Veronica Speck
Veronica Speck began her career in New York City at publishing houses including Condé Nast and Hearst. In 2010, while in the Special Events Department of Vogue, she assisted in the planning of the “American Woman” Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Leveraging her experience in the art world, Veronica joined Bernardaud as the global Director of Public Relations, promoting artist collaborations and limited-edition objets d’art with Jeff Koons, Vik Muniz, JR, Marina Abramovic, Julian Schnabel, David Lynch, The Campana Brothers, Sarah Lavoine, and the Alexander Calder, Joan Miro, and Marc Chagall Foundations. She also formed strategic partnerships with MoMA, MoCA, Sotheby’s, and Gagosian, and hosted press events during Art Basel, Bocuse D’Or, Design Miami/, Frieze, Maison et Objet, and partnered with Architectural Digest to design the 2015 Academy Awards Greenroom with Commune Design.
In 2018, Veronica oversaw the opening of The Future Perfect’s galleries in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and managed all exhibition openings, art fair participation, press, marketing, and events during Art Basel, Frieze, Salon Art + Design Fair, NYCxDesign, Design Miami/, and New York Fashion Week. She also hosted affinity partnership events with The New York Time’s T Magazine to celebrate their annual “Greats” Issue, Fendi’s ‘Made to Order’ program, as well as with Ruinart, Hermès Art de la Table, Puiforcat, Le Labo, Aesop, Vogue 100, and many more.
In 2019, She joined Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud as the global Head of Brand Marketing and Public Relations and helped raise over 1 million dollars for City Meals on Wheels during the annual Sunday Supper Gala at Restaurant Daniel. Le Pavillon restaurant at One Vanderbilt in New York City, designed by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfield, is the latest venture set to open in 2021.
In 2020, VHS Ventures was established in New York and California with international operations in Asia, Europe, and South America. Current clients range from Ferrari and Fine Art to Fragrance and Fine Jewelry. VHS is a Founding Partner of luxury fragrance brand Maison d’ Etto.
3 words to describe Nature?
Calming. Intriguing. Vast.
3 things Nature taught you?
Appreciation
Gratitude
Hope
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The Torrey Pines State Reserve in La Jolla, CA, which is dedicated to preserving its namesake, the Torrey Pine (Pinus Torreyana) tree, and other indigenous wildlife in its native environment. The tree only grows there and on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Santa Barbara. The hike to the top affords views of the Pacific Ocean and the cliffs of Blacks Beach, which are reminiscent of the Algarve in Portugal. It is also next to Torrey Pines Golf Course, one of the most beautiful golf courses (in my opinion). Big Sur, Muir Redwoods, Lake Tahoe, and Palm Springs desert in California are also special.
The Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The last time I was there, it was turtle nesting season, and watching hundreds of baby turtles make their way to the sea from the sand was magical.
The Mighty 5 National Parks in Utah—Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Hiking amongst the red Hoodoo rocks is reminiscent of Mars (not that I have been…yet!) Afterward, rent a boat and explore Lake Powell and enjoy a restorative stat at Amangiri in the desert.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Peaceful and nostalgic. I grew in San Diego, California so the ocean will always hold a special place in my heart. Swimming, surfing, scuba diving, sailing, parasailing, kitesurfing, snorkeling or simply watching the sun rise or set.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Curious. I love to explore and look through the trees for wildlife or up towards the sky for birds. I spent hours in the cloud forests of Costa Rica.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Adventurous and energized. I hiked Volcanoes National Park in Hawai'i after it erupted a few years ago, and was truly in awe of the natural landscapes and black sand beaches made of basalt and formed from hot lava clashing with the ocean water.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Renewed, restored, romantic.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Excited. I love thunderstorms, especially tropical ones. I took it for granted growing up, but San Diego has nearly perfect weather year-round so I naturally crave the opposite and love the excitement of storms. I was in New York during Hurricane Irene and Sandy and still remember the sound of the thunder, rain, and wind.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Attentive, Perceptive, Thoughtful. Ideally, I am curled up inside next to a cozy fire, and listening to the sounds outside.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
All!
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
My father has dedicated the majority of his life to caring for animals and the environment. I grew up next to horse and polo ranches, orange and avocado groves, and vineyards, and with exotic pets my father rescued. Boa Constrictors, Tarantulas, Macaw Parrots, African Grey Parrots, African Spur Tortoise, Chinchillas, and even a saltwater aquarium with small sharks, an octopus, living coral, and exotic fish. I celebrated many birthdays as a child at Sleepovers at the San Diego Zoo where guests could spend the night at a campsite and view the nocturnal animals on a guided tour.
My grandparents are European and when they moved to Los Angeles, they became members of a historic health and wellness retreat from the 1800s called Warner Springs Ranch because the therapeutic natural hot springs and rural beauty reminded them of Bohemia and Moravia. My favorite childhood memories include weekends and holidays spent with family riding horses, golfing, playing tennis, swimming, and exploring the grounds.
Paula Wallace
Paula Wallace serves nearly 15,000 students and more than 40,000 alumni as president and founder of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), a private, nonprofit, accredited university offering more than 100 academic degree programs. The university has locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and Hong Kong, and has been recognized for its revitalization of historic buildings by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and UNESCO. Wallace is known for creating many of the university's signature events, including the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, SCAD aTVfest, SCAD deFINE ART, SCAD FASHWKND, SCADstyle, and the SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival.
