It was a one-two celebration. The scions, many of them sons and daughters of Parrish museum backers, sometimes grandsons and granddaughters, had their fun at a Friday night dance. On Saturday night, July 15, the Parrish Art Museum celebrated 125 years of “engagement, vision and excellence,’ with cocktails at 6 and dinner at 7. The evening had as co-chairs Aliya LeeKong and Deborah F. Bancroft.

Co-Chair Aliya LeeKong (Photo Carl Timpone_BFA.com)

There were five honorees: Eddie Martinez, Sam Moyer, Hank Willis Thomas, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, and Fred and Robin Seegal. Hank Willis Thomas’s work was “Remember Me,” the white neon artwork on the face of the Parrish Museum that was displayed there until the end of May. It was inspired by what was written on a postcard by one of the Buffalo Soldiers during the Civil War. His mother accepted his award on his behalf.

(Photo David Benthal BFA NYC)

And, as befits a 125th-anniversary celebrations, which comes around only every 125 years, there was a yards-long list of “legacy honorees,” including
Beth Rudin DeWoody, Gale and Ira Drukier, Charlotte Moss and Barry Friedberg, and Herzog & de Meuron, the architectural firm that designed the long Water Mill building. The museum moved from a location in the center of Southampton to its present spot on 14 acres in 2014.

The model Jessica Wang in Max Mara (Photo Carl Timpone_BFA.com)

The evening began with cocktails in the sculpture garden and a fashion show by Max Mara of ten looks  from its 2024 resort collection. Some 460 guests attended the dinner on Saturday night, and another 350 attended the Friday night dance. Those are big numbers.

The artist Ugo Rondinone (Photo David Benthal BFA NYC)

The two events combined raised $1.2 million for the Parrish Art Museum’s exhibits and many programs.

Chief Curator Corinne Erni, Robert Wilson, Honoree Katharina Otto-Bernstein (Photo Carl Timpone_BFA.com)

The director of the museum, Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, took over leadership of the institution just a year ago, after the previous director precipitously quit. Things have run smoothly under her direction, and the institution has made efforts to expand programming into the community. It was especially evident with this year’s multicultural crowd and the mix of artists, musicians, architects and other creative types, financiers, philanthropists and arts patrons.

Parrish Director Mónica Ramírez Montagut, Barrie Roman, Henry Richardson (Photo David Benthal BFA NYC)

Dr. Ramírez-Montagut, who was born in Mexico City, comes from a family of high achievers. Her sister, Teresa Ramirez Montagut, is the executive director of Regeneron at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Cornell University in New York City.

The evening concluded with dancing in the Parrish Museum Theater with DJ M.O.S.

Trustee Notoya Green and her husband, Fred Mwangaguhunga (Photo Carl Timpone_BFA.com)

Linda Lee

Linda Lee was a writer and editor at The New York Times.