Lynda Webster serves coffee to the ladies and the Killions prepare to return to the City of Light.

By Donna Shor

David and Kristin Killion (left) with hosts Ray and Shaista Mamood

Guests at Lynda Webster’s annual coffee klatch at the Chevy Chase Club look forward to renewing ties and renewing ties after summer’s hiatus. Seen: Vicki Sant, Jan Donaldson, Nini Ferguson, Alexine Jackson, Wilma Bernstein, Evelyn DiBona, Bitsey Folger, Marion Rosenthal, and WWD’s Susan Watters.

Sonya Bernhardt, the owner of The Georgetowner and The Downtowner was there, as was Beth Solomon, who has just been named executive editor of both publications. Pam Kessler was being congratulated on her husband Ron’s latest New York Times best-seller; The President’s Secret Service is a behind the scenes tell-all about the lives – and dilemmas – of the men who have guarded the presidents and their families over the years.

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The 2009 Choral Arts Gala, Photo by Kyle Samperton

The 2009 Washington Life Guide to Balls and Galas.

SEPTEMBER

WNO’S OPENING NIGHT GALA
WL SPON
What to Expect: Join fellow opera enthusiasts for the Washington National Opera’s highly-anticipated Season Opening Night Gala dinner dance following the premiere performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, where the funds raised benefit the WNO’s performance programs and educational outreach projects.
Date: Saturday, September 12; 7 p.m.
Location: Performance at the Opera House, The Kennedy Center; gala dinner at the Hall of the Americas, Organization of American States Building
Attire: Black-tie
Price: Starting at $500; sponsorship packages starting at $5,000; performance tickets sold separately
Contact: WNO Special Events Hotline, 202-295-2449, specialevents@dc-opera.org; performance tickets, 202-295-2420

2009 WOLF TRAP BALL
What to Expect: The vast Filene Center stage transforms into a magical setting as Germany marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and celebrates “Freedom without Walls” at the performance venue’s annual ball. As the foundation’s largest fundraiser, proceeds benefit Wolf Trap’s arts and education programs.
Date: Saturday, September 12; 7 p.m.
Location: Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Attire: Black-tie
Event Chairmen: Mary E. Arnold and James C. Nesbitt III
Price: $500 to $1,000; tables from $5,500 to $25,000
Contact: Melanie Allan McCarty, 703-255-1944, events@wolftrap.org

 NATIONAL HISPANIC FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS’ NOCHE DE GALA
WL SPON
What to Expect: Always high on the caliente chart, the evening brings A-List Hispanic entertainers together for dinner, dancing, and fundraising. Founded by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, and Washington attorney Felix Sanchez, the foundation offers graduate scholarships and programs to young Latinos pursuing careers in entertainment and media.
Date: Tuesday, September 15; 6:30 p.m.
Location: Corcoran Gallery of Art
Attire: Black-tie
Event Chairmen: Joaquin Bacardi III, Sonia Braga, Ginny Grenham, Merel Julia, Esai Morales, Felix Sanchez, and Jimmy Smits
Price: $1,000; corporate sponsorships available
Contact: Jennifer Castillo, 202-293-8330

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Author Jane Stanton Hitchcock’s latest novel is the talk of the town, whether you’re in it or not.

By Kevin Chaffee

Author Jane Stanton Hitchcock at home

What do Jim Kimsey, Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn, Carolyn Peachey, Liz Stevens, Amanda Downes, Jim Johnson, Deborah Gore Dean, Rima Al-Sabah, Ann Jordan, Carol Joynt, Leo and Grega Daly, and Rep. Jane Harmon have in common? – apart from living in Washington, that is.

Yes, all were spotted at the party celebrating Jane Stanton Hitchcock’s recent novel, “Mortal Friends,” at Café Milano on Thursday night, but there is a far deeper connection. It turns out that each is a character in her book – but under a totally different name, of course.

