The Palm Springs Art Museum delivered what seemed to be an impossible task for its annual gala. They were bent on creating an evening of surprises, indulgence, art, and fun guided by the inspiration of New York’s Studio 54 and the “anything goes” mentality of the 1970s.
The motivation for their theme was inspired by an upcoming exhibit at the museum, Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collection of Jordan Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, set to run from March 3 to May 28, 2018.
More than 400 guests walked the red carpet into a reception at the Palm Springs Convention Center that appeared to be a scene similar to Warhol’s Factory, where creativity and innovation was expected to run rampant. On display were some of Warhol’s pop art of the ’60s as well as a classic automobile completely wrapped in tin foil that served as a bar. Guests readily adopted the dress code of “anything goes” and donned costumes that included sequins, jeans, feathers, and a fair share of colorful bell-bottoms.
The Warhol wig was the obvious choice for those who wanted to get their head wrapped around the spirit of the late artist. Co-Chairmen Donna MacMillan (in an original red Halston long dress), Bobbie Holland (looking sassy and chic in her black fringe Michael Kors skirt and sweater), and the museum’s executive director Liz Armstrong (in a brilliant gold lame tunic) set the pace for the evening with their words of welcome from the podium as well as a special thanks to the evening’s mother-and-son honorees, Arlene and Jordan Schnitzer.
The main ballroom was converted into a Studio 54/World of Warhol with aerial performances by Crystal Cirque Du Soleil performers, Warhol silk screen photo opportunities, a digital graffiti screen that would make life easier for any street artist, multiple food stations that included chefs making grilled Panini on ironing boards with steam irons, and a fried “Can I Dip Your Donut” dessert accompanied by a nitrogen ice cream experience.
The walls were covered with colorful graffiti patterns and black and white slides of Michael Childers’ photographs of the Warhol era (part of a collection now on display at the museum titled Having a Ball that will run in tandem with the above-mentioned Jordan Schnitzer exhibit).
The Palm Springs Art Museum
101 N Museum Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-322-4800
psmuseum.org
