (age 68)
Raton, New Mexico, U.S.
Education University of Northern Colorado
University of Oregon
Occupation(s)event designer, arts administrator

Stanlee Ray Gatti (born October 28, 1955) is an American event designer and arts administrator, based in San Francisco, California. He is famous for his innovation and unique style in the decoration and design of large and lavish parties. [1] [2]

Contents

He has served in leadership roles at the San Francisco Arts Commission, and California Art Council. Gatti founded the annual art fair, Fog Fair.

Early life and education

Gatti was born in a small mining town of Raton, New Mexico, and is the second youngest of five children born to mother Ann Simovich Gatti and father Larry Gatti. [3] [2] His father who was a coal miner and a master craftsman was born in Arpino, Italy. [2] His mother was born in Van Houten, New Mexico, and is of Montenegrin descent. [2] Gatti is proud of his cultural heritage and always responds to anyone who simplifies his heritage as Italian merely by his surname saying, "I am half Italian and half Montenegrin."

Gatti studied at both the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Oregon. [4] After college he briefly returned home to coordinate events at the local country club, and worked as a department store window dresser. [2] Within the year, he moved to Aspen, Colorado to participate in the Aspen Music Festival and worked in a local plant store. [5] In August 1978, he moved to San Francisco and landed a job at the St. Francis Hotel flower shop. [1] Later he was hired to work for the hotel in the capacity of Hospitality Manager, [2] a position created for him by Bill Grzywacz, a hotel executive who later became Gatti's partner and most trusted advisor.

Event planning

In 1985 the Hotel St. Francis catering director, Larry Dean asked Gatti to design a table for a group of women who were on the planning committee for the 75th Anniversary of the San Francisco Symphony.  The committee consisted of Danielle Walker, founder of the California Culinary Academy, [5] Nancy Bechtle, Genelle Relfe, and Barri Ramsey.* During that era the Hotel was the largest caterer of San Francisco society events and was hired to cater the SFS Anniversary gala. Once the women saw the table, Walker reportedly exclaimed “who did this?” and the committee asked Gatti to design the Gala, although he had never done anything on that scale before. [5]

In Gatti’s first professional effort, he stirred up the traditional staid Symphony crowd with unusually bold colors and design. [5] By the morning after the gala Gatti was receiving calls from San Francisco social doyennes [6] and within three months, Gatti left his position at the hotel and started his own firm, Stanlee R. Gatti Designs.

He soon joined the ranks of the San Francisco elite, not only creating events but attending, hosting, and having parties thrown for him. [5] According to his mother, “Stan never meets a stranger”. [5] A local blog, the SFist ran a “Stanlee Gatti count” to list his mentions in San Francisco gossip columns. [7] In 1998 San Francisco Examiner Rob Morse deemed him one of the three most powerful people in San Francisco. [5]

Gatti’s event design career has been covered in numerous publications including: W Magazine, Town and Country Magazine, People magazine, InStyle magazine, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine.

Civic involvement and positions

In 1996, Mayor Willie Brown appointed Gatti as the President of the San Francisco Arts Commission, [5] an important agency that manages a set-aside art fund of two percent of all city building projects. [4] Gatti used his position to push the boundaries of San Francisco’s famously conservative taste in public art. [4] His best-received initiatives were installations by Vito Acconci, Ned Kahn, Robert Arneson and Bill Viola. [4]   Gatti brought ten Keith Haring sculptures to San Francisco, one of which remains at Moscone Center. [4] Gatti generated as much controversy as admiration. [4] He jokingly proposed to mount a 30 foot Louise Bourgeois spider atop the dome of San Francisco’s City Hall which created turmoil within the community. [4] A more serious proposal to install a sculpture in the panhandle of Golden Gate Park of a giant peace symbol by artist Tony Labat ran afoul by neighborhood activists and was subsequently rejected by the Recreation and Parks Commission. [8] [5] [4] In 1999, an already approved commission for a stainless steel sculpture of a giant foot by artist Buster Simpson to be placed by the Ferry Building was criticized by members of the public and by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who ultimately defunded the project. [4] Gatti unexpectedly resigned from the commission during the midterm of Mayor Gavin Newsom. [4]

In 1999, Gatti was appointed to the California Art Council by Governor Gavin Newsom. He is a trustee of the board of directors of the California College of the Arts, a trustee of The San Francisco War Memorial Board and a founding member of the FOG Fair. He is a past member of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts board of directors, and the San Francisco Zoo board of directors.

