The Women’s Committee for the Corcoran Gallery of Art hosted its 60th annual Corcoran Ball—an event many didn’t think would happen—on April 17. Last year’s purchase of the Corcoran and its college of art and design by George Washington University—a move that many long-time supporters fought—put the future of the museum as well as its largest fund-raising event in question. Both the university and the women's committee remained committed to the ball, though, albeit on a smaller scale.
With the Corcoran currently under construction, executives at the university opted to move the event to the new George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum. It's a smaller space, which meant the ball itself would have fewer guests. While last year's ball drew 780 people, this year planners capped ticket sales at 300. Ball chairman Saree Pitt acknowledged the impact of dramatically downsizing the guest list, but said the event maintained its traditions of dinner, dancing, and raising money for the students at the college—more than $250,000.
“It’s a completely new event and environment, so we’ve been cautious with expectations,” Pitt said. “We aren’t focused on numbers, though we are confident we’ll hit our goal. [We are] more focused on continuing the event.”
One long-standing tradition the ball brought to the new venue was its opulent decor. Perfect Settings set up two tents, one for the reception and one for dinner, on the museum property and guests could tour the museum throughout the event. Eric Michaels of Occasions Caterers, Peter Grazzini of Perfect Settings, and Annie Senatore of Design Foundry returned to set the scene along with Erik Duran of Duran Floral Designs, formerly known as Jack H. Lucky Floral before Duran purchased the business following Lucky’s retirement.
In the past, each room of the Corcoran had a different theme to its decor based on the art in that gallery. Given the change of venue, the designers opted for a consistent color and design scheme, focusing on a "metamorphosis" theme.
“This is the 60th anniversary, but we are changing,” Pitt said. “We are using the butterfly as the symbol of that on the invite, program, and in the decorating to bring the best of the 60 years of tradition into the next 60 years we’ll be creating.”