Stanlee Gatti

Stanlee R. Gatti
Born October 28, 1955
Raton, New Mexico
Education

University of Northern Colorado
University of Oregon

Francisco Art Institute
Occupation Event designer
Parent(s) Ann and Larry Gatti

Stanlee Ray Gatti (born 1955) is one of the best-known event planners in the U.S.[1]

Background and childhood

Gatti is the second youngest of five children born to immigrant parents in the small mining town of Raton, New Mexico. His father Larry, a former coal miner born in Arpino, Italy, became a master craftsman in the United States,[1] and built the family house. His mother Ann was born in Montenegro, Serbia, and was a housewife.[1]

Education and early career

Gatti studied music, physical education and art at the University of Northern Colorado in the 1970s, then architecture and art history at the University of Oregon.[2] After college he briefly returned home to coordinate events at the local country club, and worked as a department store window dresser. He worked at a plant store in Aspen, Colorado for several months then moved to San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.[3] He worked as a florist at the St. Francis Hotel in 1978,[3] advancing to Hospitality Manager.

Event planning

In 1985 Gatti's boss at the St. Francis asked him to set up a table for group of ladies who lunch planning a 75th anniversary opening gala for the San Francisco Symphony. In a hurry, he bought a flower-patterned bedsheet from Macy's across the street, borrowed a tablecloth and napkins from housekeeping, and arranged some sweet peas on top. One of the women, Danielle Carlisle, reportedly exclaimed "Who did this?" Impressed, the women hired him to design the entire event.[4] In his first professional effort, he stirred up the traditionally staid Symphony crowd with unusually bold colors and designs. By next morning he was receiving calls from San Francisco socialites who wanted to hire him.[5] Within three months he left the hotel to start his own design firm, Stanlee R. Gatti Designs.

He soon jointed the ranks of San Francisco's social elite, not only creating events but attending, hosting, throwing parties and having parties thrown for him. According to his mother, "He never meets a stranger." In 1998 a columnist deemed him one of the three most powerful people in San Francisco.[4]

A blog ran an occasional "Stanlee Gatti count" to list mentions in San Francisco's gossip columns.[6]

In 1996 Mayor Willie Brown, appointed Gatti President of the San Francisco Arts Commission, an important agency that manages a set aside of two percent of all city spending on public works. Gatti used the position to push the boundaries of San Francisco's famously conservative taste in public art.[2] His best-received initiatives were installations by Vito Acconci, Ned Kahn, Robert Arneson, and Bill Viola. Gatti brought ten Keith Haring sculptures to San Francisco, one of which remains at the Moscone Center. However, Gatti generated as much controversy as admiration. He jokingly proposed to mount a 30-foot Louise Bourgeois spider atop San Francisco City Hall. A more serious proposal to install a giant peace symbol by Tony Labat in Golden Gate Park ran afoul of neighborhood activists and was subsequently rejected by the Commission.[7] In 1999, an already-approved commission for Buster Simpson to create a giant naked foot for the end of Market Street was criticized by the public, mocked by the head San Francisco Chronicle art critic, and ultimately de-funded by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.[2] Gatti resigned from the Commission unexpectedly in 2004.

Gatti was president of the San Francisco Arts Commission.[1] He was criticized for his efforts in 1997 to site large sculptures of a peace symbol and a foot along the Embarcadero.[1]

Personal life

He was best man at the wedding of former mayor Gavin Newsom to his former wife Kimberly Guilfoyle,[2] and designed his subsequent wedding to Jennifer Siebel.[1] Other friends include David Blaine, Robin Williams, Elton John, Jason Lewis, Danielle Steel, Peter Magowan, Joni Mitchell,[1] Grace Slick , and Steve Silver, Ann and Gordon Getty, and Herb Caen.

Gatti quietly funded the Rigo 23 mural "Sky/Ground" on San Francisco's St. Regis Museum Tower, contributed $50,000 towards the Haring installations, and intended to secretly pay for the Golden Gate Park peace symbol. Gatti is an insomniac and workaholic, who stays awake long into the night and drinks twelve espressos every morning.[1] He is a vegetarian.[4] He currently lives in San Francisco's Twin Peaks.