Fog Fair

In 2008, Gatti founded a San Francisco-based art and design fair titled SF20, which, several years later was renamed, FOG FAIR and was created to benefit SFMOMA. The fair serves as one of the preeminent art and design fairs nationwide. FOG Fair has a volunteer board of directors consisting of Gatti, Katie Schwab Paige, Allison Spear, Douglas Durkin, and Susan Swig. The fair entrance is consistently designed and created by Gatti in what has become the conic installation titled 21POP.

Personal life

He was best man at the wedding of Governor Gavin Newsom to former wife Kimberly Guilfoyle, [4] and designed Governor Newsom’s subsequent Montana wedding to Jennifer Siebel. [1]

Famous friends include: Robin Williams, Jason Lewis, Danielle Steel, Joni Mitchell, [1] Steve Silver, Ann and Gordon Getty, [4] Helen and Chuck Schwab, Charlotte and George Shultz, [5] and David Blaine who says “Stanlee is a visual artistic magician and a good friend”.

Gatti has been photographed by notable photographers including Larry Sultan.

Design style

Friends and colleagues praise Mr. Gatti’s “genius” for creative design. [5] [2] He is among the few American designers who approach event planning as a visual art form as much as a business service. [2] He is “one of the most venerated event designers in the United States.” [2] His creative process is spontaneous and focuses heavily on color. [5] He is responsible for inventing many event design techniques which have become the standard in the event world. He is an event trendsetter. [9]

Stanlee R. Gatti Designs

Mr. Gatti’s company Stanlee R Gatti Designs produces events where the focus is on the design and aesthetic experience. His work involves the fabrication and installation of decorations, interior design, tents, and other temporary structures, lighting, flowers, costumes, entertainment, and table settings. [5] Some are mise-en-scene installations, such as simulating a forest inside a tent (including a black night sky, mulch floor, live pine trees, fog, and cold temperature) to celebrate San Francisco’s Presidio becoming a part of the National Park Service. [5]

His staff of 55 people produces weddings, galas, and all forms of events worldwide. [10]

Solo installations

Commissioned projects

Weddings

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Newsom</span> Governor of California since 2019

Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019 and the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Getty</span> Billionaire American heir and composer

Gordon Peter Getty is an American businessman and classical music composer, the fourth child of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. His mother, Ann Rork, was his father's fourth wife. When his father died in 1976, Gordon assumed control of Getty's US$ 2 billion trust. His net worth was $2.1 billion in September 2020, making him number 391 on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose Museum of Art</span> Contemporary art museum in San Jose, California, U.S.

The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum in downtown San Jose, California, United States. Founded in 1969, the museum holds a permanent collection with an emphasis on West Coast artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is located at Circle of Palms Plaza, beside Plaza de César Chávez. A member of North American Reciprocal Museums, SJMA has received several awards from the American Alliance of Museums.

Charles Joseph Desmarais is an American art critic, museum director, and academic administrator. He was the art critic for the San Francisco Chronicle; and formerly served as president of the San Francisco Art Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Mailliard Shultz</span> American socialite and philanthropist (1933–2021)

Charlotte Mailliard Shultz was a socialite, and philanthropist. She was the Chief of Protocol for the state of California, and the Chief of Protocol for the City and County of San Francisco. She was married to former United States Secretary of State George P. Shultz, from 1997 until his death in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Béhar</span> Swiss-born American designer (born 1967)

Yves Béhar is a Swiss-born American designer, entrepreneur, and educator. He is the founder and principal designer of Fuseproject, an industrial design and brand development firm. Béhar is also the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of August Smart Lock, a smart lock company acquired by Assa Abloy in 2017; and co-founder of Canopy, a co-working space based in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Siebel Newsom</span> American actress and filmmaker (born 1974)

Jennifer Lynn Siebel Newsom is an American documentary filmmaker and actress who is the first partner of California, as the wife of Governor Gavin Newsom. She is the director, writer, and producer of the film Miss Representation (2011), which premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival. The film examines how the media has underrepresented women in positions of power. The Mask You Live In (2015), the second film that she wrote, produced and directed, scrutinizes American society's definition of masculinity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Shaw (physicist)</span> American physicist and curator (1939–2017)

