Museum Ball
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The Lotus Blossom Ball: An Elegant Evening in the Forbidden City celebrated the Museum’s newly redesigned Asian galleries, opening to the public in June.
Ball Chairs Lesley and Barry McRae employed the sights, sounds and smells of the Orient to evoke a sensory experience fitting the theme. At the entrance to the Museum, incense burned, the Birmingham Asian Drum Corps set the musical tone, and an antique Foo dog and Japanese lanterns provided a hint of magical things to come. Beyond Japanese screens, a tiered fountain provided a soothing note of water. Guests were welcomed at an antique Chinese altar table and climbed stairs lined with bamboo, ferns, and green lotus pods to the elegant Eighth Avenue Lobby. There they encountered a giant three-foot by eight-foot Chinese lantern, a Pagoda structure, and an authentic Chinese gong. Cocktails were served from an extraordinary antique red lacquer Chinese buffet.
The rich hues of red, black and gold abounded from the entrance and through the Forbidden City (aka Terrace Café) where the Dynasty Circle dined and where the band would play after dinner. Elsewhere were softer colors associated with the lotus blossom, symbolic of tranquility, peace, and harmony.