Anyone who really knows the Washington scene won’t have too much trouble deciphering that “Nouria Salaha,” described as the ultra-fashionable spouse of a Middle Eastern ambassador, is based on top diplomatic hostess Rima Al-Sabah, wife of Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah. Or that “Bob Poll,” an “ageless rake with military bearing” sure seems a lot like AOL co-founder Jim Kimsey, who, if he minded any of the comparisons, was shrugging them off that night (as he did during Joynt’s sold-out “Q&A” lunch with Hitchcock at Nathan’s earlier that day).

“Mortal Friends” is sure to be this summer’s essential plane or beach read. It’s a delicious thriller filled with social climbing, back-stabbing, deceit, betrayal, and the hunt for a serial killer who carries out his terrible deeds in such familiar haunts as Georgetown’s Montrose Park. No wonder Politics and Prose sold out every copy – the first time that has ever happened at a book party, according to a member of the sales staff.

Guests sipped wine and Champagne while waiting patiently in line for author inscriptions. It wasn’t long before the crowd spilled out into the reception area, and from there to patio where Jill Biden, the wife of the vice president, had quietly entered to dine with a friend (even she ended up getting a book.)

Jane Stanton Hitchcock's latest novel "Mortal Friends" explore dangerous liaisons in Washington social life.

Here’s who else was there:

From the diplomatic corps: German Ambassador Klaus Sharioth, Yemeni Ambassador Abdulwahab Al-Hajjri, Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and Yoriko Fujisaki, and Lady (Julia) Sheinwald, wife of British Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald.

From the media: Jim Hoagland (Hitchcock’s spouse), Bob Schieffer, Arnaud de Borchgrave, Tammy Haddad, Andrea Mitchell, Margaret Carlson, Edie Emery, Jim Lehrer, David Corn, Ann Geracimos, Roxanne Roberts, Fred Hiatt, Patrick Gavin, Steve Smith and Sally Bedell Smith.

From the social scene: Andy Athy, Michael and Afsaneh Beschloss, Dr. Susan Blumenthal, Conrad and Ludmila Cafritz, Buffy Cafritz, Marcia Carter, John Cecchi, Walter and Didi Cutler, Count Renaud de Viel Castel, Susan Eisenhower, Nini Ferguson, Bitsey Folger, Jim and Ann Free, Ina Ginsburg, Lloyd and Ann Hand, June Hechinger, Chris and Jennifer Isham, Winston Bao Lord, Capricia Marshall, Mac and Donna McLarty, Bill and Dorothy McSweeny, John and Diana Negroponte, Mike Peabody, Gerald and Eden Rafshoon, Lucky Roosevelt, Jackie Rush, Aniko Gaal Schott, Prince Ermias Selassie, Jamal Simmons, and Judith Terra.

Thirty years after becoming part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of African Art is more relevant than ever

By Johnnetta Betsch Cole

Timothy Bork, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, and Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough at a dinner hosted by Timothy and Shigeko Bork for the board of the National Museum of African Art . (Photo by Glenn Virgin)

My arrival at the National Museum of African Art this spring coincides with a season of historic significance, opportunity, and – may I add – exhilaration. This month marks our 30th anniversary since becoming part of the Smithsonian Institution, reflecting a journey that began three decades ago in a series of Capitol Hill row houses and continues in the magnificent building on the National Mall that houses our world-class collection.

Such an auspicious occasion is deserving of an equally memorable celebration. On May 20, we will hold our first fundraising gala, “Africa Live(s)!” which has attracted an impressive list of honorary committee members – diverse leaders who not only share our commitment to the arts and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora, but understand the value in supporting America’s only museum dedicated to the collection, conservation, study and exhibition of traditional and contemporary African art.

Our honorary committee includes such distinguished names as Clifford Alexander, Jr., Maya Angelou, Angela Bassett, Shigeko Bork, Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Esther Coopersmith, Nancy “Bitsey” Folger, Sam Gilliam, Dorothy Height, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Gen. Colin Powell, Michael Sonnenreich, Maurice Tempelsman, and Alfre Woodard.

