NEW YORK (SMI-WIRE,05.12.16)On Thursday, May 12, 2016, over 400 guests gathered at New York’s iconic Plaza Hotel in celebration of El Museo del Barrio for the institution’s annual gala honoring Ruben & Isabel Toledo and M·A·C Cosmetics. Bringing together fashion and art world luminaries, philanthropists and collectors, the evening’s inspiration pulled from Antonio Lopez, the late fashion illustrator whose exhibition ANTONIO LOPEZ: Future Funk Fashion will open at the museum this summer (June 14-November 26). The gala raised more than $850,000 in support of El Museo’s exhibitions andeducational programming inititatives as New York’s leading Latino cultural institution.

Hosted by gala co-chairs Maria Eugenia Maury & William A. Haseltine and Narciso Rodriguez,

the evening began with cocktails. Guests emerged from mirrored elevators onto the second floor Terrace over with white balloons in the spirit of the 1980s. Snapping photos of the guests and festivities wastrend-setter Maria Brito for her #MariaBritoX ElMuseoGala Instagram takeover, sharing the occasionwith her followers and those of #ElMuseo.

At 8 p.m. guests were led into the Plaza’s Grand Ballroom where they dined under seven illuminated fuschia spheres floating above. A first course of black mission fig & chevre tart with frisee and crisplardons was followed by grilled fillet mignon served alongside broccolini and a fresh herb risotto witha red wine demi glaze. California wines accompanied the meal: a Chardonnay from Canyon Road anda Cabernet Sauvignon from Sycamore Lane.

Lead honoree tables and awards, generously designed by Christofle, sat amongst arrangements

of tall, white hydrangeas and pink peonies.

Mid-dinner, El Museo’s Board Chair Maria Eugenia Maury, followed by Executive Director Jorge Daniel Veneciano, welcomed guests and thanked them for being a part of the gala.

“As we face anation increasingly Latin American, it becomes our responsibility to build a

museum that embodies that reality,” remarked Veneciano.

August Uribe, Deputy Chairman for The Americans at Phillips and the evening’s emcee,

then introduced legendary model and “Antonio’s Girl” Pat Cleveland who presented M·A·C Cosmetics’ Creative Director James Gager with the award for Corporate Excellence In the Arts. Speaking onbehalf of M·A·C Cosmetics, Gager remarked: “Thank you to El Museo for this award tonight. We’re incredibly proud of it. I’m humbled for the amount of people in the room tonight ... it’s a very glamorous evening here.

”Actress Debi Mazar then went onstage to present her longtime friends Ruben and Isabel Toledo with their award for Excellence In The Arts, introducing the couple as “the best of Latin American fashion and talent.”

“I really would like to thank El Museo for recognizing our artistic vision and artist heart as a sharing artist couple,” said Isabel Toledo. Ruben followed: “[El Museo understands] that art is the language ofthe soul. This is something we take very seriously ... We thank you all for supporting

El Museo and helping to shape the next generation of art.”

An emotional appeal was then led by Mr. Uribe where guests and the museum alike were surprised with the news of a generous contribution from an anonymous donor who pledged to match up to$100,000 of total funds raised by the event. Stirring the crowd, Mr. Uribe read aloud a hand written note from Cuban artist Carmen Herrera, a long time supporter of the institution who was unable toattend. She wrote: "I invite you to my exhibition at the Lisson Gallery in Chelsea.

I invite you to theWhitney Museum in September. I invite you to my 101st birthday in two weeks. All this is possiblebecause I had a show at El Museo del Barrio some 14 years ago. I support El Museo and consider it aunique and important N.Y. museum. Please be generous with our cause." Herrera herself had alreadypledged $20,000 to El Museo for the occasion.

Dessert followed the awards ceremony and included a decadent chocolate cremeux, a malted milk chocolate custard and a beet devil’s food cake with chocolate pretzel crunch and raspberry dust that perfectly matched the bright peony arrangements at the center of the tables.

A surpise performance by the legendary voguing house, House of Xtravaganza, was the perfect end to a festive dinner.he legendary voguing house, House of Xtravaganza, was the perfect end to a festive dinner.

Voguers then led guests back to The Terrace Room which had been transformed into an after-hoursclub reminiscent of the “Antonio Era” to host the Museum’s first after-party.

The room was bathed in a sultry red glow while DJ Scott Ewalt spun disco music from Antonio Lopez’s private collection as guests danced the night away along with voguers in full attire under crystal chandeliers.

Guests received custom designed Antonio totes on their way home, including Isabel Toledo’s

yet-to-be released perfume, Pint Putti, from the “Hot House Beauties” line, a complimentary membership to the museum, and specialty Colombian coffee for the morning after.

