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Multicultural Audience Development Initiative (MADI)celebrates 10th anniversary

Metropolitan Museum's Evening of Many Cultures benefits Multicultural Initiatives

      *The Board of Trustees and The Multicultural Audience Development Initiative (MADI) Advisory Committee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted the first-ever Multicultural Winter Benefit, An Evening of Many Cultures, celebrating the tenth year anniversary of MADI on Thursday, January 24.  The gorgeous gala raised the bar for 2008 galas to follow.  Guests anteed up $600 each and donned festive finery and traditional attire to attend the glamorous gala that started off with a Moët Chandon champagne reception provided by Moët Hennessy USA.

      Live performances throughout the evening showcased diverse traditions of music and dance, including Latin jazz, traditional Chinese Guzheng music and native American Fancy Shawl dancing.  An international banquet was served at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing with music by Latin jazz ensemble CoCoMaMa followed by salsa dancing.

      The celebration featured special evening viewings in the Museum's constellation of galleries reflecting many of the cultures of the world.  While guests luxuriated on a lavish international banquet they were entertained by Donna Ahmadi of Lotus Music and Dance: Native American Fancy Shawl Dance.

      During dinner, Philippe de Montebello and Emily K. Rafferty, director and president, respectively, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, presided over a visionary tribute to two founding members of the initiative, Lowery Stokes Sims and Richard V. Clarke, who were honored for their longstanding commitment to the Museum and to its outreach efforts.
 
      The Museum's Multicultural Audience Committee is comprised of leaders of New York's African American, Latino, Hispanic, American Indian, South Asian, and Asian American communities and organizations.  The committee works to cultivate collaborative partnerships between the Museum and its members' constituents.  Donna Williams serves as Chief Audience Development Officer.

      "We are delighted to celebrate this landmark anniversary of the initiative with acquaintances old and new, and to renew our dedication to provide a meeting ground for our visitors from around the world, who come together from widely different cultures and geographic locations to experience the Metropolitan Museum's superb and equally diverse collections," commented Williams.

      Gala honorary chairs included Council member Robert Jackson, Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, and Council member David Weprin.  Co-chairs included Olga de Amaral, Kathleen Battle, Cindy Hsu, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Spike Lee, Walter Mosley, Alan Muraoka, Dana Tyler, Cicely Tyson, Miriam Colon Valle and Kay WalkingStick.

      Linda Zango-Haley served on the benefit co-chair committee.  Sandra Jackson Berger, Tonya Lewis Lee, Spencer David Means and the New York Coalition of One Hundred Black Women, Inc. served on the benefit committee.  The exquisite Reginald Van Lee, senior vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., served as one of the esteemed patrons.

      Since its inauguration in 1998, MADI has worked toward its mission to educate and inspire visitors of diverse backgrounds and ancestries by heightening awareness of the Museum's collections and programs, increasing participation in its activities, and diversifying its visitorship and membership.

      An Evening of Many Cultures was made possible by Asian Women in Business and Verizon Foundation.  Additional support was provided by Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Chrysler LLC, The City University of New York (CUNY), Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Time Warner, Inc.

Multicultural Audience Development Initiative Advisory Committee Members (l-r, bottom row) Bonnie Wong, Usha Subrahmanyam, Tinku Jain, Sandra Jackson Berger, Angela Cabrera, Shirley Rodriguez Remeneski, William H. Burgess III, Donna Williams, Lal Motwani, Henry Tang, Sylvia Sandridge, Linda Zango Haley, Wayne Ho (l-r, top row) Estrellita Brodsky, Robert Sancho, Lloyd Oxendine, John Austin, Spencer Means, Harriette Cole, Alex Tsui, Gail Mitchell, Richard V. Clarke (Trustee Emeritus) (Phot Don Pollard/© The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Metropolitan Museum Director Philippe de Montebello honoring Richard V. Clarke and Lowery Stokes Sims, both founding members of the Multicultural Audience Development Initiative (Phot Don Pollard/© The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Top couturier b. michael of The b. michael Fashion House, actress Lynn Whitfield, actress Cicely Tyson and Mark Anthony Edwards (Phot Audrey J. Bernard)

Audrey J. Bernard is an established chronicler of Black society and Urban happenings based in the New York City area.