Night at the Museum

Dallas gala-goers party with T. rexes to raise $2 million for Perot Museum

It's not every Saturday night that Dallasites get to take selfies with T. rexes and bedazzle themselves with gemstones, but that's the way the Perot Museum rolls for patrons at the annual Night at the Museum Gala.

This year's fundraising mega-event, held November 11, attracted 1,000 guests and brought in a dino-mite $2 million for the Perot Museum's learning and outreach programs, including scholarships and financial assistance for local schools and families.

Under the guidance of co-chairs Catalina Gonzalez, Santiago Jorba, Elizabeth Phillips, and Kevin Phillips, every floor of the museum lit up with opportunities for exploration, fun, food, and drink. A pavilion across the lawn continued the night outside the museum, too.

Upon their early arrival, VIPs descended on the lower-level reception for an exclusive preview of the Perot's new exhibition "T. rex: The Ultimate Predator." Without the crowds of normal museum hours, patrons could stand face-to-face (or, teeth-to-face) with ginormous models of the prehistoric predators. It was the buzziest photo backdrop of the night, and even the setting for a local TV reporter's marriage proposal.

In the lobby, DJ RomiQ kept the beats upbeat as attendees queued for craft cocktails at the Premium Bar and ordered up hand-shaken Dirty Martinis and Yuzu Martinis at the sleek Haku Martini Bar. The evening's signature cocktail was a daring choice of a Mezcalito featuring Mezcal Verde Amaras and fruit juices.

At 7:30 pm, the masses arrived and filled all four floors of the museum. Those who stopped on level two were greeted by a Brite Side Craft Hard Seltzer Bar and a long Iberico grazing table of gourmet meats, cheeses, crackers, and spreads. Guests could play scientist in the "Bio Lab: Giant Chromosomes" exhibit, take a Drone Challenge in the Challenge Lab, or try out a roaming photo booth.

On level three, long lines formed quickly at the On The Rocks Bar, where bartenders made cosmos, margaritas, and jalapeño margaritas to pair with Mexico City-inspired Nosh Boxes starring crispy chicharrones. A Face Gem Bar was an especially popular stop for women who wanted a little extra sparkle and shine.

On level four, guests dug into a Paleo Lab Experience and more premium cocktails. Fun Night at the Museum tidbit: the #IYKYK crowd always looks forward to this gala's signature dish - the flaky, savory, piping hot Pot Pies. Alas, level four ran out of its supply of Masala Chicken Pot Pies quickly, and guests were sent to the pavilion outside on the Plaza.

The pavilion was where the real food action was happening. Food stations by Wolfgang Puck Catering were serving up global cuisine like Salt & Pepper Crispy Quail, Texas Tomahawk, Raw & Rice (spicy bluefin tun on rice cakes), and yes, Masala Vegetable Pot Pies.

Elan Artists' Gen8 band kept the dance floor rocking for hours and a Robotic Sketchbot offered a cool photo booth alternative. Just outside the pavilion, guests gathered around fire pits along Fire Pit Lane to roast s'mores with gourmet marshmallows and refuel with Carajillos espresso martinis presented by Licor 43. Late-night revelers could snack on Boozy Milkshakes, Perot Smash Burgers, Waffle Cut Fries, and more.

The 11th annual Night at the Museum Gala - planned, designed, and executed by Jason Valdivia of Valdivia Ventures - successfully launched the Perot Museum into its next decade of education and inspiration, organizers said afterwards. Among the patrons there enjoying the night were Missy Rogers Peck, Madison Strode, Jennifer Grinnan, Kelcey Hamilton, Frances Mitchell, Cory Youmans, Bri Amaranthus, Hanna Battah, Kevin Fleck, Kristen Cobb, Britton Cobb, Katie Samler, Matthew Samler, Brent Christopher, Monica Christopher, Michael Guirguis, Jayda Batchelder, Alan Katz, Karen Katz, Kelly Compton, DeWitt McCarter, Betsy Dixon, Monica Egert Smith, Caroline Harrison, Lara Pryor, Ashley Chellgren, Tori Mulford, Junko Yamazaki, Wasan Alfalahi, Jessica Bolander, Geraldine Torrens Parker, Maria Zajia Soto, Kate Alberts, Brad Alberts, Paul Michael Halicki, Kate Halicki, Laura Price, Jessica Khan, Linda Silver, and hundreds more supporters and guests.

