Spend your Saturday morning exploring the intimate 13-year friendship between renowned British fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen and French photographer Ann Ray, as told by projects+exhibitions and Barrett Barrera Projects’ President Susan Barrett. Get an inside look into the origins and evolution of the exhibition “RENDEZ-VOUS” and unique insight into the ever-expanding relationship between Ann, Lee, Susan and the St. Louis region.

This event is admission-free; pastries & mimosas will be served!

About Susan Barrett, Barrett Barrera Projects’ President:

Susan Barrett believes that art is a verb.This belief has guided the companies she has started, the projects she has led and her work with nonprofits. Her multi-faceted company, Barrett Barrera Projects, produces exhibitions and projects that create a dialogue about contemporary issues through art and design. For over 30 years, Susan has fought for the arts to be a part of public transportation, city planning and social change. She is a visionary with a background in painting, architecture and fashion design, which has influenced the projects she has spearheaded and championed. Notable among these, Susan conceptualized and developed the St. Louis Chess Club and served as the founding executive director of the World Chess Hall of Fame, where she created the innovative exhibit “A Queen Within,” which is still touring internationally. And in 2004, she implemented the Cross-Country art project for the Metro Transit’s Arts in Transit program. She currently sits on the executive board of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and the board of the St. Louis Fashion Fund. She has served on the boards of Sheldon Art Galleries, Laumeier Sculpture Park, White Flag Projects, Arts in Transit, Landmarks Association, Southside School, the Hip Hop Chess Federation, the St. Louis Chess Club and the Airport Arts Commission.

Spend your morning with textile conservator Zoe Perkins as she presents the beauty and complexity of designer Alexander McQueen’s interior garment construction. Starting with a conservation tour of the fashion objects in “Ann Ray & Lee McQueen: RENDEZ-VOUS,” Zoe will then reveal preservation techniques along with tips and tricks for dressing mannequins before diving beneath the hem to expose McQueen's storied, exquisite craftsmanship.

This event is admission-free; holiday cookies & mimosas will be served!

About Zoe Perkins:

Zoe Perkins recently retired after almost 40 years as textile conservator at The Saint Louis Art Museum. During this time she served eight yers as the head of the conservation department and curated over 60 exhibitions in the museum’s textile gallery. Zoe earned her Master’s degree in Clothing and Textile Science with an emphasis in historic textile conservation from Kansas State University in 1979. She has lectured at professional conferences and has published articles on a variety of conservation topics. Zoe is a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation and served as chair of the textile specialty group. She also held positions in the Textile Society of American and the Costume Society of America organizations.