By Tracy Dietlin
If the first image that pops to mind when you think “membership party at the art museum” is one of suited and bedazzled guests walking pristine galleries with their pinkies (and noses) up, then you pictured the furthest thing from what happened at Meet The Galen last Friday night. Expectations of a stuffy art reception were blown away immediately at The Galen on Friday night when guests were greeted on the red carpet by statuesque pink-haired models wearing Grayse fashions.
The welcoming, friendly atmosphere was sealed when event chairs Jamie Kabler and Susan Stein personally greeted each attendee at the door as if they were guests in their own home, inviting everyone to enjoy the galleries and to grab a bite and a drink (all complimentary) on the patio. Guests spanned all ages and demographics from Baby Boomers to Millenials…all with a common interest: appreciation for art and our community art museum.
As diverse as the party-goers, fashions worn by the guests embraced the Hollywood-glamour theme with as many interpretations as there were wearers. Flappers mingled with bold-pants-pattern wearing fashion aficionados; top hats were tipped; gowns and party dresses echoed at least six different decades and men sported cashmere scarves. Guests mingling on the patio and in the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden included everyone from top museum donors Helene Galen, Donna MacMillan, Faye Sarkowsky and Harold Matzner (among others) to local artists to celebrities Suzanne Summers, Lucie Arnaz and Larry Luckinbill – all museum members.
DJ Alf Alpha tied the glamour of all the eras together by spinning tunes and showing film footage from the classic Hollywood glamour era that featured Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, then progressed to current hits by such artists as Robin Thicke and Meghan Trainor remixed in big-band style. Guests also enjoyed a lip and lash bar, the perennial-favorite photo booth and complimentary valet parking.
Proceeds from the Meet the Galen event benefit museum operations, exhibitions and education programs. Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, also known as “The Galen” is located in Entrada del Paseo at 72-567 Highway 111 at El Paseo in Palm Desert. For membership info, go to http://www.psmuseum.org/membership.
