Monday, November 23, 2009, 8:00 pm
Offsite
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MASS MoCA returns to the Angel Orensanz Foundation in Lower Manhattan for its fifth annual benefit in New York City. The benefit will celebrate MASS MoCA’s Tenth Anniversary and will feature dinner, a short live auction (Bid online now!), and music by The Feelies.

“We had a wonderful tenth anniversary gala in May at MASS MoCA in North Adams and this event gives our New York-based supporters the opportunity to celebrate with us,” said Jennifer Trainer Thompson, Director of Development. “There are many supporters of the arts in New York, and with our annual benefit in their backyard we have been able to raise awareness of work that artists are doing at MASS MoCA. We’re always delighted when we see our Berkshire friends and neighbors join us in New York too.”

The event, which begins at 6:30 with cocktails, will be catered by Berkshire-based Mezze Catering. Dinner will be followed by a short live auction. Auction items include works by Chuck Close and other artists, a stay at a villa on St. Barth’s, and unique art trips. Auction items will be available for to view online at massmoca.org in early November. The benefit will be capped off with a short musical performance by the recently reunited band The Feelies.

Chaired by Meryl Streep & Don Gummer along with Stacy & Eric Cochran, the benefit committee includes: Mary & Irwin Ackerman, George Ahl, Laurie Anderson & Lou Reed, Ann & Greg Avis, Guy Ben-Ner, Liz Beshel & Samuel Robinson, Susan & Duncan Brown, Lucinda Childs, Eileen & Michael Cohen, Gregory Crewdson, Bobbie Crosby & Danny Parker, Gabriella De Ferrari, Jane Eckert, Bridget & Donald Fawcett, John Gardiner, Linda Genereux & Timur Galen, Mela & Paul Haklisch, Christine & Andrew Hall, Kristen Johanson, Liz & George Krupp, Carol LeWitt, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Kate & Hans Morris, Ellen & George Needham, Susan & Leonard Nimoy, First Lady Diane B. Patrick & Governor Deval L. Patrick, Tracey & Phillip Riese, Carolina Palermo Schulze, and Carrie Mae Weems.

A legendary and influential rock band, The Feelies reunited at Battery Park in New York City on July 4, 2008, opening for Sonic Youth with the classic Feelies lineup of Glenn Mercer, Bill Million, Dave Weckerman, Brenda Sauter, and Stanley Demeski performing their first show since 1991.

Formed in 1976, The Feelies released four albums including their critically acclaimed and influential debut Crazy Rhythms, which was voted #49 in the top 100 albums of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine and chosen by Spin Magazine as one of the best alternative records of all time. According to legend, the band played infrequently (usually on national holidays); however, The Feelies performed several American and European tours in support of their records The Good Earth, Only Life, and Time For A Witness, which created a large cult following. The band also appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman and in concerts with Lou Reed, The Patti Smith Group, REM, and Bob Dylan. Their music has been featured in the films Married to the Mob, Something Wild, Prelude to a Kiss, The Truth About Charlie, and The Squid & the Whale.

The Angel Orensanz Foundation serves as an artistic and cultural resource open to artists, writers, thinkers and leaders. A spectacular building that is the oldest standing building on the Lower East Side, Angel Orensanz is a former synagogue that was built in 1849 by Berlin architect Alexander Seltzer, who was inspired by romanticism and the cathedrals of Cologne, Germany. In 1986 the ruined and boarded-up synagogue was purchased by Angel Orensanz as a studio and exhibition space. After a series of renovations the building now stands as an impressive and beautiful venue with much of the building’s original neo-gothic architectural features and interior decorations remaining intact, providing a stunning backdrop to events.

Tickets for MASS MoCA’s New York Benefit range from $500 for an individual patron ticket to $25,000 for an Angel Table of ten. Tickets are available by calling Rebecca Wehry at 413 MoCA 111 x8157 or emailing rwehry@massmoca.org.