BUZZWORTHY/Corcoran draws support from Alexandria's Art Lovers

Courtesy Photo The Corcoran Gallery, lit up at night.

WASHINGTON, D.C - Alexandrians sparkled amongst the glitz and glamour of The 57th annual Corcoran Ball, one of the main a highlights of DC’s spring social calendar.
 
The black-tie benefit featured uniquely decorated formal dining rooms in the Corcoran’s historic galleries, a lovely three-course seated dinner catered by Occasions, and a beautiful evening of music and dancing.  
 
The magical evening all took place within the walls of the stunning museum and back-dropped by priceless works of art. The Corcoran's major black tie fundraiser of the year attracted a true A-list guest list crowd of more than 1,000 attendees, including members of Congress, Ambassadors, members of the Obama and previous Presidential administrations, as well as a many of Washington’s most dedicated and active philanthropists.

Dinner is served!

This year, guests joined France's Ambassador François Delattre  as well as Honorary Chair and internationally acclaimed artist Sam Gilliam, a past Corcoran College of Art + Design faculty member and tireless advocate for arts education in Washington, D.C., and beyond.
 
Alexandria was truly well represented, with many of our most prominent residents including Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and his wife Lisa Collis, The Corcoran's Chairman of the Board of Trustees Harry Hopper III and his wife Maria Hopper, Catherine Armour - Provost and Chief Academic Officer for  Corcoran College of Art + Design,  women’s committee chair Nancy Smith and her husband Steven W. Smith.  
 
There were also some fresh faces on the Junior Committee including Mr. and Mrs. Eli Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Maxmillian Angerholzer III, Mr and Mrs. John Regan and owners of one of Old Town's favorite boutique, Hysteria, Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Drath were all spotted mingling about the museum amongst the prized artwork from the likes of  Degas, Monet or John Singer Sargent hanging on the gallery's brilliantly illuminated walls.
 
"The Corcoran is a leading art insitutions and it is evolving and positioning itself for long-term gorwth.  Working together, the Trustees, valued staff, and dedicated friends of the Corcoran are taking proactive steps to integrate our galleries, our college, and our comunity outretch activities to educate, inform and engage the pubic around contemporary issues," remarked Chairman of the Board of Trustees Harry Hopper III of Alexandria.
 

Photo by Allison Priebe Brooks The Dynamic Duo of the 57th Annual Corcoran Ball, 2012 Corcoran Ball Chair Deborah de Gorter and Women's Committee Chair Nancy S. Smith

For one night only the Gallery is transformed by the Corcoran’s Women’s Committee - under the tutelage of Alexandria's own Nancy Smith.  
 
These women work tirelessly to turn each room of the museum into its own colorful seasonal showcase, complete with unique table settings and color schemes for multiple rooms.  Each year, the Women’s Committee of the Corcoran is involved intimately in both the design and set-up of up to 15 exquisitely decorated rooms at the Corcoran.
 
More than 150 volunteers log 700+ hours of work to ensure the success of the event. After cocktails, a delicious dinner and dessert guest are invited to trip the light fantastic throughout the museum with musical offerings from The Radio King Orchestra, Phil McCusker and Orchestra, McCusker & Barrick Music and Miles Stiebel Quartet.
 
For the second time in the Ball's 57 year history as the clock struck 10:00pm younger guests were able to enter the artistic wonderland and attend a late night party dubbed ‘Club Corcoran’ for a $95 ticket price - a fraction of the $500 ticket for the ball.  In hopes of attracting the city’s young professionals and as a way of provide them access to the party at a more affordable ticket price, Club Corcoran invited attendees to join dinner guests at the museum at for dancing and cocktails.  We spotted this year’s Ball chair Deborah de Gorter and her mother - watching dancers spin and twirl on the dance floor, "Hopefully this will be the next generation of supporters of our beloved museum.  What Fun!"
 
The Corcoran Ball is a wonderful celebration with a purpose - to provide scholarships for the College; underwrite the Corcoran's award-winning community outreach and education programs throughout the metropolitan area; and support the continuance of the Corcoran's long tradition of bringing outstanding artists and their collections to the Gallery. Proceeds from the evening benefit the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the College of Art + Design's institutional programs and activities, including special exhibitions, art restoration, scholarships for students, and educational outreach.
 

Photo by Allison Priebe Brooks Artistic performers greeted the 1,000 guests upon entering the Corcoran.

As an added treat, guests were afforded the opportunity to admire the work of the Corcoran’s talented graduating senior class, dubbed NEXT at the Corcoran.
 
Socialites take note - the 58th Corcoran Ball has been set and will be held on April 19, 2013.  In the meantime there are multiple ways to get involved with this venerable institution.  
 
Visit http://www.corcoran.org/support-membership for more information of ways to get involved at The Corcoran.

Photo by Allison Priebe Brooks Meredith and Tim Holland and members of the Junior Committee John and Sara Regan and Jennifer and Eli Peterson represented young Alexandria elegantly.

Photo by Allison Priebe Brooks The chair of the Board of Trustees, Alexandria's own Harry Hopper III and his wife Maria Hopper. Hopper was elected to the Corcoran’s Board in 2004.