Underground Transport

On Wednesday, the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery put on a multifaceted gala that had guests moving about throughout the evening. The benefit began in the Smithsonian’s Enid A. Haupt garden, where the galleries' special events manager, Alison Cassels, set up a reception tent stocked with Old World Portuguese treats like gazpacho served in tall shot glasses.

Next up was a sneak peek of the evening’s purpose: the Sackler’s “Encompassing the Globe” exhibit about Portuguese trade routes in the 15th and 16th centuries. Then it was on to the Freer Gallery for a formal dinner, as guests traveled through an underground passageway between the two museums. The subterranean journey included a walk past a Chinese ceramic collection and two marble staircases.The Sackler’s largest-ever exhibition explores an East-meets-West blend of cultures, and the guest list reflected this notion—diplomats, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, the president of Portugal, and the minister of heritage and culture of Oman were among the 400 guests. Such a dignitary-deluged guest list created security red tape for Cassels, who had to schedule overlapping walkthroughs for Secret Service details in the days prior to the gala.

The president of Portugal’s confirmation on the guest list even changed the event’s decor. "We were going to try to come up with creative, quirky maps, but then we found out the president of Portugal was coming, so we went with a lush, opulent look instead,” Cassels said. “The decor is a mix between Zen and Portuguese heritage.”

For dinner, Cassels placed tables throughout the Freer Gallery’s rooms. “This museum is a challenge, because it's designed around a courtyard; there is no central spot,” she said. To create a centralized feeling, live video of the night’s events played on screens placed near tables far from the podium. The Portuguese Tourist Authority, an event sponsor, flew in the executive chef of the Pestana Pousadas Group to work with Federal City Caterers to create a menu of tiger shrimp, almond-crusted rack of lamb, sautéed wild mushrooms, and a Portuguese dessert sampler. After the meal, the party moved once again to the Freer’s outside courtyard for music by renowned Portugese fado singer Mariza.