Lawrence N. Shaw was an American physicist, curator, and artist. Shaw worked at the Exploratorium, a San Francisco science museum, for 33 years, performing just about every function for the museum. He was a key member of the arts and technology community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Museum of Performance + Design, formerly the San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum, is located in the Bayview District of San Francisco, California at 2200 Jerrold Avenue, Ste. T. The Museum collects and makes accessible materials about the performing arts, with a special emphasis on documenting and preserving the San Francisco Bay Area’s rich and diverse performing arts heritage from the Gold Rush to the present. The museum produces public and educational programs, provides library services to researchers, and conservation and archival services to performing arts institutions. The Museum's collection includes personal papers of prominent artists, original costumes and design renderings, audio-visual recordings of live performances, original artwork, other artifacts, and ephemera. The Museum also serves as the official archives for many local performing arts organizations including the San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Opera, Stern Grove Festival, and the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Family (club)</span> Private all-male club in San Francisco, California

The Family is a private club in San Francisco, California, formed in 1902 by newspapermen who in protest, left the Bohemian Club due to censorship. It maintains a clubhouse in San Francisco, as well as rural property 35 miles to the south in Woodside. It is an exclusive, invitation-only, all-male club where new members are referred to as "Babies", regular members as "Children" and the club president as the "Father".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayoralty of Gavin Newsom</span> 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, 2004–2011

The mayoralty of Gavin Newsom began when Democrat Gavin Newsom was elected Mayor of San Francisco in 2003, succeeding Willie Brown. Newsom, who was 36 when he took office, became San Francisco's youngest mayor in over a century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irina Belotelkin</span> Russian-American artist and fashion designer (1913–2009)

Irina Roudakoff Belotelkin was a Russian-American artist and fashion designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Maisel (visual artist)</span> American photographer and visual artist (born 1961)

David Maisel is an American photographer and visual artist whose works explore vestiges and remnants of civilizations both past and present. His work has been the subject of five major monographs, published by Nazraeli Press, Chronicle Books, and Steidl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mona Kuhn</span> Brazilian contemporary photographer (born 1969)

Mona Kuhn is a German-Brazilian contemporary photographer best known for her large-scale photographs of the human form and essence. An underlying current in Kuhn's work is her reflection on our longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As a result, her approach is unusual in that she develops close relationships with her subjects, resulting in images of remarkable intimacy. Kuhn's work shows the human body in its natural state while simultaneously re-interpreting the nude as a contemporary canon of art. Her work often references classical themes, has been exhibited internationally, and is held in several collections including the J. Paul Getty Museum, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Hammer Museum and the Pérez Art Museum Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Ballard</span> American political strategist and attorney

Nathan Ballard is a U.S. Democratic strategist and attorney. He was the communications director for the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, when Newsom was the 42nd mayor of San Francisco. He is a longtime friend and advisor to Newsom. He sat on the board of directors of The Representation Project, Jennifer Siebel Newsom's nonprofit organization. Ballard had close ties with the 43rd mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee. He was an advisor to Mark Farrell, the 44th mayor of San Francisco.

Anthony Friedkin is an American photographer whose works have chronicled California's landscapes, cities and people. His topics include phenomena such as surf culture, prisons, cinema, and gay culture. Friedkin’s photographs have been exhibited in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. His photographs are included in major Museum collections: New York's Museum of Modern Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum and others. He is represented in numerous private collections as well. His pictures have been published in Japan, Russia, Europe, and many Fine Art magazines in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merla Zellerbach</span> American activist and author (1930–2014)

Merla Zellerbach, née Myrle Carmel Burstein, was born in San Francisco in 1930, the daughter of Rabbi Elliot M. and Lottie Burstein. While attending Stanford University, she met and soon thereafter married Stephen Zellerbach. They had one child, son Gary. Her literary, civic and philanthropic work began at the time of her first marriage. By the time of her death on December 26, 2014, she authored 13 well reviewed novels and five self-help medical books, was a panelist for six years on the ABC TV show Oh My Word, and a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Subsequently, she was Editor of the Nob Hill Gazette for twelve years. Charities she supported and/or worked for included Compassion and Choices, the Coalition on Homelessness San Francisco, the Kidney Foundation, and a dozen more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Getty</span> American publisher and philanthropist (1941–2020)

Ann Getty was an American philanthropist, publisher, paleoanthropologist and socialite. As a fellow of the Leakey Foundation, she worked on archeological digs in Turkey and Ethiopia and was part of a team that excavated Ardipithecus fossils. She provided funding for the National Museum of Ethiopia and redesigned the museum's garden. Getty served as president of Grove Press, a publishing house that she and Lord Weidenfeld purchased in 1985, and founded the interior design firm Ann Getty and Associates in 1995.

