El Museo del Barrio’s sold out annual spring Gala was held on Thursday, May 14th at The Plaza Hotel in New York. Board member Yolanda Santos was presented with the Joseph A. Unanue Trustee Leadership Award by long-time friend Marifé Hernández; Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Time Warner Inc., Lisa Garcia Quiroz, received the Corporate Excellence in the Arts Awards presented by Lin-Manuel Miranda; and the Founder and President of Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, Eugenio López Alonso, was honored with the Excellence in the Arts Award presented by Jane Holzer. Christofle again generously donated the three silver awards for the Gala. Cocktails, including specialty tequila concoctions , began at 7pm in the Terrace Room. Dinner and dancing to music by Avenida B followed at 8pm in the Grand Ballroom. This year’s Gala borrowed its aesthetic themes from El Museo´s current exhibition, which explores the work and legacy of Mexican cinematographer, Gabriel Figueroa. The event was designed by Jeronimo Gaxiola and featured a multidisciplinary performance by Erika Harrsch in collaboration with singer Magos Herrera. An emotional appeal was led by Sotheby’s, Gabriela Palmieri. The Gala raised 1 million dollars for the museum.
Maria Eugenia Maury who, with her husband William A. Haseltine, chaired the Gala said “My husband and I were proud to chair this year’s Gala as it accompanies a renaissance for our institution. We celebrated an ambitious new director, new board leadership, and a brilliant slate of exhibitions. This year’s honorees are outstanding individuals who support the arts and our Latin community. Like El Museo, their impact is international. The enthusiasm for all this was reflected in our gala, which sold out, through longtime supporters and new.” Maria Eugenia wore a Giorgio Armani, black label black satin evening gown with Swarovski crystal embroidery applique and a Prive black fishnet mantilla with giant black patent paillettes.
The Young Gala Committee Chairs included Jamie Diamond, Karla Farach de Athanasopoulos, Jessica Garza-Bueron, Karina Palma, Jana Pasquel de Shapiro, and Leticia Pittman Presutti.
The Honorary Committee included Pedro Almodóvar, Miguel Bosé, Maria Cornejo, Ambassador Sandra Fuentes (Consul General of Mexico), Erika Harrsch, Magos Herrera, Ambassador and Mrs. Jorge Montaño (Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations), Dascha Polanco, Candy Pratts Price, Narciso Rodriguez, Andres Serrano, Maricruz and Ray Smith, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, and Iké Udé.
El Museo del Barrio, the nation’s leading Latin American museum, is known for its wide-ranging collections, groundbreaking exhibitions, complemented by film, literary, visual and performing arts series, cultural celebrations, and educational programs.
The Young Gala Committee Chairs included Jamie Diamond, Karla Farach de Athanasopoulos, Jessica Garza-Bueron, Karina Palma, Jana Pasquel de Shapiro, and Leticia Pittman Presutti.
The Honorary Committee included Pedro Almodóvar, Miguel Bosé, Maria Cornejo, Ambassador Sandra Fuentes (Consul General of Mexico), Erika Harrsch, Magos Herrera, Ambassador and Mrs. Jorge Montaño (Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations), Dascha Polanco, Candy Pratts Price, Narciso Rodriguez, Andres Serrano, Maricruz and Ray Smith, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, and Iké Udé.
El Museo del Barrio, the nation’s leading Latin American museum, is known for its wide-ranging collections, groundbreaking exhibitions, complemented by film, literary, visual and performing arts series, cultural celebrations, and educational programs.
This spring the museum showcases Mexican art and culture in grand cinematic style. The central event of this celebration is the exhibition “UNDER THE MEXICAN SKY: Gabriel Figueroa—Art and Film,” which explores the work and legacy of Mexican cinematographer, Gabriel Figueroa, one of the most renowned cinematographers of the 20th Century. Figueroa worked both in Mexico and Hollywood during the Golden Age of Cinema and built an enduring image of Mexico though his visionary style. El Museo’s Spring Gala borrowed its aesthetic themes from the exhibition, which is on view now through June 27, 2015.
The Gala was Black Tie. Inspired by Figueroa’s black and white work, ladies were asked to dress in black and white with gloves and veils. The Official Milliner of the Gala was hat designer Patricia Underwood, who has designed numerous veils and custom-order veils for ladies the Gala. Patricia designed a special veil for actress Dascha Polanco, whose gown was by Badgley Mischka.
