Art Patrons Partied Fellini-Style at MoCA

Miami's art world and cultural elite flocked to the Museum of Contemporary Art on February 9 to party Italian Neorealist-style at the organization's fifth annual fund-raising gala, "Pop 8 ½ La Dolce Vita," honoring filmmaker Federico Fellini. Fellini's surrealist 1963 film 8 ½ was the theme of the evening, evoking glamour, excess, and all things bellisimo.

A red carpet and paparazzi-style flashbulbs-courtesy of museum employees brandishing disposable cameras-greeted guests as they entered the museum and were treated to hors d'oeuvres by Shiraz FL Inc., and Sara Sharpe Catering. Inside the expansive tent behind the museum-where the event took place-were lounge seating, cocktail tables, food stations, and a dance floor. Additionally, Fellini's black-and-white film was projected onto the museum's outdoor façade, creating a swank backdrop to the festivities.Throughout the night, attendees feasted on Italian cuisine like wild mushroom risotto and a warm caprice salad from Nikki Coconut Grove, as well as endive and walnut salad and veal porcini ravioli from Bice Restaurante. Donning feathered and sequined masks, revelers sipped cocktails from a Grey Goose martini bar and Italian beer from Peroni. Desserts including a gelato station and red-, green-, and white-frosted cakes from We Take the Cake rounded out the fare.

Music by DJ Hottpants kept the crowd dancing to '60s and modern-day mod hits all night long, while dancers from Katie Stirman Dance Entertainment dressed as characters from the film danced from elevated platforms and added to the atmosphere.