MoMA's Party in the Garden Brings Greenery Indoors

Last year's Party in the Garden benefit may have been hard to top, but the Museum of Modern Art's annual event sold out once again, drawing some 650 guests to the dinner and 1,500 patrons to the after-party in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden on Tuesday night. As with last year's event, the foundation's planning team worked with sponsor Cartier, this time to deliver a modern garden-inspired affair.

"The idea behind [this year's design] was to bring the garden into the museum," said Lauren Driscoll, MoMA's manager of special programming and events.

The planning committee tapped David Monn to create the indoor greenery, using a color palette of predominantly white with touches of green. Organizers installed a white, wall-to-wall Astro turf carpet that set the tone. To add color to the otherwise blank environment, Monn incorporated plenty of greens into the decor, from potted topiaries to candlelit centerpieces at each table.

On the upper level, the dinner setup was more relaxed, alternating between lounge-like seating arrangements and rows of long, communal tables. The centerpieces were different too, using square-shaped, leafy "canopies" illuminated by candles in hanging glass cylinders. The dinnerware, provided by the museum, consisted of white dishes with green accents that also matched the decor.

Bringing in about $3.8 million to benefit the museum and its programs, this year's event honored trustees Michael Lynne, Anna Marie Shapiro, and Edgar Wachenheim.

At the after-party, singer Santigold hit the stage with two backup dancers to sing her newest songs, including "Big Mouth," and "Disparate Youth." In addition to crowding the garden, guests watched the entertainment from a V.I.P. lounge on a fifth-floor terrace. To bring something new to the event this year, organizers worked with two-time sponsor Cartier to install an Instagram wall for guests to upload their photos marked with the hashtag #PITG2012.