A crowd of 1,500 migrated from a private preview of the 2009 Armory Show Wednesday night to a packed party on the first floor of the Museum of Modern Art. Benefiting MoMA and its sister institution P.S.1, a $100 ticket bought guests a tour of the show, an evening of drinks, a set from DJ Justin Miller, and a performance from beloved local act Gang Gang Dance.
This marked the eighth year the museum has partnered with the annual art show, and both parties were looking for a way to incorporate the museum as a venue. "MoMA has had a longstanding relationship with the Armory Show, and over the years we have grown and adapted to each other's needs," said the museum's associate director of special programming and events, Paola Zanzo-Sahl. "When we started talking about this year, we all realized that there was a void in the evening portion of the preview, how in the past people never came to MoMA as part of the event. We then put together a wish list of elements we wanted in the party, and the format of a DJ and band made the most sense. We also wanted to keep the ticket price low."
Though some definitely sprang for the $10,000 packages for the party, the eclectic crowd included plenty drawn by the small price. The biggest draw, however, proved to be the night's headlining act. MoMA has developed quite a reputation in recent years of booking avant-garde acts like M.I.A. and Sigur Rós for on-site events. "Gang Gang Dance was just a natural choice," said Zanzo-Sahl. "They are already well known in art circles, having participated in the 2008 Whitney Biennial."
Who's to know if everyone was actually familiar with the band, but they did treat them to an overwhelmingly warm welcome. Older women in fur stoles sat on the steps of the stage, nodding their heads to the ambient beat, while suited financial types danced alongside hipsters in jeans and sneakers throughout the half-hour set.
