Tonight is the season finale of Bravo's reality show Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, and our own Peregrine Honig is among the three finalists. When we called, she'd just deplaned in New York City, where she'll attend a finale-viewing party tonight with cast members and producers at the Brooklyn Museum.
So is she gonna win this thing, or what?
Jerry Saltz?"
She can't tell us who wins. DAMN IT.
Honig does say, though, that for the final challenge, she was sent back home to KC to work on a solo show for three months. The other finalists, Abdi Farah and Miles Mendenhall, returned to their respective homes in Philadelphia and Minneapolis to complete their exhibits.
Was Honig able to speak with Farah and Mendenhall during those stressful months? "We were in contact the whole time," she says. "We were calling for conversation, support and advice."
Was she ruthless enough to give bad advice, to push her own work to the fore? "Nah," Honig says. "At that point, it's three individual shows, and we were a little bit war-torn. We wanted to give each other emotional support because we wanted everyone to do their best. All three of us are really driven, and you don't want to lose because somebody's show sucks. You want to win because all the work was great."
Simon de Pury, Work of Art's version of Project Runway's Tim Gunn, visited all three artists in their hometowns to check on their progress. Honig says she took de Pury to visit YJ's on West 18th Street, just a couple doors down from her lingerie shop, Birdies. They also went to the Dolphin Gallery, and to JP Wine Bar.
"How do you like me now,
"He had a really good time," Honig says. "He said he's going to come back. He was surprised."
As the airport's P.A. blares in the background, Honig rushes to fit in a few last words. "My show is going to be really sweet, and I want to thank the Dolphin Gallery, Creative Candles and Bruce Bettinger for all their help," she says, "and also to all my friends, David Ford, Peggy Noland and my business partner, Danielle Meister. I couldn't have done any of this without them."
Honig giggles, adding, "And Mark [Southerland, Honig's husband] is with me. It's going to be great. He's wearing highlighter-yellow Y-3s."
We'll find out whether Honig took home the big prize -- a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, starting Saturday and running for two months -- on Bravo at 9 tonight.
like
dislike
