News

The Parrish Art Museum Midsummer Party is always a favorite in the Hamptons benefit circuit. This year, the Midsummer Pary drew nearly 500 people and raised nearly $1.3 million for the Hamptons art museum. Held on July 14, 2018 in Water Mill, the Midsummer Party honored Parrish trustee Chad Leat and artist Keith Sonnier, whose work is the subject of a solo show on view through January 29, 2019.

The Midsummer Party drew artists, art collectors, curators, philanthropists, and business leaders from The Hamptons and New York and elsewhere. On the artistic side, attendees included artists, architects, art dealers and industry noteables. They included artists Alice Aycock, Ross Bleckner, Dianne Blell, Michael Combs, Eric Freeman, Rashid Johnson, Mel Kendrick, Bonnie Lautenberg, Dorothea Rockburne, Toni Ross, Billy Sullivan, Donald Sultan, Stephen Wilson and Nina Yankowitz.

Architects attending included Barry Holden, Preston T. Phillips and Campion Platt. Other creatives include actress Danielle Lauder, composer Jonathan Sheffer and Don Lemon from CNN.

From the art world, turning out for the benefit was Donna De Salvo and Adam Weinberg (Whitney Museum of American Art); Justine Compton and Nicholas Wentworth (Century Arts Foundation); Milly and Arne Glimcher (Pace Gallery); Christine Berry (Berry Campbell Gallery); Louis K. Meisel and artist Susan Meisel  (Louis K. Meisel Gallery); Robert Wilson (The Watermill Center) among others.

The philandrophy and collector set included Deborah F. Bancroft; Ann and Keith Barish; Bryan Baldwin; Randy Barker; Graeme Basson; Jeremy Batoff; Murat Beyazit; Geoffrey N. Bradfield; Stormy Byorum; Janna Bullock; Shelley and Michael Carr; Sean Cohan; Ann and Geoff Coley; Cary Davis; Timothy G. Davis; Carey Dorman; Gale and Ira Drukier; Sam Ender; Joseph Fichera; Elena Ford; Mary and Howard Frank; Laura Lofaro Freeman and James Freeman; Gillian S. Fuller; Sharon and Jay Goldberg; Alexander Hankin; Ashley Leeds and Christopher Harland; Kim Heirston; Peter Hext; Caroline Hirsch; Andrew Jacono; Richard James; Ellen and Howard Katz.

Making the scene as well were Bruce Kayle; Sarah Kayle; Serena Kerrigan; Daniel Klaus; Denise LeFrak; Christina and Alan MacDonald; Tim Malone; Sterling McDavid; John McGinn; Larry Milstein; Toby Milstein; Alexandra Munroe and Robert Rosenkranz; Mary Kathryn and Alex Navab; Dara and Timothy O’Hara; Maren Otto; Antonia Paterno-Castello; Sandy and Stephen Perlbinder; Alan Poul; David Powers; James Quinn; Patti and Mark Renton; Louise and Len Riggio; Michael A. Rubenstein; Lindsay and Drew Schulte; Robin and Fred Seegal; Jean and Martin Shafiroff; Alexandra Stanton and Sam Natapoff; James Stanton; Jane and David Walentas; Keith Weiner; Carol and Michael Weisman; Vivian and James Zelter and others.

Inspired by the Museum’s exhibition "Keith Sonnier: Until Today," Ron Wendt’s decor evoked the artist’s luminous neon sculptures. Guests entered a space that reflected both the industrial and ephemeral—with red, blue, yellow, orange, and green fluorescent lighting artfully situated on black table cloths, with black and red chairs peppered throughout the terrace. The minimalist design was balanced with meandering Ruscus vines (a romantic nod to Sonnier’s Louisiana roots) draped from ceiling to table and subtly wrapped in Edison bulbs.