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Party arty! Culture vultures celebrate Brooklyn Museum at annual gala

Party arty! Culture vultures celebrate Brooklyn Museum at annual gala
Photo by Jason Speakman

Brooklyn’s cultural elite partied the night away at the Brooklyn Museum’s annual Artists Ball on Wednesday night, celebrating the borough’s art scene and raising cash for the Prospect Heights institution.

More than a thousand people gathered for the sixth incarnation of the event, many donning white duds to fit the shindig’s “White Hot” theme, shelling out at least $1,500 a seat to raise a total of $2.2 million.

Guests posed for Polaroid portrait sessions with photographer Will Cotton and later danced to the music of Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean, who spun records using a disc jockey booth that will be featured in artist Tom Sachs’s new exhibition of artsy stereos, “Boombox Retrospective: 1999–2016.”

The event also honored Brooklyn Heights residents and arts patrons Stephanie Ingrassia — who is the president of the museum’s board — and her husband Tim — a bigwig at Goldman Sachs — for their commitment to Kings County’s art world.

The party marks the first under new museum director Anne Pasternak, who took the reins in May last year, following the departure of longtime leader Arnold Lehman.

Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–2511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill