Looking to attract potential new—and younger—donors, the Smithsonian American Art Museum opened its doors for the third incarnation of "Artrageous" benefit on Thursday, at the museum’s brand spanking new Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard. Designed by Foster + Partner, the 28,000-square-foot venue has been critically hailed as an architectural gem, and Smithsonian special events manager Emily Chamberlin was eager to get into the space.
“We’ve been growing Artrageous each year, knowing that we would eventually be able to move into the courtyard,” she said. Some 500 guests attended the event, up 20 percent from 2006.Chamberlin created four distinct areas for the event, each representing a region of the United States and a piece by an artist with work housed in the museum’s permanent gallery. The South area of the room, for example, represented David Bates’s "Baits" painting, complete with fried chicken, pulled pork, and grits by Design Cuisine. The centerpieces in each area also reflected the paintings—the South’s was a dock, mimicking the one featured in "Baits." Other regions, artists, and artwork honored included the Northeast and Edward Hopper’s "Ryder’s House," the West and Albert Bierstadt’s "Among the Sierra Nevada, California," and an all-American theme (offering no less than a dozen desserts) that highlighted Nam June Palik’s video installation "Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii."
“Artrageous is just one facet of a museum-wide initiative to go in a more contemporary direction,” said Smithsonian development officer Elaine Webster. “One of the things we’re really focusing on is having a place where younger folks can come, and this is one night where we open our doors to the broader community. The key thing for us, though, is to get newcomers into the museum, and to keep them coming back.”
The invitation encouraged “artrageous attire and dancerageous shoes,” so it was no surprise that music was also a focus of the evening, with a jazz performance by Blues Alley Jazz's Jacques Johnson and some big-band hits from Big Ray and the Kool Kats.
“We’ve been growing Artrageous each year, knowing that we would eventually be able to move into the courtyard,” she said. Some 500 guests attended the event, up 20 percent from 2006.Chamberlin created four distinct areas for the event, each representing a region of the United States and a piece by an artist with work housed in the museum’s permanent gallery. The South area of the room, for example, represented David Bates’s "Baits" painting, complete with fried chicken, pulled pork, and grits by Design Cuisine. The centerpieces in each area also reflected the paintings—the South’s was a dock, mimicking the one featured in "Baits." Other regions, artists, and artwork honored included the Northeast and Edward Hopper’s "Ryder’s House," the West and Albert Bierstadt’s "Among the Sierra Nevada, California," and an all-American theme (offering no less than a dozen desserts) that highlighted Nam June Palik’s video installation "Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii."
“Artrageous is just one facet of a museum-wide initiative to go in a more contemporary direction,” said Smithsonian development officer Elaine Webster. “One of the things we’re really focusing on is having a place where younger folks can come, and this is one night where we open our doors to the broader community. The key thing for us, though, is to get newcomers into the museum, and to keep them coming back.”
The invitation encouraged “artrageous attire and dancerageous shoes,” so it was no surprise that music was also a focus of the evening, with a jazz performance by Blues Alley Jazz's Jacques Johnson and some big-band hits from Big Ray and the Kool Kats.
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash
Photo: Eric Powell for BizBash