McNay Art Museum Gala Dining With The Masters Returns After Two-Year Hiatus
By Rob Giardinelli Photography by David Sixt Photography
THE SETTING: The McNay Art Museum’s gala, Dining with the Masters: Georgia O’Keeffe and American Modernism welcomed 200 friends and supporters returning to the museum for a gala after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The elegant evening unveiled an exclusive preview of Georgia O’Keeffe and American Modernism, a focus exhibition that brings together masterpieces from the McNay’s collection–including Evening Star No. 5 and From the Plains I–with key loans from the Whitney Museum of American Art and sister institutions within and beyond Texas. The exhibition is the first substantial presentation of O’Keeffe’s work at the McNay since the landmark O’Keeffe and Texas in 1998. The masterful exhibit featuring artworks by O’Keeffe’s contemporaries, including Marsden Hartley, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Helen Torr, presents an innovative, inclusive celebration befitting the first modern art museum in Texas.
THE STYLE: The Leeper Auditorium was stunning with the color palette looking as if it came directly from an O’Keeffe painting. David Garcia and his team from Statue of Design created stunning centerpieces and floral chandeliers that floated above guest’s tables. Don Strange of Texas treated guests to a sumptuous dinner. Many of the recipes for the evening came directly from Georgia O’Keeffe’s kitchen, including the pecan butterball cookies, which were given to guests as they departed. After dinner, guests made their way to the AT&T Lobby for dessert and music by DJ Despeinada.
THE PURPOSE: The mother and daughter duo, Betty Lou Sheerin and Kate Sheerin, chaired the gala, the museum’s largest annual fundraiser. The title sponsors were Neiman Marcus San Antonio and Valero. Proceeds from the gala benefit the McNay’s education, exhibition, and conservation programs, enabling the museum to continue its mission of engaging a diverse community in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts.