Style

Friends and colleagues praise Gatti's "genius" for creative design.[4] He is among few American designers who approach event planning as a visual art form as much as a business service.[3] He is "one of the most venerated event designers in the country."[3] The creative process is spontaneous and focuses heavily on color. He follows color trends in fashion (his favorite is green),[4] but in event design, he explains, "I do not know what the trends are because I set the trends."[8]

Stanlee R. Gatti Designs

Gatti's company Stanlee R. Gatti Designs produces events where he concentrates on the aesthetic experience. His work involves fabrication and installation of decorations, interior design, tents and other temporary structures, lighting, flowers, costumes, table settings and dressing.[4] Some are mis-en-scene installations, such as simulating a forest inside a tent (including a black night sky, floor mulch, live fir trees, and cold temperature) to celebrate the turn-over of San Francisco's Presidio to the National Park Service, or a cubist theme to honor a biographer of Pablo Picasso.[4]

Working without project proposals or detailed budgets out of three warehouses in San Francisco,[1] Gatti and his staff of 55 employees produce ten events per week.[9] Half are weddings. Projects range from single-table floral designs to large charity events for thousands of guests. Gatti has been known to run large charity events at a loss, personally funding shortfalls, changes and fixes when important to an event's success.[4]

Solo installations

Commissioned projects

Weddings

Other clients

Gatti has undertaken significant projects for San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, SFJAZZ, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, de Young Museum, San Francisco Art Institute, the San Francisco Zoo, Dianne Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Charles Schwab, Peter Magowan, and Dede Wilsey.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Julian Guthrie (2009-12-13). "Stanlee Gatti: Let's party with the best". San Francisco Chronicle.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hamlin, Jesse (July 14, 2004). "Arts czar Stanlee Gatti has left his mark on the city. Whether you like it is another matter.". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Harris, Chloe (September 1, 2006). "The Creative Genius". 7X7 Magazine. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Robins, Cynthia (December 6, 1998). "Party Arty:the SF Arts Commission's Stanlee Gatti, making the move from high-end flower arrangements to conceptual art.". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  5. ↑ West, Kevin (November 2005). "Gatti Trust". W Magazine. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  6. ↑ Hao, Rita (February 25, 2007). "Swells by the numbers". sfist. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  7. ↑ Hamlin, Jesse (May 6, 1998). "Sculptured Vision of City". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  8. ↑ partysugar (April 25, 2007). "Stanlee's Secret". yumsugar. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  9. ↑ Garber, Natasha (September 1, 2001). "Stanlee Gatti Has the Last Word". Special Events Magazine. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  10. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (October 22, 2006). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  11. ↑ Selvin, Joel (December 18, 2006). "Gatti's love of nature blooms sans flowers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  12. 1 2 Bigelow, Catherine (April 15, 2007). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  13. ↑ Sardar, Zahid (December 18, 2006). "Matrix for Fun: A Stanlee Gatti-designed bar reclaims a bastion of San Francisco nightlife". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  14. ↑ Richford, Rhonda (April 2005). "It's Ladies Night". Instyle Magazine.
  15. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (July 3, 2005). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  16. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (December 5, 2004). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  17. ↑ Lacher, Irene (January 30, 2007). "Coffee—and Pelosi—Inspire SAG Fete". BizBash. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  18. ↑ Lacher, Irene (February 23, 2006). "SAG Awards Turn Flowers Upside Down". BizBash. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  19. ↑ Catherine Bigelow (2003-12-28). "Mr. Getty, are you ready for your close-up?". San Francisco Chronicle.
  20. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (December 24, 2006). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  21. ↑ "Eye scoop". Women's Wear Daily. 2007-12-20.
  22. ↑ Catherine Bigelow (2009-12-16). "Guests of Gettys aglow". San Francisco Chronicle.
  23. ↑ Janet Duca Norton. "Ruby Jubilee marks 40 years for ACT". Palo Alto Daily News.
  24. ↑ Celebrating its 40th anniversary, ACT stages a party for the ages, San Francisco Chronicle, April 24, 2007, retrieved 2007-07-25
  25. ↑ Bigelow, Catherine (May 4, 2007). "Surreal fete for prince of Pop art at SFMOMA's Modern Ball". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  26. ↑ Bigelow,Catherine (May 6, 2007). "Swells". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  27. ↑ Leah Garchik (October 22, 2013). "How Kanye West planned proposal to Kim Kardashian". San Francisco Chronicle.
  28. ↑ Sardar, Zahid (January 21, 2001). "Spaceship Xanadu". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-06-09.

External links

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