Wallace is an honorary member of the AIA, a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques, and a Georgia Trustee. She is the winner of the 2017 ASID Nancy Vincent McClelland Merit Award, 2016 Arthur Ross Award for Stewardship, 2016 Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award, and 2016 Roger Milliken Honorary AIA Legacy Award. In 2016, she was featured among Blouin Artinfo's "Power List: High-Wattage Women of the Art World" and named one of Condé Nast’s Daring 25. Wallace is the author of children's books, interior design books, and a memoir, "The Bee and the Acorn."
Wallace earned a Bachelor of Arts from Furman University, Masters in Education and Specialist of Education degrees from Georgia State University, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Gonzaga University.
3 words to describe Nature?
Resourceful. Tenacious. Sublime.
3 lessons Nature taught you?
Nature has taught me that anything is possible, with determination and patience. I titled my memoir The Bee and the Acornin recognition of two of nature’s wonders that inspire me most. Both are incorporated into the SCAD crest.
The bee (our mascot!) symbolizes hope. Back in 1978, when my family and I created SCAD, many people said our little dream would never fly. Our mission to focus on creative careers was very much ahead of its day. Seeking encouragement in those early years, I was reminded of a study completed by French entomologist Antoine Magnan, who noted that a bee’s flight shouldbe impossible. The bee’s body is far too large, its wings minuscule in comparison. The bee, of course, flies anyway, appearing to defy the laws of physics and rising to great heights. I guess bees have never paid much mind to what others think! And neither does SCAD.
In the South, where SCAD was founded, the acorn is a symbol of strength arising from humble origins. From tiny acorns, they say, mighty oak trees grow! Our students are acorns that flourish and grow into a mighty grove with broad limbs that touch and support one another and their communities. SCAD Savannah (among a family of four SCAD locations worldwide) is stippled with enormous live oak trees. Their comely limbs, draped with Spanish moss, sprawl across streets, boulevards, entire greenspaces. All of us at SCAD remember: each began life as an acorn.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The first is easy! Any view from SCAD Lacoste — where every evening is a new palette, every morning a study in color theory. For centuries, artists (Matisse, Picasso, others) have cherished Provence for its natural beauty and wondrous light. There’s a magnetism to the way the days move in Lacoste, stretching lusciously into the Luberon horizon. Lacoste both arouses the senses and quiets the soul.
My second choice would have to be Winn Park in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, a short walk from SCAD Atlanta. This park is an oasis of green and one of many beautiful public parks in the city. With a meandering stream and an enchanting iris garden, this vernal treasure offers many spots for a meditative retreat from urban bustle.
And third is my side garden in downtown Savannah, verdant and blossoming nearly all year round. I enjoy its brilliant red roses, the fountain’s murmur, the aromatic herbs in terra-cotta pots, reminiscent of my childhood. The side garden acts as a portal between my busy, professional life and a cozy, familial one.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...
The lure of the voyage. The promise of grandeur beyond the horizon. Savannah is one of the great port cities of the world. At Tybee Island’s North Beach, where we host our annual SCAD Sand Arts Festival, you can watch immense container ships wend the Savannah River. These ships’ magnitude and power astound. As they drift into the Atlantic and become smaller and smaller, I imagine where they might travel next — it’s the same feeling I get when I watch SCAD’s students and graduates sail off across the globe. The ocean makes dreamers of us all.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...
As though I’m home. I grew up around trees in Atlanta ("the city in a forest," they call it) and at my grandparents’ farm in Mississippi, where trees offered respite from the hot summer sun.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...
The power that rests beneath our feet. They say an ancient super volcano left the island of curious hexagonal rock columns off the coast of Hong Kong, near our SCAD campus on Sham Shui Po — it’s like nothing I’ve seen before. This formation impresses on me the infinite ways that nature asserts itself, and how our art stems from its beauty.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...
Possibility. As a girl in Atlanta, I heard Scarlett O’Hara’s refrain aplenty! Tomorrow is, indeed, another day. Both sunrise and sunset denote the opportunities that time affords to create.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...
The reprieve from a sultry summer day, as the afternoon storms drift along the coastline. The thunder storms bring winds and rains that make the bricks steam. The relief never lasts long, but a nice cool iced tea helps make the humidity bearable.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...
Nostalgic. One of my favorite books, A Wrinkle in Time, begins with the line, “It was a dark and stormy night.” The winds of that storm carry the reader straight into the book’s plot. It’s wonderful that Ava DuVernay adapted the book. Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, and Mindy Kaling all have visited SCAD and shared their wisdom with students. It’s a joy when a beloved classic from childhood comes to life on film as the result of the leadership of visionary women behind the camera and on the screen.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
All four! SCAD’s locations in Savannah and Hong Kong reside next to two of the world’s great ports. Hong Kong is also situated alongside mountains, surrounded by country parks and nature reserves blanketed with forests. I would be remiss if I neglected the trees at all of SCAD’s campuses — live oaks in Savannah, maples in Atlanta, banyan in Hong Kong, and the cedars of Provence. Provence can even have a desert feel with its dry, hot summers. And, of course, Provence leads one to the Alps. We are surrounded by such loveliness on all sides!
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10!
Would you share with us a childhood nature memory?
I fondly recall reading books under the magnolias on my grandmother’s farm near Collins, Mississippi, and shelling peas from her garden on the front porch. Porches offer the best views of nature and civilization. They create connections among indoor worlds, people, and the outdoors. I have fond memories of my parents’ porch in Atlanta, too, where my sister and I would pretend to be Laura and Mary Ingalls. Other times, I would sit tucked beside my father on a glider as he listened to baseball games on the radio against the backdrop of leaves rustling in the breeze.