New Yorkers have seen their fair share of ballrooms, but leave it to a group of Texans to find one that seemingly none of the art world glitterati have ever visited before—the Prince George Ballroom on East Twenty-seventh Street—to host the annual benefit gala for Ballroom Marfa. (A ballroom for Ballroom, naturally.) Douglas Friedman, Reed Krakoff, Trey Laird, and Allison Sarofim were among the cochairs last night who celebrated the eleventh anniversary of the contemporary arts space (along with a silent action hosted by Artsy), led by Ballroom cofounders Fairfax Dorn and Virginia Lebermann, as well as Susan Sutton, the newly appointed executive director.
Lauren Santo Domingo, Maria Baibakova, and Sofia Coppola were all on hand to fete Ballroom and the pioneering spirit of the town of Marfa, as were Dustin Yellin, Rashid Johnson, and Luke Wilson, a native Texan. Peter Copping made one of his first New York appearances since taking the reins at Oscar de la Renta, and Naomi Campbell snuck in after appetizers to join **Allison Sarofim’**s table.
“Have you ever been to Marfa?” became the constant refrain, though barely heard over the beautiful and raucous music of Graham Reynolds, best known for his work with Texan filmmaker Richard Linklater, accompanied by his eleven-piece band. If the answer was a sheepish “No,” one could expect a steady stream of invitations to visit the Texan town, population 2,000, from various members of any table.
All the while, Yvonne Force Villareal was celebrating Prada Marfa’s newfound status as an official museum, the September announcement of which ended a nearly yearlong battle between the Texas Department of Transportation and Ballroom Marfa, Art Production Fund, and artists everywhere to preserve **Elmgreen and Dragset’**s 2005 installation piece. “We went to battle and came out stronger than before,” she said. “How often can you say that?”
