In addition to spectacular clothes-watching ops, the Hammer Museum's annual "Gala in the Garden" fund-raiser, set in the museum's diminutive courtyard, is one of those art-world affairs that manages a feeling of warmth and intimacy over pretension. Although this year's fifth annual benefit doubled its guest count (to close to 600, over about 300 five years ago) and raised more than $1 million (up from the first gala's $125,000), it retained its intimate mood.
Hammer development director Jennifer Wells Green oversaw last night's event, working with event producer Mitie Tucker, whose focus is on fashion events—appropriate, since the event chose a fashion-world honoree, Miuccia Prada, for the first time. Museum director Annie Philbin, gala co-chairs Susan and Leonard Nimoy, new UCLA chancellor Gene Block, filmmaker John Waters, and artist Cindy Sherman were among those to make brief remarks. Sherman, not fond of public speaking, made an exception to introduce Prada, who also made remarks despite an assumption to the contrary because of her own speech aversion.Chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques manned the kitchen, creating the elegant dishes so important to event organizers. "We do put a lot of emphasis on food," said Wells Green, "and I think [Goin] topped herself this time." The menu included prosciutto and roasted grapes with goat-cheese toast, arugula, and saba; coq au vin with potato puree, chanterelles, and pearl onions; and red-wine-poached pear with pain de genes and mascarpone for dessert.
In addition to the food, planners focused on facilitating conversation at the Hammer's long, narrow dinner tables. "The thing that's great about our setup is that its really intimate and allows for many people to have a conversation," Wells Green said. "Instead of just assigning people [arbitrarily], we actually take great care at placing guests around the table so they can enjoy conversations. That's something we enjoy doing—it makes it feel like a dinner party at someone's home." Antony Hegarty, the Mercury Prize-winning singer of the New York-based band Antony and the Johnsons, sang and played the piano on a stage near the center of the courtyard space.
Tables were dressed in dark gray linens, with an assortment of small black vases of different shapes on each, alongside cut dahlias and greens. ("We wanted to look like someone had just gone into their garden and snipped florals for the evening," Wells Green said.) Larger incarnations of the familiar lanterns hung in the trees, and projections of Jennifer Steinkamp's computer-generated drawings of seasonally changing trees were shown on the courtyard walls. (The folks at 15/40 Productions took care that their lighting did not interfere with the artist's work.)
Hammer development director Jennifer Wells Green oversaw last night's event, working with event producer Mitie Tucker, whose focus is on fashion events—appropriate, since the event chose a fashion-world honoree, Miuccia Prada, for the first time. Museum director Annie Philbin, gala co-chairs Susan and Leonard Nimoy, new UCLA chancellor Gene Block, filmmaker John Waters, and artist Cindy Sherman were among those to make brief remarks. Sherman, not fond of public speaking, made an exception to introduce Prada, who also made remarks despite an assumption to the contrary because of her own speech aversion.Chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques manned the kitchen, creating the elegant dishes so important to event organizers. "We do put a lot of emphasis on food," said Wells Green, "and I think [Goin] topped herself this time." The menu included prosciutto and roasted grapes with goat-cheese toast, arugula, and saba; coq au vin with potato puree, chanterelles, and pearl onions; and red-wine-poached pear with pain de genes and mascarpone for dessert.
In addition to the food, planners focused on facilitating conversation at the Hammer's long, narrow dinner tables. "The thing that's great about our setup is that its really intimate and allows for many people to have a conversation," Wells Green said. "Instead of just assigning people [arbitrarily], we actually take great care at placing guests around the table so they can enjoy conversations. That's something we enjoy doing—it makes it feel like a dinner party at someone's home." Antony Hegarty, the Mercury Prize-winning singer of the New York-based band Antony and the Johnsons, sang and played the piano on a stage near the center of the courtyard space.
Tables were dressed in dark gray linens, with an assortment of small black vases of different shapes on each, alongside cut dahlias and greens. ("We wanted to look like someone had just gone into their garden and snipped florals for the evening," Wells Green said.) Larger incarnations of the familiar lanterns hung in the trees, and projections of Jennifer Steinkamp's computer-generated drawings of seasonally changing trees were shown on the courtyard walls. (The folks at 15/40 Productions took care that their lighting did not interfere with the artist's work.)
The alfresco scene at the Hammer gala.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
Guests dined at conversation-facilitating narrow tables.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
Staffers manned an understated bar, with a simple white gobo announcing the party's moniker.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
Black vases in assorted shapes sat on monochromatic tabletops.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
Bigger incarnations of the familiar lanterns hung over the courtyard.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
Miuccia Prada and museum director Annie Philbin both made remarks at the event, despite the honoree's aversion to public speaking.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
Chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques headed up the catering.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
A first course of roasted grapes began the meal.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/PMC
