CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
YANCEY RICHARDSON • founder & principal • Yancey Richardson Gallery
Neighborhood you work & live in: Chelsea
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
I’m organizing a large group show co-curated with the gallery’s artists to celebrate the gallery’s 30th anniversary. It’s appropriately named Celebrating 30 Years and features work by all of the artists who exhibited with the gallery since our first show in 1995 at our original space in Soho. We’ve invited each artist to select a piece by another artist on the roster. It’s been pretty fascinating to see which works were selected by whom, and to review the gallery’s history through the works of art.
Any restaurant plans?
I’m flying to Paris tonight so I’ll actually be dining in Delta’s Sky Lounge at JFK. Last Friday was my birthday so my husband, daughter and I tried out the new Café Zaffri, part of the private club Twenty Two off Union Square. The restaurant menu is elevated Lebanese (think Ottolenghi) and the room is romantic with beautiful lighting and furnishings. The food was delicious and the Lebanese red we tried was excellent.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Saturday morning, I was up at 6a to do my annual triathlon race at Alphawin Hudson Valley near Kingston with some of my teammates from Full Throttle Endurance Team out of Chelsea Piers. This race is one of my favorites with a beautiful lakeside setting, country roads and wooded trails for the run. It’s well-run but has a friendly, small town feel. After a shower and lunch, I drove up to Hudson to attend the opening of The Campus’s second annual exhibition featuring installations by over 100 top flight contemporary artists. Organized by a group of NYC galleries, the event has become a destination for the region and with the great art, music and local food vendors, made for a perfect afternoon.
Any weekend getaways?
My weekend getaways are always at 19th century farmhouse in the Hudson Valley. This time of year you can find me cycling the Empire State Rail Trail over the mile long Hudson River Pedestrian Bridge, swimming up at Lake Minnewaska or playing tennis at Mohonk Mountain House. We typically pick up local fruit and vegetables at one of the many local farms like Wallkill View Farms, buy fish from Gadaletos, and have dinner with friends at one house or another.
What was your last great vacation?
South Africa. The first week was devoted to time with my artist Zanele Muholi in Cape Town, after which we visited the winelands where we dined at the fantastic Babylonstoren. The setting, the gardens and the food at this historic abode are not to be believed. Week two was spent on safari at two private reserves adjoining Kruger National Park — Timbavati Reserve and Sabi Sands Game Reserve. Travel between the lodges was by a tiny prop plane, and the wildlife had to be shooed off the runway so we could land. It’s so humbling and awe-inspiring to be amongst these beautiful animals. And for anyone who needs a recharge, it is incredibly restorative to get up before dawn and out in the bush for hours with no cell phones. Yes, we can get by without being tethered to the grid!
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
Mickalene Thomas’s November 1977, 2023. Had to have it!
What product or service do you always recommend?
Another Tomorrow for the best pantsuits, and jewelry by Pamela Farland.
Where are you donating your money?
Planned Parenthood and Aperture.