15th
Annual El Museo del Barrio
Ball at Cipriani on 42nd Street
A Quinceañero Themed Ball
May 22, 2008
Written by Wendy R. Williams
Photo Credit: Patrick McMullan
Opposite Photo:
Gala Co-Chairs
Isabel and Ruben Toledo
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The Scene at Cipriani
El Museo del Barrio
hosted its 15th Annual Gall on Thursday, May 22,
2008. And in a charming correlation with the 15th
anniversary of the ball, the gala was styled as
a Quinceañero, a traditional fifteenth birthday
celebration for a young lady of Spanish descent.
Ball co-chair Yaz Hernandez and the junior ball
chairs (Jana Pasquel, Samantha Thompson, and Luisana
Mendoza) plus many of the other fashionable women
in attendance wore white gowns and tiaras in honor
of the gala’s quinceañero theme.
Gala Co-Chairs Valentin
and Yaz Hernandez
The ball was held
at Cipriani on 42nd. Street, a bastion of old world
opulence which provided an proper background for
the elegance of New York City’s Spanish society.
As the evening began, cocktails were served in the
reception hall as Gala chairmen Ruben and Isabel
Toledo and Yaz and Valentín Hernández
greeted the evening’s honorees, novelist Mario
Vargas Llosa, Angel Collado-Schwarz, and former
Ambassador Paul Cejas.
Adding to the festivities were the many celebrities
in attendance. Present from the world of fashion
were: Gustavo Arango; Francisco Costa; Christian
Cota; Maria Cornejo; Nicole Miller; Agatha Ruiz
de la Prada; Narciso Rodriguez; and Angel Sanchez.
Other notable guests included: Fabiola Bercasa;
Romero Britto; Simon Doonan; Ambassador John Loeb;
Assemblyman Adam C. Powell; Jackie Weld; Candy Pratts
Price; Sylvana Soto-Ward; Sarah Wolfe; Whitney Wolfe;
and more. Additional sparkle and fun were supplied
by the presence of Miss Teen USA Hilary Cruz and
Miss USA Crystle Stewart.
Here is a quote from
the press release about a wonderful surprise that
was announced at the ball: “The gala had already
raised over $850,000 when the museum board president
Carmen Ana Unanue announced that she and the Unanue
family were contributing an additional $3 million
to El Museo’s expansion campaign. El Museo
Director Julian Zugazagoitia and Chairman Tony Bechara
were the first to rise from their seats to applaud
her generous donation, and the entire room followed
suit with a standing ovation as her son, Andy Unanue,
spoke on her behalf.”
Andy Unanue
Museum Benefactress Carmen
Unanue
And another quote
from the press release about the history of the
museum: “El Museo del Barrio was founded in
1969, and is New York’s leading Latino cultural
institution, representing the diversity of art and
culture in all of the Caribbean and Latin America.
El Museo has had a significant impact on New York’s
culture, and is a major stop on Manhattan’s
Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue. Currently El Museo
is undergoing a $22 million-dollar facelift, which
will be completed in fall 2009.”
The evening was a smashing success, with over five
hundred and forty guests in attendance. Bravo to
El Museo for another successful and stunning ball.
Be sure to include El
Museo in your trips to Manhattan's Museum Mile.
El Museo boasts an eclectic collection of art, has
a young friendly staff and a charming gift shop.
Fashion Designer Francisco
Costa & Dora Beatriz Cortes Stoudemire
Fashion Designer Angel Sanchez
Dances With Alexis Clarke
Miss USA Crystle Stewart
, Richard Turley & Gillian Miniter
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