Cool Culture Celebrates The 2017 UnGala

Spring is also known as gala season, which makes The Cool Culture’s 2017 UnGala noteworthy. The soiree brought notables including Agnes Gund, Bevy Smith, Edward Enninful, Debi Mazar, Faith Newman, and Malik Yoba to the IAC building to support the program. The Cool Culture’s mission is to make certain that New York City preschool- aged children in diverse backgrounds have access to arts and culture. Through programming they are able to partner with museums and cultural institutions to provide low-income families free unlimited access to the city’s museums from all 5 boroughs.

The evening began with cocktail hour featuring shaved ice staged by Multimedia Visual Artist Miguel Luciano on his mobile public art project Pimp My Piragua. Partygoers perused the silent auction, which contained artwork from Isabelle Brourman, hand signed throwback helmets by Eli Manning and Joe Namath, and a weeklong getaway to Tuscany. The seated dinner’s menu was influenced by Southern, Asian and Latin cuisines and featured dishes such as Shredded collard greens; Panko crusted diver scallops and Raspberry Lime “Tres Leches”. Performances by Lion Babe and pianist Harold O’ Neal kept guests entertained. And recognition was made to Teresita Fernandez and Reggie Van Lee for their dedication to social justice, diversity, and arts access. To learn more about The Cool Culture, please visit their website.