Freshly surfacing from delayed trains, school closings, and work hiccups this past week, New Yorkers struggled to stay warm and to secure adequate groceries amid the interminable subzero temperatures. Such constraints compelled creatives, celebrities, and art enthusiasts to show up in maximal self-expression to the Whitney Museum of Art’s infamous Art Party this past frigid Tuesday, late-January moon. Hosted by the Whitney Contemporaries, the unforgettable sold-out art bash benefits emerging artists, museum development, conservation initiatives, and the Independent Study Program (ISP), which focuses on “studio art, curatorial studies, and critical studies”. It was undoubtedly the hottest party in town, marking the volcanic buzz and inspiring confluence of “disparate culture scenes”: fractals.
Trudging through the black slush in immodest heels, “bold patterns”, crystal gowns and eye-popping accessories—fashionable artists, writers, stylists, models, musicians and more fractally congregated to electrify and be inspired. Micaela Erlanger, co-chair and celebrity stylist even said, “the Art Party turns fashion into part of the museum’s living canvas […]”. Sponsored by Libertine, the L.A.-based luxury brand known for blending subversive punk street-style with elaborate crystal-high fashion, the event welcomed musical artists Raúl de Nieves and The Dare. Reminiscent of early post-covid times, patrons were hungry to converse, dance and mingle, as Kenneth C. Griffin Hall’s first-floor lobby crowded more quickly than usual. The 7-floor museum even announced a new fun transport-feature—the “Dobelevator”, equipped with Dobel Tequila bar—as patrons migrated upstairs to view the American contemporary art galleries after hours: “Untitled” America, Dyani White Hawk’s “Nourish”, Claes Oldenburg’s “Drawn from Life”, Grace Rosario Perkin’s “Circles, Spokes, Zigzags and Rivers”, and Ken Ohara’s Contacts.
Most exciting for me was getting to witness Rama Duwaji, the First Lady of New York, gracefully swim through the kaleidoscopic crowds certainly eager to make her acquaintance. A true revolutionary progressive of Syrian and Palestinian descent, Duwaji’s ink portraits notably address resistance, strength and a commitment to resistance, diaspora, and struggle in the Arab world, Sudan, and among women. A freshly emblematic bridge of politics and the arts, her presence added purpose and meaning.
The ageless lifestyle, design and garden icon Martha Stewart also made an appearance, eloquently embracing the cameras, crowds and conversation. Artists, Shadi Ojelade, Celine Semaan, Martine Gutierrez, Beau Mcgall, and some favorite feminist curators, Indira Cesarine and Avalon Ashley Bellos, alongside notable art historians, Emily Spratt and Chrissie Iles turned up the importance-spotlight, intellectual heat, and real sense of community.
