Designer and events planner Ken Fulk celebrated the creation of his new arts incubator Saint Joseph’s Arts Society on Friday, September 28, at the restored historic church in San Francisco.

Three hundred of his best friends from around the globe attended the revelries, among them C‘s Jennifer Smith Hale; London-based fashion illustrator David Downton; Prix de Rome photographer Catherine Wagner; filmmaker Todd Traina and his wife, Katie; founder of Paris apothecary Buly 1903 Ramdane Touhami; as well as leading interior designer Catherine Kwong and her husband, Brian.

“I love to support creativity and the arts, and adore seeing so many accomplished people getting together to support the city’s cultural life,” said Fulk.

San Francisco Ballet principal dancers Yuan Yuan Tan and Mathilde Froustey mingled with arts philanthropists Jan and Maria Manetti Shrem. Froustey and her fiancé, chef Mourad Lahlou, will be married at St. Joseph’s Arts Society in June.

“Ken is a master at creating settings where tech experts meet dancers and artists, and art collectors get into deep dialog with photographers and designers,” said Denise Hale, who attended with Heather Ive. “Ken inspires new ideas and new introductions, and our cultural lives are enriched. It’s elegant and effective.”

Downton compared the rebirth of the historic landmark Romanesque Revival church (abandoned after the disastrous 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake) to Tony Duquette’s glamorous revival of an abandoned San Francisco synagogue two decades ago. “It takes someone like Ken, a visionary and a magician, to envision a new, modern arts society in this grand setting,” said Downton. “I applaud Ken. This is enrichment at its most generous and philanthropic.”

Enjoying the nonstop entertainment and decor—including bouquets by Fulk’s on-site Flower Factory—were models Tatiana Sorokko and Anne Vyalitsyna; Michael and Xochi Birch; Allison Spear; Jennifer Raiser; Geoffrey de Sousa; Maca Huneeus; Pam and Dick Kramlich; Penny and Jim Coulter; and Vanessa Getty with Douglas Friedman.

Written by Diane Dorrans Saeks

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