In a city known for its parties and sizzling art scene, the March 4 gala at the Perez Art Museum was over the top — bringing Miami it’s most exciting event since December’s Art Basel. The sold-out third annual PAMM Art of the Party had its highest attendance to date and raised more than $1 million for the museum’s robust education program. The fund promotes and raises awareness about the arts, teaching communities about the diversity of design.
Celebrities and notables who lent their support included: artist Michele Oka Doner; Food Network Simply Delicioso host Ingrid Hoffmann; photographer Iran Issa Khan; Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez; politician Manny Díaz; producer David Saltz; reality show TV personality Lisa Hochstein; designer, actress and model Barbara Becker; business people and art patrons Jackie Soffer and Patricia and Phillip Frost; and collector and PAMM Trustee Craig Robins.
In the museum’s second-floor special exhibition galleries, the Supper Club encouraged guests to interact with art, use markers to color the walls (OK?), have their portrait done by digital sketch artists and dance to live sets by DJ DZA. This after eating, drinking and dancing their way through the Chef’s Table seated dinner, Supper Club lounge, and Remix after party. All of which were conceptualized by Lee Brian Schrager, founder of the Wine and Food Festival.
Chuck Close—one of the most celebrated and influential artists of our time, was honored at The Chef’s Table seated dinner. Three of his works are currently on display at PAMM, a testament to his innovation and talent with portraiture and color. In 2004, the museum presented the exhibition Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration. Read Close’s exclusive interview with L’Etage. And at the Remix after party, a seven-piece band electrified the night, with throwbacks by DJ Jessica Who.
“I love the way art food and art converge. Chuck Close is a great American artist and I’m an American chef so the collaboration was a good fit,” commented chef, author, and Food Network personality Alex Guarnaschelli, who created the dishes for Art of The Party. Her Mediterranean dishes represented a combination of her French and Miami origins and focused on local ingredients such as seafood and mango. “The Perez Art Museum Miami should definitely continue doing what it’s good at, uniting people through creative expression,” Guarnaschelli said.
Towards the end of the evening, more than 800 cultural philanthropists, artists, intellectuals, and civic leaders wine and dined to the view of Biscayne Bay and the sound of live jazz. Skillfully combining business and pleasure, PAMM continues to support school programs, new talent, and expression, helping to revitalize the art world by introducing more people to the magical and inclusive world of creativity and creation.
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