Out with the old....in style

Part of the evening's entertainment was 2Grand Entertainment, a dueling pianos act, at the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery gala Saturday night.

Forgive me if my prose is not as sparkling as you might expect this morning: I blame the gin.

Two martinis are my limit; unfortunately, a third came my way and I drank it. But the evening was so much fun, being hung over today is a small price to pay. The Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery Associates said goodbye to their old building in spectacular style last night.

When LMAG Associate president Dan Venturoli told me weeks ago that the color palette for Prism: Through the Looking Glass was red, white, and accents of silver, I couldn't really imagine it. But when I walked into the museum space, I was stunned. The building has never looked so good.

The eponymous looking-glass was on the stage, surrounded by a optical illusion that made it look like you have to tumble down a long chessboard to get to it. The ceiling was hung with what turned out to be red and white tablecloths. The effect was that of a castle's banner-strewn main dining hall, making the huge space seem intimate.

Dan Venturoli, LMAG Associates president, left, greeted guests, and said he was "thrilled" with the second annual gala.

The "Alice" chessboard theme was carried out with oversized playing pieces as centerpieces: rooks, knights, kings and queens sitting on a glass block with red roses and lights trapped inside. Some guests heeded the invitation to dress to match the theme, with red ties, red satin dresses, and red high heels. Museum curator Nick West sported a red vest.

The Lemon Leaf did the catering, and all the food was red and white.

From the City of Lancaster's website, here are the Antelopes on Parade, a public art project where local artists decorate antelope statues which are later auctioned off at the gala to support museum programs. Lynn's antelope is at the far right.

I also blame the gin for my bidding in the Antelopes on Parade auction, but luckily I knew my pocketbook's limit better than my martini limit, and dropped out of the bidding at $500 for Cecily Willis' Celebralope, which has Antelope Valley celebrities pictured on it. Pancho Barnes is prominent on the beast's side, as are Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart.

My friend Lynn got into a bidding war with the event's  Honorary Chair Dianne Knippel for an antelope made by Kris Holladay called Past and Present. The statue is covered with bullet casings, broken tile, and mirrors, as well as small keepsakes belonging to her grandfather, who served in World War II. The thing is just amazing, but I hadn't seen it close up before Lynn started bidding on it.

It was very exciting, with Dianne and Lynn outbidding one another and running up the price with lightning speed. After a short consultation with my husband, I ran up and offered our friend some monetary assistance. Finally, Dianne realized, as she told Lynn later, that Lynn wanted it more than she did and she gave up. So, I don't know what portion of the $1,700 antelope we are entitled to with our measly $300, but we are a minority stakeholder. Maybe one mirrored antler....

Table centerpieces have the chessboard theme.

Why yes, that IS Josh Mann being the "A" in "YMCA"

We danced to the dueling pianos, and to the DJ who started spinning at the after party, called Jabberwock. The ladies hit the floor with or without partners, dancing in a big circle and pushing dancers into the center to show off their moves.

It was all great fun, even if I had to travel to the Dorothy Chandler hung over to go to the opera the next day. I know that the new museum building will be wonderful, but it felt a little sad to be leaving this one behind, especially how good it looked all dressed up.