"Our gala does what others do, yet more. It expresses the celebratory spirit of Latin Americans. We embody the Gala with style and dance. Our Gala is an outpouring of support for the work of El Museo and the presence of Latin Americans in New York. Presenting our culture to the widest possible audience is our duty and our joy,” said Jorge Daniel Veneciano, Executive Director, El Museo del Barrio.
The Gala was Black Tie. Inspired by Figueroa’s black and white work, ladies were asked to dress in black and white with gloves and veils. The Official Milliner of the Gala was hat designer Patricia Underwood, who has designed numerous veils and custom-order veils for ladies the Gala. Patricia designed a special veil for actress Dascha Polanco, whose gown was by Badgley Mischka.
"Our gala does what others do, yet more. It expresses the celebratory spirit of Latin Americans. We embody the Gala with style and dance. Our Gala is an outpouring of support for the work of El Museo and the presence of Latin Americans in New York. Presenting our culture to the widest possible audience is our duty and our joy,” said Jorge Daniel Veneciano, Executive Director, El Museo del Barrio.
The Gala is El Museo’s single most important fundraising event of the year. This event brought together luminaries from the worlds of fashion, entertainment, business, society, politics, and the arts. Each year it raises essential support for the Museum’s critically acclaimed exhibitions and valued public and educational programs. Funds raised at the Gala enable El Museo to continue their important work and keep expanding the scope of their reach.
Guests dined on an heirloom tomato and burrata salad with mozzarella mousse, followed by grilled filet mignon with Dancing Ewe’s blue potato gratin, morel ragout, asparagus, English peas, and caramelized onions, and a dessert of 5 texture chocolate cake, devils food cake with milk chocolate mousse and chocolate Macaroon, and mango frozen soufflé with passion fruit broth, seasoned fresh fruit salad, and vanilla pink peppercorn “pocky.”
Guests attending included Luis Medina Abascal (Grandee of Spain, and brand ambassador for Dolce Gabbana), Tony Bechara, Barbara Berger (Jeweler), Violaine and John Bernbach, Maria Cornejo, Laura and John Desmarais, Valdislav Dornin, Jacqueline Weld Drake, Anita Durst, Ambassador Sandra Fuentes (Consul General of Mexico), Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos and Paul Kanavos, Ambassador Jorge Montaño (Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations), Enrique Norten, Council Member Annabel Palma, Florence Peyrelongue, Congressman Pedro Pierluisi, Dascha Polanco (Orange Is The New Black), Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez, Rodolfo de Rothschild, Julian Schnabel, Andrew Solomon, Maurice Sonnenberg, Andres Serrano, Jean Shafiroff, Jana Pasquel and Adam Shapiro, Maricruz and Ray Smith, Daisy Soros, Deputy Commissioner Edwin Torres, Adrienne and Gianluigi Vittadini, Carmen Ana Unanue, and many more.
Guests dined on an heirloom tomato and burrata salad with mozzarella mousse, followed by grilled filet mignon with Dancing Ewe’s blue potato gratin, morel ragout, asparagus, English peas, and caramelized onions, and a dessert of 5 texture chocolate cake, devils food cake with milk chocolate mousse and chocolate Macaroon, and mango frozen soufflé with passion fruit broth, seasoned fresh fruit salad, and vanilla pink peppercorn “pocky.”
Guests attending included Luis Medina Abascal (Grandee of Spain, and brand ambassador for Dolce Gabbana), Tony Bechara, Barbara Berger (Jeweler), Violaine and John Bernbach, Maria Cornejo, Laura and John Desmarais, Valdislav Dornin, Jacqueline Weld Drake, Anita Durst, Ambassador Sandra Fuentes (Consul General of Mexico), Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos and Paul Kanavos, Ambassador Jorge Montaño (Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations), Enrique Norten, Council Member Annabel Palma, Florence Peyrelongue, Congressman Pedro Pierluisi, Dascha Polanco (Orange Is The New Black), Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez, Rodolfo de Rothschild, Julian Schnabel, Andrew Solomon, Maurice Sonnenberg, Andres Serrano, Jean Shafiroff, Jana Pasquel and Adam Shapiro, Maricruz and Ray Smith, Daisy Soros, Deputy Commissioner Edwin Torres, Adrienne and Gianluigi Vittadini, Carmen Ana Unanue, and many more.
El Museo’s Board of Trustees includes Tony Bechara (Chairman), Francisco X. Gonzalez (Treasurer), Héctor R. Cordero-Guzmán (Secretary), Michael J. García (First Vice Chair), Tracey G. Riese (Second Vice Chair), Robert Azeke, Gaily Beinecke, Angela Cabrera, Doris A. Casap, Pablo J. Farías, Maria Teresa Mata, Maria Eugenia Maury, Jeffrey Mercado, Christine Miller Martin, Carmen P. Nelson, Ramiro Ortíz Mayorga, Susana de la Puente, and Yolanda Santos. Ex Officio, The Hon. Bill de Blasio, Hon. Gale Brewer, and Hon. Tom Finkelpearl.
