Art galleries and museums have long touted bottomless cups of cheap chardonnay whilst the literati ogle the artwork.
But kicking that up to something a bit beefier (or Beefeaterier?) may have been a mistake.
The glistening white Santiago Calatrava addition has made the Milwaukee Art Museum one of the city’s classiest social addresses. But a recent martini fête held there turned into an overcrowded, drunken affair. Some unruly guests accosted artworks, which have been taken off display for a checkup.
People threw up, passed out, were injured, got into altercations and climbed onto sculptures at Martinifest, a semi- formal event organized by Clear Channel Radio and held at the museum Feb. 11, according to several people who attended or worked at the event.
“Hindsight is 20-20 . . . it was probably too cheap,” Kerry Wolfe, a local programming director for Clear Channel, said of the event’s premise – unlimited martinis for $30.
Um … I don’t think the problem was that a lower class of people can’t help getting sloshed on martinis. If it had been $100 or $200 instead of $30, there would still have been problems with an open martini bar, methinks.
At the event, several vendors ran out of food, drink mix and vodka early on. Some who ran out of mix started pouring straight shots of vodka, according to several accounts.
“We were hoping for a little sophistication, maybe,” said Casey Rataczak, 27, a Wicked Hop bartender. “People were shoving their martini glasses in my face and not wanting to talk about the product . . . they were just worked up about getting their booze.”
Obviously hoi-polloi. True sophisticated patrons of the arts never get worked up about booze.
(via Mary)