LUNCHEON LECTURE: CUSTODIANS OF CULTURE

"Florida has welcomed a huge influx of big-city dwellers that still want the culture without the hassle of living in those big cities. Demystifying the complicated art world can only be helpful before making any purchases."

REGAN ROHDE is currently creating a program called Arts and Conversations in Palm Beach. Its mission is to demystify the art market and to expand emerging artists exposure in south Florida. In this Luncheon Lecture, Ms. Rohde is joined by Joel Strauss, the Principal at the Chicago-based Straus Art Group.  In conversation, the two will unpack the complexities of collecting and caring for fine art in our modern world.

Beginning his career at Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago, Joel Strauss sold works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Roy Lichtenstein and other modern and contemporary masters. As the Assistant Director, Joel developed trusted relationships with clients around the world. In 1995, he formed Joel Straus Consulting to begin independently curating major public art collections and projects nationwide. Now as Straus Art Group, the firm’s focus is on appraisal and a range of client advisory services including art procurement, sales, and estate planning.  Straus Art Group's collecting advice recently brought $21.1 million at Sotheby's Auction, with the sale of 'Past Times' by Kerry James Marshall. Joel was a founding director of Expo Chicago, and is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council and the International Society of Appraisers.

Retired from the acting profession after 40 years, Regan continues to support the arts in its many forms. She has been a board member of NEW MOMS, a foundation working with at risk homeless women, and their children. During her time at New Moms the organization went from serving 14 families to being the largest shelter in the United States. Regan also produced and directed a short documentary on the organization to raise its profile and funding. Currently she sits on the Lyric Opera Women’s Board, Emerge group with the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago, and CMAC at the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach, and the Florida advisory board for the Washington Institute. Sample 2022 Arts and Conversations events HERE...