BLANTON MUSEUM GALA RAISES OVER $1.6 MILLION TO BENEFIT EXHIBITIONS, COLLECTION AND ENDOWMENT
Two Important New Works of Art Purchased in honor of Jack S. Blanton and the Gala Unveiled at Gala Event
Gala co–chair Kelli Blanton, gala co–chair Elizabeth Wareing, Jack Blanton, gala co–chair Leslie BlantonTanya Tribble Photography
Lee Evans, Zachry Lee, Quincy Lee, Lora ReynoldsTanya Tribble Photography
Erin and Jon DriscollTanya Tribble Photography
Ian Turpin and Luci Baines JohnsonTanya Tribble Photography
Clayton Aynesworth and Deborah GreenTanya Tribble Photography
Nicole and Brent CovertTanya Tribble Photography
John and Julie ThorntonTanya Tribble Photography
Jeanne and Mickey Klein, Julia Null SmithTanya Tribble Photography
Texas Cowboys volunteered to help guests at the eventTanya Tribble Photography
David Booth, Chris Mattsson, Don MullinsTanya Tribble Photography
Mickey Klein, UT President Bill Powers, Jack BlantonTanya Tribble Photography
Artist Teresita Fernández in the Blanton's Rapoport Atrium with her work, Stacked WatersTanya Tribble Photography
Becca Cason Thrash, Carla McDonald, Austin Mayor Will WynnTanya Tribble Photography
VIP Party setting in the Smith Building Capitol RoomTanya Tribble Photography
Dinner setting in the Michener Gallery BuildingTanya Tribble Photography
The B–Cool Lounge in the Rapoport AtriumTanya Tribble Photography
On Saturday, January 31, 2009, the Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin held the first gala celebration in its recently completed two–building complex. Essence of Cool: 2009 Blanton Museum Gala honored Jack S. Blanton, for whom the institution is named. The event raised $1,625,000 in table and ticket sales as well as donations to launch the Blanton's new $40 million campaign for the support of exhibitions, collection, and endowment. Additionally, two new art works purchased in honor of Mr. Blanton and support of the gala, were unveiled. Ann Wilson, the Blanton's interim director, states, “We are thrilled that so many individuals, corporations, and foundations from across the state paid tribute to this great man on this great evening. It is especially fitting that this event launched a campaign that builds on Jack Blanton's decades of dedication to providing great art and exceptional learning opportunities for every student, teacher, and visitor who comes through the museum's doors.”
University of Texas at Austin President William Powers Jr. announced two significant gifts to the museum made in honor of the occasion in addition to over $600,000 raised through table and ticket sales. One million dollars has been given for endowment by the Scurlock Foundation, with the assistance of Mr. Blanton's three children, Elizabeth Wareing, Eddy Blanton, and Jack Blanton, Jr. This gift helps to ensure that exhibitions and research will continue to provide educational opportunities of the highest caliber for the benefit of the people of Texas. The museum also received a $25,000 gift from the LBJ Foundation in support of the museum's endowment, with Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Johnson Robb on hand for the celebration.
In celebration of the gala, and to emphasize the importance of donations of works of art to the Blanton's outstanding collection, Jeanne and Michael Klein generously underwrote two significant new works of contemporary art that were unveiled at the Gala: Stacked Waters, a site–specific work commissioned for the Rapoport atrium by artist Teresita Fern?ndez; and a shimmering large–scale sculptural work by Ghanaian–born artist El Anatsui. In his remarks, Powers said, “We are so proud to have on this campus a world–class art museum that provides students the opportunity to experience art at this level during a time of their lives when they are forming their own opinions and views of the world for the first time.”
Event chairs Kelli Blanton, Leslie Blanton, and Elizabeth Wareing organized the event, which was attended by over 400 guests from across the country, including Mayors Will Wynn (Austin) and Bill White (Houston), Austin co–chair Julie Thornton and husband John, and Houston chair Ellen Susman and husband Steve. Among the guests attending from Austin were Carla and Jack McDonald, Nicole and Brent Covert, Bob and Nancy Inman, Suzanne and David Booth, Jack and Joanne Crosby, Becky Beaver and John Duncan. A large number of guests attending the event came from Houston, including Judy and Charles Tate, Cherie and Jim Flores, Jess and Beth Sanders Moore, John and Becca Cason Thrash, and Diane Lokey Farb.
The evening began with a VIP party in the museum's Capitol Room furnished with modern Herman Miller pieces, followed by a cocktail reception throughout the new Edgar A. Smith Building. Guests then crossed the dramatically lit Faulkner Plaza to the Michener Gallery Building for a dinner catered by the Four Seasons and program emceed by Texas Monthly editor–in–chief and Austin gala co–chair Evan Smith. The museum's downstairs galleries, normally filled with temporary exhibitions, were decorated with glowing tables and chairs from Lounge 22. Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed music from the UT Jazz Orchestra and floral decor by David Kurio Designs. Following a short film tribute to Mr. Blanton by award–winning documentary filmmaker and University of Texas at Austin faculty member Paul Stekler, the honoree received a standing ovation as he remarked, “My buttons pop every time I walk through these doors.”
