Everyone remembers
Daphne Maxwell Reid as an iconic TV mom of the 1990s, from her three seasons as
Aunt Vivian on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” These days Reid is a
Renaissance woman, respected artist and designer, and education activist.
Working from her home in Virginia, and still happily married to pioneering
television actor/producer/writer/director Tim Reid (“WKRP in Cincinnati,”
“Frank’s Place”), Daphne Maxwell Reid is living proof that a passion for
creativity and a dedication to hard work can ensure a lifetime’s worth of
success.
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| With husband Tim Reid |
Breaking new barriers is
nothing new to Reid, who decades ago became the first African-American
homecoming queen at Northwestern University and shortly thereafter one of the
first African-American women to appear on the cover of Glamour magazine.
But many fans of her modelling and acting career probably don’t know that Reid
is a lifelong shutterbug, a hobby passed down by her father that has now become
a focal point of her career. With five books and 5 annual calendars
already published, Reid specialises in fine art photography that features doors
and doorways from around the world, including Cuba, Venice, France, China,
Germany, and Belgium. Now she’s added to her publishing resume with her
first cookbook, “Grace + Soul & Motherwit,” which offers her favorite
recipes spiced with personal memories and reflections from her life and
travels.
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| One of Daphne's Doors |
Reid has also been a
seamstress for much of her life, creating many of her own outfits and costumes
as a young actress and model, and has now developed those skills into an
exclusive, custom clothing line called Daphne Style, making Chinese silk
brocade jackets that are wearable works of art. She also keeps busy as
the Host of Virginia Currents (PBS), and as a spokesperson for Virginia State
University, a historically black college/university (HBCU), doing outreach,
public relations, and speaking engagements that allow her to preach the
importance of education and career prep for students of colour.
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| One of Daphne's creations |
A thoughtful, inspiring,
and fascinating professional with over five decades of experience, Daphne
Maxwell Reid continues to demonstrate that mastering a new skill is always
possible for an artist with a generous spirit and self-determination.
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Steve Jones
Architect, SF Jones
You’ve heard of tiny
houses – but tiny restaurants? Well, that’s not too far off one of
the many innovative new design concepts from Stephen Francis Jones and
his team at SFJones Architects. They’re going against the cliché
that “bigger is better” with the beer garden located at the Fields LA (home of
the LA Football club), where Jones has repurposed shipping containers
to function as affordable and mobile eateries. The same holds true
at the Pavilions at Veranda in Concord, CA, where tiny brick and mortar
structures (not much bigger than a food truck) and a common seating area offer
a refreshing outdoor twist on the traditional mall food court.
His other recent
projects run the gamut: restoring the classic Ashley residence
(built 1908) in Coronado; developing the Foundry and Lux business campus at
Oyster Cove; rebuilding homes destroyed by fire in Santa Rosa; and creating new
spaces for clients ranging from medical collectives to legendary
restauranteurs. Whatever the project, Jones brings thirty
years of experience and success, making him well-prepared for the challenges of
the future.
His assignments are all
reflections of the ways in which Jones is evolving his business from
mere architecture and design to “place-making” – using thoughtful and efficient
design concepts to make businesses, offices, and homes more sustainable,
livable, and unique. As the business and commercial world reimagine
where and when we do business, Stephen Francis Jones and his design
team continue to think outside of the box, to imagine spaces that unify as well
as define us. Common open spaces, integration with the natural
landscape, and user-friendly amenities are just as important to Jones’
projects as basic form and function.
Even though the term
might be new, the idea behind place making has always been at the heart
of Jones’ work, including his most high-profile
accomplishments. Whether you are talking about Wolfgang Puck’s
signature restaurant Spago in Beverly Hills, farm-to-table landmark MB Post in
Manhattan Beach, the flagship location for La Brea Bakery, the Lucky Strike
Bowling chain, Japan’s Mister Donut franchise, or the Java House chain in
Africa, Jones’ designs are more than just places to eat – they are highly
crafted social spaces where relationships are formed, collegial and familial
bonds are reinforced, and communities are built.
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