Here's Mona's artist’s statement:

One of the wonderful things about a gallery or museum opening is the interesting ensembles worn by artists and art connoisseurs. The best ones are a true expression of the wearer's unique style.

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As the executive director of the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, which is about to make a splash with a new building, people will look to Cydney Payton for aesthetic direction -- whether in the exhibitions or in her own personal dress. I believe she should convey a fashion-forward-yet-authoritative style.

For an important museum opening, I suggest that Cydney wear a non-traditional suit. The shirt underneath the sleeveless dress plays with the idea of a classic men's "white shirt and jacket" type of suit. The jacket is in a lightweight wool and can be worn during the opening or later out on the town. There is a bit of red piping on both the dress and jacket for a touch of humor.

For the focal point, the dress, I wanted to bring art and design together, so a simple, chic sheath on which any number of fine-art-inspired prints could be screenprinted or knitted made sense.

I considered several of the artists that the MCA has featured, including Paola Ochoa, Robert Longo and Dale Chisman. Any of these artist's works would have been beautiful and exciting to use as a print. Ultimately, I chose Dale Chisman. His artwork lends itself to an all-over fabric print, and as a contemporary Denver artist who is nationally known and respected, he is symbolic of what the Museum of Contemporary Art plans to achieve: to be recognized as an art leader locally and nationally.