A Henry Segerstrom celebration
The event: Elizabeth Segerstrom and the Segerstrom family celebrated the life and legacy of her late husband Henry Segerstrom on May 7 by unveiling an exhibition honoring him at South Coast Plaza, the up-scale-mega-mall he founded in Costa Mesa. An arts supporter, philanthropist and businessman, Segerstrom, who died in February at age 91, had a profound influence on the cultural and commercial life of Orange County, as evidenced by the display of photos, awards and memorabilia in the center’s Jewel Court. The scene: Between conversations over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, guests waited their turns to enter the exhibition, called “Courage of Imagination” after a quote about Segerstrom by Isamu Noguchi, the Japanese American artist who installed the nearby sculpture garden “California Scenario.” In a separate area, Elizabeth Segerstrom and family members including Henry Segerstrom’s children Toren Segerstrom, Anton Segerstrom and Andrea Grant welcomed friends.
The exhibition: Photographs chronicling Segerstrom’s role in creating the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and developing South Coast Plaza lined thewalls of the exhibition space. Some showed SEGERSTROM familymembers Anton, left, Noel, Jennifer and Aletta at the May 7 event for the late Henry Segerstrom. ASSEMBLYMAN Matthew Harper of Huntington Beach. ELIZABETH Segerstrom at event for her late husband. Bennett and artist Richard Serra. Honors and awards filled cases, and sculptures by Jean Dubuffet, Joan Miró and Alexander Calder stood beside the display.
The exhibition is to remain open through May 31. The crowd: Supporters of the arts, government officials, representatives of retailers and family friends included Segerstrom Center for the Arts President Terry Dwyer, Pacific Symphony President John Forsyte, South Coast Repertory’s managing director Paula Tomei, the theater’s founding artistic directors Martin Benson and David Emmes, Chapman University President James Doti, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, Newport Beach Mayor Ed Selich, Costa Mesa Mayor Stephen Mensinger, State Sen. John Moorlach, Rep. Loretta Sanchez and Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. Quote of note: Elizabeth Segerstrom said she hoped the exhibition would provide closure for all those who mourned the loss of her husband. “My husband was one of the most humblemen in theworld,” she said. “He accomplished somuch in his lifetime.... Hewas a role model for Orange County, the nation and the world.”