| EVENT REPORT 03.22.06 1:09 PM |
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| Growing Whitney Party Is Chic in Black and White |
| The Whitney Museum’s annual Art Party attracted approximately 1,000 attendees this year—so many guests, in fact, the event had to move from the museum to Splashlight Studios. |
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Who knew there were so many hip kids and art lovers interested in supporting young artists? The Whitney Museum of American Art’s annual Art Party, hosted by the Whitney Contemporaries (the museum’s young donors group), attracted approximately 1,000 attendees this year—so many guests, in fact, that the event had to move from its traditional home in the museum to a larger venue, Splashlight Studios.
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Lounge furniture from SoHo design store Troy dotted Splashlight Studios for the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Art Party.
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The long hallways leading to Splashlight’s main event space were perfect for displaying the works that had been donated for the fund-raiser. “We wanted to feature the donating silent auction artists prominently by presenting their work as a prelude to the main cocktail-performance space,” event cochairwoman Philae Knight told us.
Once inside, guests found themselves in a sleek, sophisticated space designed by LMD Floral’s Lewis Miller with minimal decor and a chic black-and-white color scheme. Two Italian sofa sectionals from SoHo furniture retailer Troy, in black and white, served as seating, and were arranged under two giant French glass chandeliers (again, one black and one white). Each held lacquer trays with arrangements of miniature black calla lilies and miniature white calla lilies. Cocktail tables covered in black cloth throughout the venue held more calla lily arrangements. Gobos projected the word “art” onto walls while two giant ice sculptures by Okamoto Studio on the bars also displayed the word of the evening.
“We tried to create an atmosphere that would not take away from the art itself,” said Whitney director of special events Kimberly Goldsteen. “We thought the black and white Troy chandeliers and the sofas were the perfect complement to the colorful works of art.”
Splashlight’s terrace served as a smokers’ lounge, dotted with patio furniture and two more bars and complete with Ketel One-branded and bottle-shaped ice sculpture luges from Iceculture.
Taste presented passed hors d’oeuvres of beef satay, two-cheese quesadillas with salsa and guacamole, rice-paper pockets with smoked duck, fresh basil and avocado, nori-crusted yellowfin tuna with papaya jelly, mini risotto cakes, and something called “martini” shrimp (it was marinated in dry vermouth and vodka). At midnight, caterwaiters began passing sweets: mini vanilla doughnuts with lemon glaze and chocolate truffle triangles.
At the end of the night, guests presented their ticket stubs for limited-edition Kate Spade tote bags designed in collaboration with artist Ellen Harvey.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
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