On June 17, Syracuse native and national style icon Thom Filicia will be awarded the Everson Medal at the annual Everson Picnic. Many will view this event as a homecoming, and Filicia couldn’t agree more.
“When people asked me where I lived, I would say I live in New York City. When people say where is your home? I would say Syracuse,” Filicia recently told the Skaneateles Press over the phone.
Filicia, who is renovating a summer home on Skaneateles Lake, is being honored for his contributions to the arts in Central New York. In describing what made Filicia a superior candidate for the award, Sarah Massett, director of Public Relations for the Everson, cited his involvement in Everson projects such as the Festival of Trees, Fine Art and Flowers, and 60/60.
“In addition, like the Everson, he embraces collaborative efforts between the arts,” Massett said, pointing to his performance in the 2009 Skaneateles Festival hosted at the Everson.
As the host of Style Network’s “Dress My Nest” and owner of the prolific New York City interior design practice, Thom Filicia Inc., Filicia brought “a wonderful new twist” to the award.
“He is a celebration of the creativity that has long characterized Central New York, and a product of Nottingham High School and Syracuse University,” Massett said. “In addition, his much-talked-about new line of furniture, with its names referencing everything from Sedgwick to Skaneateles, brings the national limelight to Syracuse and CNY, now for art rather than sports or higher education.”
Filicia never saw the award coming — not in spite of his ongoing involvement locally, but because of it.
“I’ve been working with Syracuse University and the Everson for quite some time and I still encourage and support the arts in any way possible. So for me, I didn’t even think that this was a possibility,” Filicia said. ” I was really taken aback and incredibly honored.”
Filicia said the Everson is very dear to him as it is the first museum he ever set foot in. He referred to the museum, designed by I.M. Pei, as “architecturally interesting and significant” and noted its incredible ceramics collection.
“What the Everson has been doing in the last few years has been wonderful and exciting, and breathing kind of a great, fresh breath of air into the museum,” he said.
In describing why he loves art in Central New York, Filicia employed a designer’s vocabulary.
“I think what’s really great about it is that it’s pretty multi-layered, and there’s a lot of exciting things happening, but you can really get involved with it. You can really touch it and feel it. You can really get to know the artists,” Filicia said. “I think there’s something really wonderful about that — that it feels real, but it also feels approachable.”
Proceeds from the Everson Annual Summer Picnic, to be held at 6 p.m. June 17 on the Everson Community Plaza, will directly benefit the museum’s special exhibit and education programming. In recognition of Filicia’s home on Skaneateles Lake, the event is being catered by the Sherwood Inn.
Reservations are required to participate and tickets are $200 per person. To make a reservation, call (315) 474-6064.
Ned Campbell is an intern with the Skaneateles Press.
