This week, the New York arts and artisan cognoscente came together to celebrate the Museum of Arts and Design's MAD Ball Gala. The museum's annual fundraiser honored artist and designer Gaetano Pesce, 1stdibs founder and entrepreneur Michael Bruno, as well as MAD Board Chairman Emeritus Laura and Lewis Kruger. On the 36th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, guests toasted the museum's mission to champion artists, designers, and artisans through a diverse program and collection.

FLAUNT spoke with MAD Ball Gala honorees Gaetano Pesce and Michael Bruno about the power of art to inspire change, the boundaries of art and design, and how they feel aligned with the Museum's mission.

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Gaetano Pesce

Do you consider your work to be an experiment or the product of experimentation? 

Certain parts of my work are experiments, certain parts are not. The chair I just described is something that is mass-produced. So it is not an experiment. At certain times, an idea is strong enough to become a solid presence in reality. Other times, it’s an object we put on the shelf because it was just a test for something. 

How do you think about the boundaries of art, design, and architecture?

There aren’t any more boundaries. It depends on the idea. Some ideas are good for architecture, some are good for an object, some for a piece of music, and some for writing—it all depends on what you want to express.

What does this recognition from the Museum of Arts and Design mean to you? How do you feel aligned with the museum’s mission? 

I was very pleased that an important cultural institution in New York City that I like very much has honored me. I must say, thank you very much. I didn’t know that I was doing something important in their eyes. I was sick, unfortunately, and I was not able to attend the event. A museum like this is very important because it puts Art and Design on the same level, as I believe they should be. (The title of the museum must be Art and Art or Design and Design because Design today is Art and Art today is also Design).

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Michael Bruno

What sparked your interest in both antiques and antiquing?

It all started with beautiful homes. Having a beautiful home makes you want to fill it with beautiful things,from furniture to art to objects. Art and design has the power to allow us to see the world through a fresh perspective. Cutting edge contemporary art and design allow us to let go of the past and embrace the present moment. When you see something you have never seen before it causes you to pause to take it in. Being present has become harder and harder to do in our world of constant distractions. Great art can stop us in our tracks and that is powerful. Art and design has always blazed a path throughout the ages. It starts with the artist and the collectors and then makes its way to the masses.

There’s an interesting dynamic of visiting a flea market or antiques store which is unlike any other retail experience. How did you think about translating this into the digital realm?

While I have no interest in pursuing the online world of art and design as an enterprise these days; if I were to do it, I would make an authentic antiques shopping experience that provides a space-time reality experience inside of Meta.There’s an interesting dynamic of visiting a flea market or antiques store which is unlike any other retail experience. How did you think about translating this into the digital realm? While I have no interest in pursuing the online world of art and design as an enterprise these days; if I were to do it, I would make an authentic antiques shopping experience that provides a space-time reality experience inside of Meta.

Can you tell us about your approach to design?

I love “used” structures. From important historic homes to old barns and warehouses. They always provide some interesting form and surfaces. I like to work naturally around what is available to me. When I build from scratch I let the site dictate what gets built.

What does this recognition from the Museum of Arts and Design mean to you?

Being called a visionary by your friends and family is wonderful. Having an institution like MAD fill a ballroom with nearly 300 people and put you on stage to hand you an award for being a visionary makes you think… there might just be something to it. While I do possess visionary powers that I use very actively, I believe we all have them. Quantum physics would say it’s fundamental to life on earth. Only last December the Nobel Prize for physics was awarded for validating a theory that has been around for decades; local reality may not be real. An apple may be red or green, it does not take on definite properties until observed. Some would say that all possibilities exist until one has been chosen. As head spinning as this may seem to us at this time, what it does inform me is that everything we experience is a perception. Our perceptions are born out of our thoughts and feelings. Since we have the power to choose our thoughts we have the power to choose our perceptions. Many people forget that they are not their thoughts. Our thoughts are just a pallet of choices from which we can create.

How do you feel aligned with the museum’s mission?

I embrace it everyday. I believe in using the best quality ingredients you can get and developing the skill sets necessary to implement them into creations. For me it is a way of life, whether I am creating it or consuming it. From food to fashion and architecture.