important art collection destroyed in fire

I sat down to the computer earlier this morning to find some truly overwhelming news; the co-founder of my high school in Washington, DC (one of my 2 hometowns) lost her incredible home to a small fire gone terribly awry last night. (view the Washington Post article here) Thankfully no one was harmed as the family was away, but the magnitued of art and history lost in that fire is not to be believed.

Peggy Cooper Cafritz has been a dedicated contributor to the DC community for many years, serving for some time as president of their school board in addition to having co-founded Duke Ellington School of the Arts and being an avid patron of the arts. Her collection was a reflection of her spirit of advocacy, combining works of all types of artists with a focus on the underrepresented works of minorities. The pieces were a vibrant, eclectic addition to her very traditional home.

We had the priviledge of celebrating our high school graduation poolside at Peggy's amazing home. She has always been incredibly welcoming and many of my classmates and friends spent time there over the years. Her home is featured in the August issue of O Magazine, published prior to the fire, which serves as an incredibly poignant reminder of how fleeting posessions can be in this world. No matter how many 'things' a person works to accumulate in their lives, it is the spirit behind them that lives on, and hers is one of incredible generosity and vision. My heart goes out to her and her family during this time of devastation.

Take a complete tour of Peggy's home here and read the article about her in O here.

Peggy on how to start collecting art.