North Shore partygoers donned elaborate masks on Saturday to the Nassau County Museum of Art’s annual Museum Ball, an early-summer soiree to benefit the museum’s yearly operating budget and educational programs.
The fundraiser, whose masquerade theme stemmed from the museum’s ongoing “Garden Party” exhibit, featured a silent auction from various local business owners and the museum’s financial supporters.
“It’s a rewarding experience, and it’s of tremendous importance because with all the budget cuts in schools, the first thing they get rid of is not reading, writing or arithmetic – it’s the arts,” said Mona Engel, an attorney who sits on the museum’s journal committee, which in tandem with its ball committee organizes the fundraiser.
“Art is part of the creative process, and when schools can no longer afford to expose kids to creativity, they take it away from them.”
Bidding took place during the ball’s cocktail hour, during which patrons were also fitted for their masquerade masks. Dinner and entertainment from the Alex Donner Orchestra followed.
Starting bids on certain items began at $150 and others opened as high as $3,000.
Tickets for the ball started at $1,000 per person at the Patron level, $500 per person at the Friend level and $350 per person at the under-40-year-old Junior level.
“It’s special because it is a major fundraiser for us. It’s a charitable evening, this among many,” said Arthur Levine, the museum’s executive vice president. “We generate for this one event more than many of our other events. This is the premier event.”
He added, “I’ve been with the museum for almost 25 years. I haven’t missed a Museum Ball in all that time. I would never miss it.”
Saturday’s ball marked the event’s 25th anniversary and the second-straight held on the museum grounds.
The ball returned to the museum last year for a “Great Gatsby-”themed celebration to coincide with the novel’s major motion picture adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
“Last year’s event was so good, we had people who couldn’t wait to come to tonight’s party,” Engel said. “The more they want to come, the more awareness they’ll raise about the event and the more people will want to help support the museum.”
