Phoenix Art Museum begins year-long celebration of its 60th anniversary with “The pARTy in the Garden” gala and late-night Museum-gala experience “The afterpARTy,” celebrating Museum’s rich history of providing access to the arts

Oct, 01, 2018

Special Events and Programs

Phoenix Art Museum begins year-long celebration of its 60th anniversary with “The pARTy in the Garden” gala and late-night Museum-gala experience “The afterpARTy,” celebrating Museum’s rich history of providing access to the arts

Fundraiser on November 3, 2018 will feature exclusive viewing of works by Ragnar Kjartansson and commemorate Arizona State University President Michael Crow’s commitment to arts and culture

UPDATED – PHOENIX (October 1, 2018) – This fall, Phoenix Art Museum begins a full year of celebrations leading up to the Museum’s 60^th anniversary with its fall gala, The pARTy in the Garden, on Saturday, November 3, 2018. The kick-off event revives the beloved pARTy, an annual Museum gala held from 2007 to 2015, to honor the past, present, and future of art and community in the heart of downtown Phoenix, and will be followed by The after pARTY, a late-night, art-gala experience open to the general public. Featuring an exclusive inside look at contemporary art installations, along with fine food, custom cocktails, dancing under the stars, and the gala’s first-ever guest of honor, Arizona State University President Michael Crow, The pARTy in the Garden and The afterpARTy will play an essential role in supporting Phoenix Art Museum. Benefit galas in support of the Museum have raised more than $10.5 million dollars in vital funds supporting exhibitions and arts education programs since The pARTy gala began in 2007. Phoenix Art Museum’s official 60^th anniversary is November 18, 2019.

The evening’s festivities will begin in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden, areas of which will be transformed into elegant lounges, with custom cocktails courtesy of Arizona Distilling Co. and Código 1530. Guests will enjoy an ASU student art exhibition, as well as an exclusive viewing of the upcoming exhibition Ragnar Kjartansson: Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths, which explores Nordic identity, melancholia, repetition, and popular culture and showcases a recent Museum acquisition, Kjartansson’s highly-acclaimed The Visitors (2012). Spoken of as one of the best video installations of the century and named after the final album of the Swedish pop group Abba, the immersive, nine-screen video installation features musicians and singers performing a song written by Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, Kjartansson’s ex-wife.

A festive dinner will take place served at seated tables in Cummings Great Hall, featuring remarks honoring the commencement of the Museum’s 60th anniversary season, and honoring Dr. Michael Crow for his influence in a thriving City of Phoenix and Central Corridor. Following dinner, guests will move back into the Dorrance Sculpture Garden for dessert, drinks, and dancing.

The afterpARTy will begin at 9 pm, is open to the general public for a cost of $75, and is included in The pARTy in the Garden gala tickets. This year’s late-night, art-gala experience draws inspiration from Scandinavian Pain, and guests will enjoy an exclusive viewing of the exhibition, along with hosted bar, live music inspired by ABBA, and access to one-night-only art installations by local artists. The event will also feature dancing in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden, complimentary light desserts, and custom, hand-crafted cocktails. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/PhxArtafterpARTy.

All proceeds from The pARTy in the Garden and The afterpARTy will benefit exhibitions and education programs at Phoenix Art Museum, enabling the Museum to open doors to world-class art for the entire community. Black and white cocktail attire is requested for The pARTy in the Garden; creative cocktail attire is requested for The afterpARTy. Complimentary valet parking will be provided. Individual tickets to The pARTy in the Garden begin at $750, with additional benefactor-table and underwriter opportunities available at $50,000, $25,000, $10,000 and $1,000. Individual tickets for The afterpARTy are $75 per person and are included in The pARTy in the Garden tickets. For more details on purchasing tickets or tables, please visit tickets.phxart.org.

For more information or to purchase tickets or sponsorships, contact the Museum’s Special Events office at 602.307.2012 or specialevents@phxart.org.

The pARTy in the Garden Co-Chairs (see media image of co-chairs linked here)

Amy Cohn

Ellen Katz

Margot Knight

Meredith von Arentschildt

The pARTy in the Garden Benefactors

(In alphabetical order as of 6/25/2018)

Barbara & Craig Barrett

Matthew Boland & Christopher Greulich

Laurie & Drew Brown

Carol & Larry Clemmensen

Amy & Andrew Cohn

Lee & Mike Cohn

Denise & Bob Delgado

Cathy Dickey

Jacquie & Bennett Dorrance

Kelly & Steve Ellman

Susan & Carter Emerson

Laurie & Budd Florkiewicz

Erin & John Gogolak

Judy & Bill Goldberg

Diane Halle

Nancy Hanley

Sharon & Oliver Harper

Jeanne & Gary Herberger Foundation

Carrie & Jon Hulburd

Ellen & Robert Kant

Ellen & Howard Katz

Tracy & Jeff Katz

Randy & Ken Kendrick

Margot & Dennis Knight

Sally & Richard Lehmann

Dawn & David Lenhardt

Sharron & Del Lewis

Vicki & Kent Logan

Sharon Dupont McCord

Marina & Robert Moric

Dionne & Francis Najafi

Neiman Marcus

Northern Trust

Opatrny Family Foundation

Rose & Harry Papp

Lisa & Blair Portigal

Mary Kay & Bill Post

Kim & Steve Robson

Sue & Bud Selig

Pam & Ray Slomski

Paula & Robert Smalley

Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.

DeeDee & Ken Vecchione

Meredith & Charlie von Arentschildt

Jennifer & Bruce Ward

Christine & David Watson

Wells Fargo

About Phoenix Art Museum

Phoenix Art Museum has provided access to visual arts and educational programs in Arizona for nearly 60 years and is the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. In addition to an annual calendar of special exhibitions, Phoenix Art Museum’s permanent collection galleries are drawn from more than 19,000 objects of modern and contemporary art, fashion design, and photography, as well as American, Asian, Latin American, and European art. Each month, the Museum hosts a wide variety of public programs, including lectures, performances, tours, workshops, and film screenings designed for audiences of all ages to enjoy.