Artful Philanthropy

Swanky Silver Supper goes rococo for DMA's decorative arts program

Co-chairs Carrie Becker and Lela Rose welcomed nearly 200 enthusiasts for the 2015 Silver Supper at the Dallas Museum of Art, which raised more than $300,000 for the DMA’s decorative arts acquisition endowment fund.

After saying their hellos to museum director Maxwell L. Anderson and his wife, Jacqueline Anderson, as well as senior curator of decorative arts Kevin W. Tucker, guests partook in the requisite cocktails and hors d’oeuvre. But the real talker was the reception’s centerpiece, the Huntingdon wine cistern, a masterwork of the museum’s silver collection.

When the dinner bell sounded, attendees headed to the atrium, which evoked the feeling of an outdoor garden party, thanks to Jackson Durham’s Sara Fay Egan. Inspired by the natural elements found in rococo design, she selected 18th century rococo works from the DMA’s Hoblitzelle collection and 19th century rococo revival silver objects as focal points for the tablescapes. Imagine these atop plinths covered in ivy, leaves or herbs and surrounded by candles and julep cups filled with roses, and you can picture this magical dinner’s setup.

As the evening came to a close, patrons — including Margaret McDermott, Margot and Ross Perot, Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, Capera Ryan, Annette Simmons, Lynn McBee, Carolyn and Karl Rathjen, Deedie and Rusty Rose, and Ann and Lee Hobson — were gifted a panther trinket tray courtesy of Cartier and champagne with embroidered cocktail napkins.

The Silver Supper was an indirect result of a substantial gift of English and Irish silver given to the museum in 1987 from the Hoblitzelle Foundation. This dinner honors the tradition of the Hoblitzelle parties and builds enthusiasm among patrons for the DMA’s decorative arts program.

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