Is The Art of Hair, returning Sunday to The Carnegie in Covington, Ky., a quiet beauty compared with the hungry beast that is the center’s highly anticipated annual show The Art of Food?
Nope. It’s a monster, too. It’s an imposing, demanding yet magnificent monster with colorful curls piled up to here and eyelashes out to there, along with a taste for glitter, feathers and beads. It takes tons of effort to make beauty look effortless. Like its yearly counterpart that celebrates chefs and food-inspired art, the first Art of Hair blew everyone away in 2012. A runway show by local stylists kicked off a one-month exhibit of art made of or focused on hair.
Carnegie executive director Katie Brass says 250 to 300 tickets were sold in advance that year. But on the day of the opening, people lined up at noon in the cold to see a show that didn’t start until 4 p.m.
Salons often say, “Walk-ins welcome.” The Carnegie welcomed more than 400 walk-ins that day, for a total attendance of 720. The main gallery was packed; the 48 models had to cut through a standing-room-only crowd to walk the runway.
“Don’t underestimate the word of mouth of hairdressers,” says stylist and show organizer Lisa Herman.
She had time to get the word out. Herman spent more than a year organizing the 2012 show with The Art of Hair mastermind Jeffrey van Sluys. The two worked together in Mount Adams at the former Salon Urbanity (now SOTO), and they’re chairing the Jan. 12, one-day-only event at The Carnegie.
The Art of Hair takes place Sunday at The Carnegie, 1028 Scott Blvd., Covington, Ky. Runway at 1 p.m.; repeats at 3 p.m. Doors open an hour before each show. Tickets ($35, $25 members) at thecarnegie.com or 859-957-1940.