Perot Museum Night at the Museum gala 2023

Photo by Tamytha Cameron and Celeste Cass

Alan Katz, Karen Katz, DeWitt McCarter, Kelly Compton

fundraisers museums perot museum galas

A Glittering Celebration

Christine Baranski brings Hollywood sparkle to Dallas luncheon

Photo by Kim Leeson

Karen Hughes White, Caren Lock, Christine Baranski, Shonn Brown.

The Omni Dallas Hotel shimmered in ruby tones on November 14 as more than 950 supporters gathered to celebrate a milestone four decades in the making: the Texas Women’s Foundation’s Ruby Anniversary Luncheon.

The afternoon blended Hollywood sparkle — courtesy of award-winning actress Christine Baranski — with heartfelt tributes to the visionary women who sparked a movement in Texas 40 years ago.

The annual luncheon, one of the region’s most significant events advancing women and girls, raised an impressive $840,000. More than $112,000 of that came in during the program itself, underscoring the energy in the room and the urgency of the mission.

TXWF used the occasion to announce a landmark figure: a cumulative $115 million in impact since its founding in 1985. That number includes nearly $90 million in grants to organizations serving women and girls, as well as more than $25 million invested in research, advocacy, and leadership initiatives designed to shape long-term change.

Board chair Cris Zertuche Wong opened the program by welcoming seven of the Foundation’s 11 living founders, who also served as the event's honorary co-chairs: Susan Shamburger Bagwell, the Honorable Harryette Ehrhardt, Catalina E. Garcia, Frances Griffin-Brown, Helen LaKelly Hunt, the Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, Madeline Mandell, Patricia Meadows, Gwendolyn Oliver, CoYoTe PhoeNix, and Rebecca Russell Sykes.

Their presence cast a powerful through line from 1985 to 2025, reminding guests how a collective of 19 bold women stepped across differences in background, beliefs, and political leanings to create an organization with the singular purpose of supporting Texas women and their families.

Wong also recognized former Foundation leaders and Ruby Anniversary co-chairs from across the decades: Gail Griswold and Brenda Jackson representing the 1980s; Laura Estrada, the 1990s; Helen Frank, the 2000s; and Shonn Brown, the 2020s.

TXWF president and CEO Karen Hughes White spoke to the road ahead, noting that while the founders’ vision remains timeless, the challenges facing Texas women have grown more complex. “It will take all of us to create meaningful, lasting, systemic change that levels the playing field for women and, in turn, creates a strong and vibrant Texas for all,” she said.

Throughout the luncheon, guests were treated to archival video clips of the founders recalling how they built TXWF from scratch: the meetings held around kitchen tables, the spirited debates, the shared belief that change was not only possible but necessary.

Brown then honored each of the 11 living founders, as well as those who have passed, noting that their collective voice will be further amplified in a forthcoming 40-story collection documenting TXWF's history.

The afternoon’s featured guest, introduced by Target executive and event sponsor Sabrina Thomas, was the incomparable Christine Baranski, the Emmy and Tony-winning actress of The Good Wife, Cybil, and The Gilded Age.

In an onstage conversation moderated by former board chair Caren Lock, Baranski charmed the audience with stories from her upbringing in Buffalo, New York, where she grew up in a working-class Polish American family. She spoke of perseverance, discipline, and dreaming big, qualities that carried her to Juilliard and ultimately into a celebrated four-decade career spanning television, film, and theater.

As the luncheon drew to a close, the mood was equal parts celebratory and forward-looking. Forty years in, the Texas Women’s Foundation continues to push for equity with the same passion that fueled its founding.

Photo by Kim Leeson

Karen Hughes White, Caren Lock, Christine Baranski, Shonn Brown.

fundraisers christine baranski texas womens foundation nonprofits the gilded age luncheons celebrities

Night at the Museum

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A Glittering Celebration

Christine Baranski brings Hollywood sparkle to Dallas luncheon