An influx of Egyptomania took hold at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, brought on by its 2024 Gala: Art, Antiquities, Architecture – A Night on the Nile.
Led by gala chairs Karen and Bob Drury, the Egypt-themed event had everything needed to evoke the allure of pyramids, temples, tombs, and Cleopatra floating down the Nile upon a barge.
The sell-out crowd enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment in the Beckwith Sculpture Park’s “Khayamia” tent before moving inside for a gourmet dinner fit for a pharaoh catered by Elizabeth D. Kennedy & Co.
The gala committee had transformed the Holmes Great Hall and Laura and Bill Buck Atrium into a veritable Egyptian palace of black and gold, with giant palms gracing the tables and a belly dancer performing throughout dinner, and later on guests took to the floor in their dancing sandals.
Attendees embraced the mystique, adorning themselves in Egyptian-themed attire, dressed as Indiana Jones-style archeologists and Cleopatra, Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the like.
Others went for facial adornments of crystals and beads, fitting in beautifully as they meandered along faux marketplaces, stopping along the way to admire the pottery, rugs and sundry wares on display, and getting their photos taken next to a life-size camel cutout.
The event’s funds support the museum’s numerous exhibitions and programs, which are offered to children and adults throughout the community.
“The museum adds a lot to the offerings in Vero Beach. It really sets Vero apart from other beach towns,” said Karen Drury.
Attendees could also preview the exhibit, Ancient Egypt & the Napoleonic Era: Masterworks from the Dahesh Museum of Art, which features paintings, sculptures and illustrated books depicting the era of Napoleon in Egypt. The show runs through April 28.
The next exhibit, Rock ‘N’ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip: Photographs by Robert Landau, runs May 18 to Sept. 1.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
