Last night, November 14th 2017, the Whitney Museum of American Art celebrated the annual 2017 Art Party, with co-chairs Zosia Mamet, Natasha Poly, Laura Kim, Fernando Garcia, Michael Carl and Micaela Erlanger and a DJ set by The Misshapes.

The evening started with cocktails and an intimate dinner co-chaired by supermodel Ashley Graham and artist Raúl de Nieves featuring a special performance by rapper Young Paris in the museum’s Susan and John Hess Family Theater. Notable guests include footballer Victor Cruz, actress Nina Dobrev, hotelier Sean MacPherson, models Leigh Lezark and Hilary Rhoda.

Supported by Birkenstock, the annual fundraising event hosted by the Whitney Contemporaries provides critical support to the Whitney’s renowned Independent Study Program, one of the country’s leading post-graduate programs in studio art and curatorial or critical studies. Says Scott Rothkopf, Deputy Director for Programs and Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator, “We’re very grateful to Birkenstock as a first-time sponsor of the Whitney Art Party. Their support makes a direct and meaningful difference to our educational programs, which are a cornerstone of all we do.”

Artist Trisha Baga created a unique artwork in collaboration with Birkenstock. The sculpture, titled Orpheus, is made of carved volcanic tufo stones, tempera paint, glue and Birkenstock fragments.

“I made this work at a residency in Favignana, falling in love with volcanic tufo stone as a medium. The island is largely composed this very soft stone, which is easily manipulated by the sea, the wind, and human hands with minimal tools. The work is sort of a revenge fantasy that the ground enacts on the figure. I was thinking about how fiction can be a physical thing that's constructed over and over again. A big thank you to the Whitney and to Birkenstock for their support with this project,” says Trisha Baga.

After dinner, attendees ventured to the ground floor of Renzo Piano’s iconic building to the Kenneth C. Griffin Hall and Andrea and James Gordon Restaurant at Untitled.

The evening was made possible in part by BIRKENSTOCK, a first-time sponsor for the event.

Also on view were the Whitney's fall exhibitions including: LAURA OWENS, JIMMIE DURHAM: AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD, TOYIN OJIH ODUTOLA: TO WANDER DETERMINED, and AN INCOMPLETE HISTORY OF PROTEST: SELECTIONS FROM THE WHITNEY’S COLLECTION, 1940-2017.

BIRKENSTOCK’s Pop-Up store, located at 90 Gansevoort Street directly across from the museum, remained open throughout the night, and will be open to customers through December 24, 2017.

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Photo: @ BFA