PHOTOS: Inside the Parrish Art Museum’s 2026 Midsummer Gala

Allegra Skye Leguizamo, John Leguizamo, Sanford Biggers, and Arana Hankin Biggers. Bree Johnson/BFA.com

The Parrish Art Museum’s Midsummer Gala: In the Clouds couldn’t be more on topic. After a Saturday of dramatic thunderstorms and flood watches, 700 guests — many dressed in high-end fashion — arrived at the museum, and what could have been chaos was an absolute blast. The gala raised more than $1.7 million to support the Museum’s exhibitions, educational initiatives, and comprehensive programs. Honorees included philanthropist Elaine Katz and artists Enoch Perez, Joan Semel and Hiroshi Sugimoto, and in memory of Pat Steer.

The Parrish is a tall, elegant single-storey building set in 14 acres of meadows at Water Mill. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, it is inspired by potato field barns that local artists once converted into sunny studios. Its landscape, wild and manicured, is home to famous sculptures like Roy Lichtenstein’s Tokyo Brush I and IIwhich one can drive around and recognize from the Montauk Highway.

This year’s gala grew out of the existing Sanford Biggers exhibit, said Monica Ramirez-Montagut, executive director of the Parrish Hotel, who helped choose the honorees and the evening’s theme. Biggers also helped create the party visuals and the idea for a night in drag.

For the eldest, clouds are a recurring motif. Standing under cartoon-like clouds made of aluminum and acrylic, Ansui (Cloud Forest)“During the pandemic, I’ve spent most of my time here, and one of my ways to stay calm and connected to the universe has been to look at the clouds for hours at a time,” he told Observer. “When I was asked to do something in Parrish, I thought it would be a great way to look at the landscape and cloudscapes here,” he added, wearing a necklace with two dangling silver charms. He hoped people would walk away from the evening feeling a sense of “inspiration, calm and wonder.”

Colorfully dressed guests wandered through the galleries while curators gathered to pose for a photo in front of the classic Ellsworth Kelly. Wearing a bright yellow sequined dress, Charlotte Pellaro, co-chair and curator of the evening, said she was worried about the weather, but the rain gave her a chance to showcase the art. “We’re so happy to have everyone inside and appreciating the art, because that doesn’t always happen… We’re an art museum, right?”

Yanina Fuertes and Charlotte Belaro. Bree Johnson/BFA.com

Bellaro was joined by co-chair Yanina Fuertes, who said most of the night’s fundraising will support ACCESS PARRISH and the museum’s educational and community programs. “Children between the ages of four and five come to the museum to appreciate art and creativity.”

This mission was reflected in two Eastport-South Manor students, who beamed as they described their six-month internship at Parrish. “We’ve been immersed in Long Island art and local artists, so it was really nice to connect with where we came from, as artists, because we’re both very interested in the arts,” said Julia Caston, a senior. “It’s very difficult for high school students to get involved in things like this because you have to have connections. Having Parrish himself available is a great opportunity.” She added that the museum contacted the art teacher. “We’re public school students, so you don’t usually get opportunities like this.”

The Dixons played live music against a backdrop of fluffy clouds while Parsons’ dancers, dressed in white, leapt across the room as guests gathered around them, holding Coconut Cloud Margaritas sponsored by Casa Dragons.

Near a bar, filled with blue-violet hydrangeas, actor John Leguizamo and gallery owner and designer Lisa Perry looked like old friends. When asked how they knew each other, they laughed. “We don’t. We met five minutes ago.”

Leguizamo, who owns a place in Amagansett, spoke of the museum director as a force. “Having Monica, who is Latina, as the head of the entire museum is everything to me,” he said. “It’s a beautiful hug. It makes me feel seen and included.” He added that art “is always at the forefront of resistance, speaking truth to power. Protecting artists and giving them the space to do what they do and express themselves is very important – it is where we should be investing our money and time.”

Featured artists included Sanford Biggers, Sherry Hovsepian, Gwen O’Neill, Enoch Perez, Ugo Rondinone, Will Ryman, and Nina Yankowitz. Other notable figures in attendance included Trustees Astrid Hill, Chris and Cristina Cuomo, restaurateurs Gabby Karan and Gianpaolo De Felice, Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavone, New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, philanthropists Karen and Dennis Mehill, Her Highness Sheikha Alia Al Maktoum, and fashion designer Jonathan Simkhai.

Hadassah Richardson and Kieron Vatel. Bree Johnson/BFA.com

Attendees then moved to Mildred C. Brinn’s balcony, where a velor dress billowed in the warm wind. Tables were decorated with blue and white flowers designed by Arthur Golabek Flowers, and guests dined with an appetizer of sesame-covered shrimp. After Katz received the Parrish Philanthropy Award, a short video clip was shown in which Katz recalled that, when she was 14, her grandmother took her to the new Guggenheim Museum, where she was transfixed by the paintings of Philip Guston. She described art as a lifelong refuge and a source of beauty, saying that collecting works and donating them to museums brought her great happiness because they could be shared with others. “This is the legacy that artists leave for us to enjoy and leave for many generations to follow.”

A steelhead trout dinner topped with corn and walnuts gave way to a lively paddle raise, followed by a coconut-lime key cake for dessert.

Then the sky opened up with torrential rain — the kind that soaks to the bone — and the bare-shouldered women wrapped themselves in blue cloud towels, designed by Biggers and gifted by sponsor Capital One. The weather was wild and electric, and after days of thick, smoky air caused by the Canadian wildfires, it was refreshing.

The rain stopped for a moment, just before the final show of the evening: the Twilight Party, a dance party where guests let their hair down to DJ Jason Viuto. It wasn’t just any night. Mother Nature gave her clothes a wink.