I partied after-hours in the Whitney Museum at one of the buzziest events on the New York City social calendar - here's what it was like
The annual Whitney Art Party took place on the ground floor of the Whitney Art Museum in New York City's Meatpacking District from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
The party's three open bars served everything from champagne to classic cocktails and kept guests well imbibed.
DJs played top hits throughout the night ...
... booze was free-flowing ...
... and everywhere I looked, people were chasing the perfect photo op.
The photo booth witnessed many a pose throughout the night.
The crowd skewed younger the later the night went. I met a mix of socialite art patrons ranging from lawyers to entrepreneurs as well as artists and writers.
Guests had the option to purchase a $250 Art Party Ticket (reduced to $200 for Whitney Contemporaries members) or a $500 Artist Sponsor ticket (reduced to $450 for Whitney Contemporaries members), which allowed the Whitney to extend a complimentary ticket to an artist of its choice.
A stairwell decorated with strings of light led guests to a gallery on the second floor.
Though for many the stairwell was a destination in and of itself.
A freight elevator took guests to galleries on the 6th, 7th, and 8th floors. Since drinks weren't allowed near the art, a bartender inside the elevator provided specialty tequila drinks by Casa Noble on the ride up.
I indulged. All in the name of art and journalism!
On the 8th floor, the elevator opened up to the exhibit "Fruits, vegetables; fruit and vegetable salad" by conceptual artist Darren Bader.
You can imagine my surprise when, knowing the exhibit name, I saw this.
Earlier in the night, fruits and vegetables, which Bader calls "nature's impeccable sculptures," were placed on top of the wooden pedestals.
By the time I arrived, the fruits and vegetables had been chopped up into this salad, which Whitney staff served up to guests.
I tried the salad — decent, by my account — while talking to a designer of bespoke hats who was infinitely better dressed than I was.
Next, I headed to the 6th floor, and in the minutes before midnight, had it more or less to myself — a luxury in the world of New York museum-going.
My visit was well-timed. Gallery staff told me that around 10 p.m., an hour into the party, they received an influx of guests.
Feeling quite cultured, I headed downstairs to catch the last 30 minutes of the party.
Up until the party shut down, guests were lining up to get their photos taken.
All in all, the night was tamer than I had expected. While museum fundraisers are on the whole not raucous events, I expected more dancing and merriment based on the sole fact that there was an open bar. While pockets of dancing occurred throughout the night, the atmosphere didn't stray above relaxed.
The party was a see-and-be-seen event, however, which was in line with my expectations. If you care to run into the who's-who of New York City high society while supporting the arts, the Whitney Art Party is definitely the place to be.
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