Donna Karan Reveals Stephan Weiss - Connecting the dots exhibit

[Music] DONNA KARAN: This space is my heart, my soul, my spirit. About 15 years ago, I had a vision. I had done Donna Karan, I had done DKNY, and I felt what was the next thing. And I saw this company called Urban Zen where you walked in and it was cotton, cashmere, candles, CDs, cafe, community, yoga—just everything for the mind, body, and spirit in a gallery and in this gallery was exhibitions and conferences that would bring people together or connect the dots as my husband would say to make a difference in this world. Stephan was my husband and he was an artist, a sculptor, my partner in business, father of my children, drove me crazy. [Laughs] I met him when I was 18 years old and he was far above my head. Y'know, he would talk about these scientific things of connecting the dots and string theory. I had no idea what he was talking about. I think until now. Now it has all come together. It all makes sense to me. Unfortunately, Stephan's not here to share in that. He passed away 11 years ago and it probably took me 11 years to be able to be able to reflect back and move forward. Stephan used to sit every single minute of his life putting dots on a piece of paper and connecting them and out of that, came a horse, an apple, a film, a nothing, an object, a desire. It was sort of y'know, quantum theory. Y'know, that we're all connected. Y'know, whether it's mother, father, child. You're connected as family, your own fashion, pants, sweaters, it's connecting a wardrobe. Y'know, you think about it really who we are. Are we just a dot on a piece of paper? And Stephan's philosophy was the connection of those dots. Stephan's first art was he worked in the broadway theater. He worked on the sets and he had a studio out in Long Island City where he started doing his artwork and then he took this place. He did it all by himself. And then we'd hang out here and the grandkids would hang out here and the bikes would be here and his friends would be here. He would work 24/7. He loved his art and as you look around the room, there's pieces that are not finished yet. Stephan worked until the very end. Stephan is in every place that I'm in. Stephan's in the center and I think you feel the energy here. Stephan met the Dalai Lama right before he passed away and he wanted a prayer. Really the birth of Urban Zen happened when His Holiness the Dalai Lama came here. At that point, I realized that this center belonged to a dream that I had of connecting the dots. Of putting people together that wanted to create change in the world through spirituality, through healthcare, through education, through culture and it continues. Hi, I'm Donna Karan. Please subscribe to THNKR.