Vanessa Getty is an American socialite and philanthropist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota Street Project</span> San Francisco art space

Minnesota Street Project (MSP), is a dual for-profit/foundation model art space founded in 2016 in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco, California; and features 13 art galleries, an event space, and a restaurant.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Julian Guthrie (2009-12-13). "Stanlee Gatti: Let's party with the best". San Francisco Chronicle.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Harris, Chloe (September 1, 2006). "The Creative Genius". 7X7 Magazine. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  3. ↑ Bravo, Tony (2016-12-30). "Event king Stanlee Gatti turns eye to the Tenderloin". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Hamlin, Jesse (July 14, 2004). "Arts czar Stanlee Gatti has left his mark on the city. Whether you like it is another matter". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Robins, Cynthia (December 6, 1998). "Party Arty:the SF Arts Commission's Stanlee Gatti, making the move from high-end flower arrangements to conceptual art". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  6. ↑ West, Kevin (November 2005). "Gatti Trust". W Magazine. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  7. ↑ Hao, Rita (February 25, 2007). "Swells by the numbers". sfist. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  8. ↑ Hamlin, Jesse (May 6, 1998). "Sculptured Vision of City". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  9. ↑ partysugar (April 25, 2007). "Stanlee's Secret". yumsugar. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ↑ Garber, Natasha (September 1, 2001). "Stanlee Gatti Has the Last Word". Special Events Magazine. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  11. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (October 22, 2006). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  12. ↑ Selvin, Joel (December 18, 2006). "Gatti's love of nature blooms sans flowers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  13. 1 2 Bigelow, Catherine (April 15, 2007). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  14. ↑ Sardar, Zahid (December 18, 2006). "Matrix for Fun: A Stanlee Gatti-designed bar reclaims a bastion of San Francisco nightlife". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  15. ↑ Richford, Rhonda (April 2005). "It's Ladies Night". Instyle Magazine.
  16. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (July 3, 2005). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  17. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (December 5, 2004). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  18. ↑ Lacher, Irene (January 30, 2007). "Coffee—and Pelosi—Inspire SAG Fete". BizBash. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  19. ↑ Lacher, Irene (February 23, 2006). "SAG Awards Turn Flowers Upside Down". BizBash. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "The colorful world of designer Stanlee Gatti". The San Francisco Examiner. 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  21. ↑ Catherine Bigelow (2003-12-28). "Mr. Getty, are you ready for your close-up?". San Francisco Chronicle.
  22. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (December 24, 2006). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  23. ↑ "Eye scoop". Women's Wear Daily. 2007-12-20.
  24. ↑ Catherine Bigelow (2009-12-16). "Guests of Gettys aglow". San Francisco Chronicle.
  25. ↑ Janet Duca Norton. "Ruby Jubilee marks 40 years for ACT". Palo Alto Daily News.
  26. ↑ Celebrating its 40th anniversary, ACT stages a party for the ages, San Francisco Chronicle, April 24, 2007, retrieved 2007-07-25
  27. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (May 4, 2007). "Surreal fete for prince of Pop art at SFMOMA's Modern Ball". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  28. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (May 6, 2007). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  29. ↑ Leah Garchik (October 22, 2013). "How Kanye West planned proposal to Kim Kardashian". San Francisco Chronicle.
  30. ↑ "Esprit de Court". SF Weekly. 1997-10-08. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  31. ↑ Steger, Pat (1999-08-11). "Steel, Perkins Separate After 17-Month Marriage". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  32. ↑ Sardar, Zahid (January 21, 2001). "Spaceship Xanadu". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  33. ↑ "WEDDINGS Inside Ivy Getty's Fantasy Wedding Weekend in San Francisco". Vogue. November 8, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.