SPECIAL GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED:HONOREES: Ruben & Isabel Toledo, James Gager (Creative Director, M·A·C Cosmetics)

GALA CHAIRS: Maria Eugenia Maury and William A. Haseltine, Narciso Rodriguez

YOUNG GALA CHAIR: Jessica Garza-Bueron

YOUNG GALA COMMITTEE: Karla Farach de Athanasopoulos, Fabricio Cardenas, LeticiaPittman Presutti, Evelyn Gutierrez Subramaniam

HONORARY COMMITTEE: Alexandre Arrechea (Artist), Lady Liliana Cavendish (part of Antonio’sGirls), Aldo Chaparro (Artist), Fernando Garcia (MONSE), Laura Kim (MONSE), Omar Hernandez(OMAR’s), Angel Otero (Artist), Mauricio Padilha (MAO PR & author Antonio Lopez: Fashion, Art,Sex & Disco), Roger Padilha (MAO PR & author Antonio Lopez: Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco), CandyPratts Price (Fashion Consultant and Contributing Editor, Departures), Angel Sanchez (Designer),Bosco Sodi (Artist), Kelly Talmas (Editor in Chief, Vogue Mexico and Vogue Latin America), and Edmundo Castillo (Shoe Designer and Student of Antonio’s), Dan Ragone(President/Publisher,MAXIM)

MUSEUM BOARD & EXECUTIVES: Jorge Daniel Veneciano (Executive Director, El Museo delBarrio), Tony Bechara, Doris Casap, Hon. Michael J. Garcia, Maria Teresa Mata, Maria EugeniaMaury, Maria-Leticia Ossa-Daza, Tracey Riese, Alfonso Barros, Christine Miller Martin, GailyBeinecke, Clara Rodriguez, Jeffrey Mercado, and Carmen Ana Unanue, Carlos Galvez (DeputyDirector, El Museo del Barrio), Remei Capdevila (Education & Public Programs Director, El Museodel Barrio), Rocío Aranda-Alvarado (Curator, El Museo del Barrio), Carolina Alvarez-Mathies (Headof Communications, El Museo del Barrio), Cedric Prouvé (Group President, International, The EstéeLauder Companies)

PHILANTHROPISTS, GOVERNMENT AND EXECUTIVES: Estrellita and Daniel Brodsky,Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Jackie Weld Drake, Perla Capriles, Laura and John Desmarais, MariféHernández, Joe Bell, Karina Palma, Laura and Brent Nicklas, Clarice Oliveira Tavares, Christina andDavid Martin (Co-founder and President of Terra Group), Daniel Rachmanis (Estée Lauder), Camilaand Manuela Arria-Maury, María Luisa Ferré and Cyril Meduna, Jean Shafiroff, Tom Finkelpearl(NYC’s Commissioner of Cultural Affairs), Melissa Mark-Viverito (Speaker of The NYC), Isabelle Rovner (Executive Director Product Development at M·A·C), Tim Tareco (VicePresident, Visual Merchandising at M·A·C Cosmetics), Philippe Chansel (Corporate Creative ProductDevelopment and Innovation at Estée Lauder), Richard Ferretti (Senior Vice President and GlobalCreative Director at Estée Lauder), Graciela Daujare, Laura Blanco (Chair, Board of Trustees, Bronx Museum)

ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND FASHION LUMINARIES: Pat Cleveland (Model, singer, part ofAntonio’s Girls), Paul Van Ravenstein, Paul Caranicas (Director of Antonio Lopez and Juan RamosEstate), Peter Marino (Architect) and Juan Carlos Menedez (Designer), Enrique Norten (Architect),Patricia and Juan Ruiz Healy (Ruiz-Healy Gallery); Suzanne Geiss (The Suzanne Geiss Company),Maria Brito (Designer), Andrew Bevan (Teen Vogue), Mariebelle Lieberman (MarieBelle New York),Victor de Souza (Designer), Anita Durst (Chashama), Nancy Bacich (Eve Kitten), Hunt Slonem(Artist), Joey Arias (performance artist), Debi Mazar (actress and TV personality), Roxanne Lowit(fashion photographer), Max Vadukul (fashion photographer) and Nicoletta Santoro (Stylist andCreative Director, Town & Country), Agatha Ruiz De la Prada (Fashion Designer),Irina andAndresSerrano (Artist), Christian Roth (Designer), Andrea Barbiroli (Photographer), Alexis Zambrano(artist), Axel Stein (Head of Latin American Art, Sotheby’s), Ike Ude (Artist), Jennifer Sunwoo(Executive Vice President, Womens, Barneys), Sônia Braga (Actress), Juan Montoya (Designer), PaigePowell (Artist; wore custom painted dress and shoes by the Toledos.

ABOUT EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO:El Museo del Barrio welcomes visitors of all backgrounds to discover the artistic landscape of Latino,Caribbean, and Latin American cultures. Their richness is represented in El Museo’s wide-rangingcollections and critically acclaimed exhibitions, complemented by film, literary, visual and performing arts series, cultural celebrations, and educational programs.