El Museo’s Junior Council includes Leticia Pittman Presutti (Chair), Rachel Lee–Holland (Vice-Chair), Patti Ruiz-Healy (Treasurer), Josefina Aguayo (Secretary), Jerome Levy, Evan List, Norma Luján, Catalina Meduña Ferre, Jennifer Mora, Camila Rachmanis, Maria Cristina Rios, Joseph Rivera, Astrid Soto, Sabrina Wirth, and Lisa Yom.
ABOUT EL MUSEO’S 2015 HONOREES:
Yolanda Santos is a renowned patron of the arts in both Mexico and the United States, serving on the Board of Trustees of El Museo del Barrio for over 15 consecutive years. She founded the Ballet de Monterrey and is also founder and president of Supera – a nonprofit social wellness organization focused on family planning services in Mexico. She was also a founding Board Member at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Monterrey (MARCO), and a current member of the Chairman’s Council of American Ballet Theater and the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York.
Lisa Garcia Quiroz is Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Time Warner Inc. and President of the Time Warner Foundation. Ms. Garcia Quiroz is charged with ensuring that Time Warner’s investments in people, community and content are reflective of its position as a leading media company – a place where the best talent can thrive, and where creativity and storytelling resonate with increasingly diverse audiences around the globe. Through a unique alignment of the company’s business strategy with its philanthropic & diversity initiatives, Ms. Garcia Quiroz has invested smartly and strategically in the discovery and cultivation of the next generation of storytellers. Ms. Garcia Quiroz was born and raised in New York City and received both her undergraduate degree and MBA from Harvard University. She resides in New York City with her husband, author Guy Garcia.
Eugenio López Alonso is one of Mexico’s leading art patrons and the founder and president of the Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City, the largest private modern art collection in Latin America. Through his commitment to the arts, Eugenio López Alonso has brought the highest quality of exhibitions, including the renowned Cy Towmbly, Alexander Calder and Andy Warhol, to the recently opened Museo Jumex for their Mexican debut.
Photos by Sylvain Gaboury/PatrickMcmullan.com, Getty/ Donald Bowers & Christine Shepherd
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El Museo’s Junior Council includes Leticia Pittman Presutti (Chair), Rachel Lee–Holland (Vice-Chair), Patti Ruiz-Healy (Treasurer), Josefina Aguayo (Secretary), Jerome Levy, Evan List, Norma Luján, Catalina Meduña Ferre, Jennifer Mora, Camila Rachmanis, Maria Cristina Rios, Joseph Rivera, Astrid Soto, Sabrina Wirth, and Lisa Yom.
ABOUT EL MUSEO’S 2015 HONOREES:
Yolanda Santos is a renowned patron of the arts in both Mexico and the United States, serving on the Board of Trustees of El Museo del Barrio for over 15 consecutive years. She founded the Ballet de Monterrey and is also founder and president of Supera – a nonprofit social wellness organization focused on family planning services in Mexico. She was also a founding Board Member at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Monterrey (MARCO), and a current member of the Chairman’s Council of American Ballet Theater and the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York.
Lisa Garcia Quiroz is Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Time Warner Inc. and President of the Time Warner Foundation. Ms. Garcia Quiroz is charged with ensuring that Time Warner’s investments in people, community and content are reflective of its position as a leading media company – a place where the best talent can thrive, and where creativity and storytelling resonate with increasingly diverse audiences around the globe. Through a unique alignment of the company’s business strategy with its philanthropic & diversity initiatives, Ms. Garcia Quiroz has invested smartly and strategically in the discovery and cultivation of the next generation of storytellers. Ms. Garcia Quiroz was born and raised in New York City and received both her undergraduate degree and MBA from Harvard University. She resides in New York City with her husband, author Guy Garcia.
Eugenio López Alonso is one of Mexico’s leading art patrons and the founder and president of the Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City, the largest private modern art collection in Latin America. Through his commitment to the arts, Eugenio López Alonso has brought the highest quality of exhibitions, including the renowned Cy Towmbly, Alexander Calder and Andy Warhol, to the recently opened Museo Jumex for their Mexican debut.
Photos by Sylvain Gaboury/PatrickMcmullan.com, Getty/ Donald Bowers & Christine Shepherd
View MORE Photos on FB!
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