On April 18, 2007, Carolina Herrera hosted a cocktail party at her flagship Madison Avenue store to unveil the masks (all created by fashion designers) for the Museum of the Barrio's masked ball to be held Thursday, May 24, 2007 at Cipriani's on 42nd. Street.

The Museum of the Barrio was (in a quote from the museum's website), "Heralded by The New York Times as “an institution in its ascendancy”, El Museo del Barrio was founded in 1969 by a group of Puerto Rican educators, artists, parents and community activists in East Harlem’s Spanish-speaking El Barrio. Since then, El Museo del Barrio has evolved into New York’s leading Latino cultural institution, having expanded its mission to represent the diversity of art and culture in all of the Caribbean and Latin America."

The Museum, located in the Heckscher Building at 1230 Fifth Avenue (@ 104th Street), is presently undergoing a renovation under the able direction of Museum Director Julian Zugazagoitia.

New York Cool recently visited the Museum to cover the exhibit, The Disappeared. I was very impressed with the work that the museum is doing and especially impressed with the gift shop, where a gorgeous Haitian mask literally jumped into my arms and insisted that I take out my credit card and take him (her?) home to live happily ever after on my kitchen wall; it was love at first sight. New York's fabulous Museum Mile definitely does not stop at 92nd. Street.

The Museum of the Barrio Gala Chairs are: Yaz and Valentin Hernandez and Isabel and Ruben Toledo (the Toldeos). The Journal Chairs are: Jackie Bird; Vilma Vale Brennan; and Cristina Roig Morris. The Junior Committee Chairs are: Mayra Hernandez; Jana Pasquel; and Samantha Thompson.

The Victor Kosta Mask
T
Carolina Herrera, Yaz Hernandez, Gustavo Arrango and Christine Cachot