Last month Scripps College invited me to attend a lovely brunch amongst friends and fellow alumni at The Lotos Club:
Alumnae Panel: The Arts and Entertainment Scene in NYC
Mitra Abbaspour ’99, Associate Curator, The Museum of Modern Art
Barbara Barna Abel ’84, Casting Director and Coach, ABEL intermedia
Elizabeth Robbins Turk ’83, Artist, 2010 MacArthur “Genius” Award Winner
Moderator: Veronica Gledhill ’06, Senior Fashion Market Editor, New York Magazine, Online and 2012 Outstanding Recent Alumna
with an update on the College
from President Lori Bettison-Varga
Oh, how I wish they’d do more of these. It was truly inspiring to hear these women tell their stories. They were so impressive yet so humble and honest in talking about their individual journeys as artists.
Elizabeth had secured The Lotos Club for the event, and I could’ve sat in that sumptuous library all day long. But I guess that was the point:
The selection of the name The Lotos Club was to convey “an idea of rest and harmony.” The spelling of Lotos comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, The Lotos Eaters, two lines of which were selected as the motto of the Club:
In the afternoon they came unto a land
In which it seemed always afternoonThe endless afternoon setting provided the ideal atmosphere to indulge in creative and stimulating thought and conversation.
Of course, as a good Greek, I should point out that Tennyson’s poem was inspired by The Odyssey.
The circular staircase was breathtaking. I had to stop and take a photograph.
The Lotos Club has an impressive history and has counted amongst its members President Taft, Mark Twain, and Oscar Wilde’s brother Willie.
Stephanie Nikolopoulos 