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Glass stars at evening of arts

Arts Center patrons on a home tour find it spectacular.

By Mary Jane Park
Published November 12, 2006

The exterior of Joan Stonecipher's residence overlooking Tampa Bay is grand and imposing enough.

Indoors, the extent to which she has incorporated fine art into her everyday living spaces is nothing short of spectacular.

A Dale Chihuly chandelier in a profusion of blues hangs inside, above a grand piano that holds a Chihuly Baghdad Blue Persian glass set with red lip wraps.

Talking with visitors who attended an Art of Collecting dinner in her home on Thursday night, Stonecipher said that the piece is her favorite among all of the art she has collected over the years.

That she can choose a favorite is remarkable, given that even conservative estimates put the collection's worth at millions of dollars. It includes creations by Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Pino Signoretto, Dante Marioni and Lino Tagliapietra.

"Here is someone who has incorporated the best, and she has incorporated these masterworks of art into her daily life," observed Evelyn Craft, executive director of the Arts Center. "The artwork itself is so impressive, and it shows somebody who has an eye and a vision and understands the very importance of living with museum-quality pieces."

Thursday night's home tour and discussion for patrons of the Arts Center was the latest in a series that began three years ago to inform and broaden the horizons of Tampa Bay art lovers.

One of its goals, Craft said, "is to learn about the art market and the art world and gain a comfort level about how other collectors have approached the process."

Guests included a number of aficionados with their own significant collections.

Numerous paintings hang throughout her house, although Stonecipher is particularly fond of glass and figures of horses. She tries to buy the work of one well-known glass artist per year, she said. Recent purchases include glass by regional favorites Duncan McClellan and Chuck Boux.

Stonecipher said she became interested in Chihuly's creations when she and Harry Stonecipher, her ex-husband and the former chief executive of Boeing, lived in Seattle.

"Those were the most exciting for me at that time."

Repeatedly, she asked for a Chihuly piece. As her 60th birthday approached, she said she told her husband: "A woman can wear only so much jewelry. I want a Chihuly I can look at every day."

Does she fret about having a Dali hanging near the front of her home?

"No," Stonecipher told a guest, smiling broadly. "But the person hanging it worried."

[Last modified November 11, 2006, 19:53:02]