On May 22, the Art Institute of Chicago opens its Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, which will be on display through September 3. But on Saturday night, 600 museum supporters got a sneak peek at the collection of pop art—plus an elegant dinner, a burlesque show, and corn dogs while they were at it.
The woman's board's opening celebration comprised two distinct parts: at 6:30 p.m., a cocktail reception and sit-down dinner took place in the Modern Wing's Griffin Court, and at 9:30 an after-party dubbed "Crash the Gala" struck up in upper-level restaurant Terzo Piano.
During the three-course dinner, guests sat at long, mirror-top tables with decor from Bill Heffernan of HMR Design Group. Inspired by Lichenstein's painting "Whaam!," Heffernan topped tables with dramatic crossed mirror shards. Meant to look like they were exploding out the tables, the colorful structures contrasted the airy white backdrop of the event space. According to Heffernan, the decorative scheme employed "110 seven-foot shards, miles of internal LED lighting, and 110 panes of glass mirror."
The name of well-known boutique owner and fashion stylist Ikram Goldman headlined the after-party invite. "Think of Ikram as a special host for the Lichtenstein opening celebration," said the museum's associate director of public affairs Chai Lee. "She was asked by Francie Comer, who is the president of the Art Institute's woman's board, to organize the party. Ikram is so well connected not only in Chicago but all over the world. The Lichtenstein exhibition opening was the perfect occasion to throw a fun, out-of-the-box opening soiree to celebrate an international exhibition of such magnitude."
Known for her lavish and dramatic style of entertaining in addition to her fashion sense, "Ikram brought her creativity and style to all aspects of the evening," Lee said. "She definitely brought her talents and extraordinary ideas to the Art Institute."
Kehoe Designs took over decorative duty for Crash the Gala, surrounding the normally minimalist restaurant with red and metallic drapes. At the entrance to the fete, an abstract art installation included a graffiti wall and sculptures made from painted hangers. Inside, Rococo-style lounge furniture with golden pillows provided seating in one room, while overstuffed white couches and a ceiling filled with balloons spruced up the next. A tiled bar with an illuminated-vodka-bottle backdrops was a popular attraction in the first room; in the second, guests got drinks at illuminated white bars.
While the earlier gala offered Blue Plate Catering's venison with lingonberries, sun-dried apricots with whipped Stilton cheese, and herb-roasted lamb loin, Bon Appetit servers circulated the after-party with pizza in cardboard boxes, corn dogs, and plates full bacon. Hot dog carts offered the Chicago-style snacks with all the traditional toppings, and an ice cream bar served casual desserts.
As the night wore on, entertainment ranged from dance tracks spun by DJ Jesse De La Pena to drag performers belting out show tunes and to a burlesque performer who bore (almost) all for the crowd. Goldman herself spun around the room with a microphone, shouting that certain of her friends and clients were "in the house" and providing frequent whoops of "woot woot" to ramp up the crowd.
"The after-party is a great opportunity to attract an entirely different crowd to the event with a lower ticket price," Lee said. "Crash the Gala definitely achieved that." Some 600 guests attended the $1,500-a-head dinner, while 500 purchased $100 tickets to the late-night celebration.
According to Lee, "coordinating two large, back-to-back events in one night added extra layers of logistics. Working with two caterers, two decor companies, navigating guests through shared spaces, etc., all required additional attention to detail. The work paid off."
