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Phoenix Art Museum celebrated its 65th anniversary with its annual fundraiser, The pARTy in the Garden, on Saturday, April 13.
More than 300 attendees graced the museum, contributing to a fundraising total exceeding $820,000, according to a press release. These proceeds will support the museum’s exhibitions, educational initiatives and essential operations.
Guests adorned in shades of pink and sapphire enjoyed cocktails in the Steele Gallery while being serenaded by the acclaimed Valley pianist Luke Holton. A new addition to this year’s affair, guests dined under the stars in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden, accompanied by live entertainment by Arizona-based French swing and jazz band Zazu West.
This year’s 65th anniversary gala was chaired by Matthew Feeney, Michele Feeney, Donald Opatrny and Judith Opatrny, who are Paradise Valley residents.
The special evening also kicked off the museum’s exhibition Multiple Realities Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s. Renowned for its avant-garde and experimental artworks, the exhibition explores how artists of the Cold War era pursued creative liberty and battled systems of censorship that sought to surveil and silence them.
“We are deeply grateful to our gala co-chairs, sponsors, guests and donors who made our 65th anniversary pARTy in the Garden a tremendous success,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the museum’s Sybil Harrington director and CEO. “It was a memorable night celebrating Phoenix Art Museum, our local artist community and our incredible base of supporters who provide critical support to ensure the vitality of the arts.”
Following the gala, festivities continued at The Pink afterpARTy in Cummings Great Hall. Chaired by Vanessa Ruiz, Sam Alpert, Lisa Bienstock and Ben Himmelstein, this late-night, “museum-after-dark experience” featured music curated by DJ Yeezus, late-night snacks, pink-themed desserts including cotton candy and craft cocktails. Guests also had unlimited, private access to Barbie: A Cultural Icon and its complementary exhibition, The Power of Pink, drawn largely from the museum’s expansive fashion-design collection and features haute-couture fashions such as Post Malone’s 2019 Grammy ensemble.
