A Celebration of Asia Week
NEW YORK, March 10, 2009 - Asia Society inaugurated Asia Week in New York City with a lavish new gala benefit event, "A Celebration of Asia Week." Tony-Award winning actor BD Wong served as Honorary Chair for the evening, which featured chic cocktail receptions, an elegant Collectors' Dinner for patrons, and a festive "Bangkok Nights" supper club with dancing for young patrons and music curated by DJ Serebe.
Guests were treated to special performances by the innovative jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa with guitar virtuoso Rez Abbasi and tabla star Dan Weiss, as well as Hao Jiang Tian, the world-renowned basso cantante and pioneer in the world of opera since the early 1990s. They also enjoyed private access to the Museum's exhibitions Asian Journeys: Collecting Art in Post-war America, Yang Fudong: Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest, and Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Sotheby's Henry Howard-Sneyd led a lively auction of several extraordinary journeys to exotic Asian locales, the highlight of which was the "Thailand Dream Excursion" crafted by longtime supporters Joan and Edward Marcus.
All guests of the Celebration received a Golden Pass, an exclusive insider's ticket to nearly 20 private gallery previews, curator-led tours, auction house viewings, lectures, and other exceptional events during Asia Week in New York City. Held March 11 through 20, 2009 Asia Week attracts top dealers and collectors of some of the most important Asian art on the market from around the globe.
Guests at the Celebration of Asia Week benefit included: Honorary Chair BD Wong, Co-chairs Janet Jacobs and Susan Shin, and Young Patrons co-chairs Laura Begley, Ida Liu, and Diana Sheng Hsu. Thai Consul General Piriya Khempon and his wife, Rattanprapa Disavantana, attended. Also in attendance were: Princess Yang Chen of Sikkim, Betsy and Edward Cohen, Lois Collier, Scott Delman, Inger McCabe Elliot, Pam Gale, James Lebenthal, Pooneh Mohazzabi, Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky, Janet Ross (Mrs. Arthur Ross), Paul Tagliabue, Vivienne Tam, and Marie-Helene Weill, Wesley Wang, Ali Weinberg, Arden Wohl, and Victoria Wyman. George Hu, Governor Pattersons' Assistant for Asian Affairs, attended and presented a proclamation of Asia Week from the Governor.
Attire for the evening was Asian chic/national dress. The Asia Society's Garden Court was transformed into a Bangkok Nights Supper Club, transporting guests with modern Thai décor including serpentine cushion benches and lounge furniture, illuminated end tables and highboys and an 84" round ottoman with leopard bottom and fuchsia top stationed in the lobby. The atrium's weeping podocarpus trees were festooned with hanging Thai tapestries, and luxurious woven Thai silk fabrics and masks were used as accent pieces throughout the space. The Thai-inspired cuisine included green curry dishes, pad thai, and green papaya with chili lime sauce. Guests also enjoyed Thai beer and Thai wines, made possible by referrals from the Tourist Authority of Thailand and Thai Consulate.
Guests were treated to special performances by the innovative jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa with guitar virtuoso Rez Abbasi and tabla star Dan Weiss, as well as Hao Jiang Tian, the world-renowned basso cantante and pioneer in the world of opera since the early 1990s. They also enjoyed private access to the Museum's exhibitions Asian Journeys: Collecting Art in Post-war America, Yang Fudong: Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest, and Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Sotheby's Henry Howard-Sneyd led a lively auction of several extraordinary journeys to exotic Asian locales, the highlight of which was the "Thailand Dream Excursion" crafted by longtime supporters Joan and Edward Marcus.
All guests of the Celebration received a Golden Pass, an exclusive insider's ticket to nearly 20 private gallery previews, curator-led tours, auction house viewings, lectures, and other exceptional events during Asia Week in New York City. Held March 11 through 20, 2009 Asia Week attracts top dealers and collectors of some of the most important Asian art on the market from around the globe.
Guests at the Celebration of Asia Week benefit included: Honorary Chair BD Wong, Co-chairs Janet Jacobs and Susan Shin, and Young Patrons co-chairs Laura Begley, Ida Liu, and Diana Sheng Hsu. Thai Consul General Piriya Khempon and his wife, Rattanprapa Disavantana, attended. Also in attendance were: Princess Yang Chen of Sikkim, Betsy and Edward Cohen, Lois Collier, Scott Delman, Inger McCabe Elliot, Pam Gale, James Lebenthal, Pooneh Mohazzabi, Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky, Janet Ross (Mrs. Arthur Ross), Paul Tagliabue, Vivienne Tam, and Marie-Helene Weill, Wesley Wang, Ali Weinberg, Arden Wohl, and Victoria Wyman. George Hu, Governor Pattersons' Assistant for Asian Affairs, attended and presented a proclamation of Asia Week from the Governor.
Attire for the evening was Asian chic/national dress. The Asia Society's Garden Court was transformed into a Bangkok Nights Supper Club, transporting guests with modern Thai décor including serpentine cushion benches and lounge furniture, illuminated end tables and highboys and an 84" round ottoman with leopard bottom and fuchsia top stationed in the lobby. The atrium's weeping podocarpus trees were festooned with hanging Thai tapestries, and luxurious woven Thai silk fabrics and masks were used as accent pieces throughout the space. The Thai-inspired cuisine included green curry dishes, pad thai, and green papaya with chili lime sauce. Guests also enjoyed Thai beer and Thai wines, made possible by referrals from the Tourist Authority of Thailand and Thai Consulate.