DAM Contemporaries host a Bollywood Night

Contemporaries host a Bollywood Night By Joanne Davidson
The Denver Post Posted: 06/24/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT

So sari: When "Slumdog Millionaire" won the Academy Award for best picture, we figured it wouldn't be long before someone had an "aha moment" and did a benefit with a Bollywood theme. The DAM Contemporaries appear to be the first, staging a colorful and sensual Bollywood Night in the lobby of a downtown highrise. A purple carpet entry gave way to a party space in which swagged chiffon in rich shades of curry and eggplant, along with buffet tables decorated with Indian idols nestled atop swirls of gold lame, helped create the illusion of a palace garden in Mumbai. One could get into a jolly mood quickly, thanks to the gin martinis and shots of mango lassi offered by the waiters stationed next to the check-in tables. Food, Seen Gallery View more pictures from social events around town in the exclusive "Seen" gallery. by Three Tomatoes Catering, included such Indian favorites as singharas (deep-fried parcels of dough filled with ground lamb, tomato, peas and spices), masala vada, curried salmon bites with mango chutney, chicken tikka and lamb kabobs, vegetable curry and spinach koftas. The Mundra Dancers, wearing saris and jewels, performed at regular intervals while the 400-plus guests enjoyed the food and drink. An auction of art by Christo, Wes Hempel, Sandy Skoglund, Daniel Sprick, Jan Mayer, Polly Addison and others was called by Charlie Biederman,one of the evening's hosts; afterward, there was dancing to tunes spun by DJ Alex Khadiwala. Proceeds — still being tallied at press time — go to programs and acquisitions at the Denver Art Museum department of modern and contemporary art. Many of the guests wore saris, sashes and jewelry acquired on trips to India; others, such as curator Christophe Heinrich, blended East and West by accessorizing an embroidered shirt from Rockmount Ranch Wear with a faux snake. Deirdre Wildman Toltz, director of sales and marketing for Three Tomatoes, said executive chef Joseph Beggs, a summa cum laude graduate of Johnson and Wales University Denver, had a great time planning the evening's menu, drawing from the company's extensive library of cookbooks and Internet sites. "We bought as much as we could locally, and when a recipe called for exotic spices, we found them at the Savory Spice Shop." Mimi Ruderman and Arpie Chucovich headed the event's leadership committee, working with a team that included Lu and Chris Law, Bill Amundson, Scott Miller and Tim Gill, Judy and Ken Robins, Michelle and Tom Whitten, Arlene and Barry Hirschfeld, and Museum of Contemporary Art director Adam Lerner. Dr. Dean Prina, who was in India during the terrorist attacks last November, was at Bollywood Night with Patricia Barela Rivera. Other guests were Chris Meza; Sandy and Svein Reichborn-Kjennerud; Sally Storey; Don and Karen Ringsby; Ron Henderson; Colleen and Javier Baz; and the DAM's associate director, Vicki Sterling and her husband, Harry. Society editor Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, blogs.denverpost.com/ davidson and GetItWrite on Twitter