Our extraordinary circle of friends is led by our dedicated board chair, prominent business leader and art collector Art U. Mbanefo, and co-vice chairmen Timothy Bork and R. Lucia Riddle. They will be joined by gala chairwoman Carolyn Jordan, current and former board members, ambassadors, donors, and civic and corporate leaders who will be present for our 30th anniversary awards to Ambassador Johnnie Carson; El Anatsui, one of Africa’s leading contemporary artists; Baroness Valerie Amos, the first black woman appointed to the British Cabinet (in 2003, as secretary of state for international development); and Sudanese model Alek Wek.

This will indeed be a “season” of rich offerings. The New York Times has hailed our current exhibition, “Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas,” calling it “as rousing as a drum roll, as piquant as a samba, as sexy as Césaria Évora’s voice.” Not only that, but two brilliant artists, António Ole and Aimé Mpane, collaborated on a most remarkable work of art, currently on view in “Artists in Dialogue,” that is supported by our great partner, De Beers. The ongoing commitment of De Beers, Chevron (the gala’s lead underwriter) and many corporate partners is both heartwarming and critical in these challenging economic times.

In the coming months you will hear more about our journey, our hopes, and our dreams. We dream that every person who enters the museum will feel a connection to Africa. We dream of challenging visitors’ perceptions about this continent. We dream of partnerships – with museums, corporations, educational institutions, and with you. And finally, we dream that in difficult economic times, the arts lift us up, providing the inspiration and creativity that we all value so very much.

Johnnetta Betsch Cole was named fifth director of the National Museum of African Art earlier this year – a role that combines her passion for African art, respect for anthropological knowledge of the people and cultures of the African continent and involvement in the world of education. She was previously president of Spelman College and Bennett College for Women.

The National Museum of African Art fetes its new director Johnnetta Cole

By Michael M. Clements

Timothy Bork, Vice Co-Chairs, African Art Advisory Board; The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Director, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution; Dr. Wayne Clough, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution

“Africa is beautiful,” could be the calling card for this night that saw the board of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) assemble at the home of gracious hosts Tim and Shigeko Bork to honor newly named director, Johnnetta Cole. Cole, whose speaking prowess and sheer dynamism was on full display during the intimate gathering of key friends and supporters of the NMAfA, is set to take over the museum with lofty goals.

“We want the [Museum of African Art] to be the best of the Smithsonian’s nineteen museums. And I’m not even counting the zoo,” Cole coolly commented as she stood and personally thanked each board member as well as those in attendance who have been so instrumental in the growth of the museum.

Washington D.C. representative Ellen Holmes Norton along with Ambassador HE Roble Olhaye, from the Republic of Djibouti, lead the list of esteemed attendees.

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Aimee Lehrman and Septime Webre

Location: Robert and Aimee Lehrman Residence

WL EXCLUSIVE – Photos by Tony Powell

EN POINTE: Fêting Septime Webre’s 10th anniversary as artistic director of the Washington Ballet. PARTYTIME: Jaw-drop factors included: (1) tutu-clad male “ballet valets” doing a sidewalk pas de quatre while parking cars; (2) the hosts’ most impressive modern art collection; (3) icy mojitos and a Havana-style feast in two separate tents to honor Webre’s Cuban roots; and (4) the irresistible sounds of Sin Miedo, his fave Latin band, that kept dancers, trustees and other elasticallyinclined guests mambo- rhumba- and salsa-ing well into the not-so-silent night. THE CAST: Kay Kendall, Bill and Dorothy McSweeny, Aldie Chapin, Bitsey Folger, Izette Folger, Carol Feld and Winston Bao Lord.

WL’s list of head-turners.

Top from left to right: Steven and Jean Case, Vernon and Ann Jordan, James Kimsey, Jacqueline Mars. Bottom from left to right: Paul and Nancy Pelosi, Roger and Victoria Sant, and Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn.

It’s hard to elicit a physical response from a Washington crowd; that is, to “turn” a head. Although we’ve produced this list for several years, 2008’s A-list has seemingly evolved into a roster of national names rather than one merely dedicated to the stars in our local firmament; after all, 2008’s elections have brought some bonafide rock stars to town. All eyes have been on Ben Bernanke to solve our financial woes, and we’ve all been waiting with baited breath to find out whether Christopher Hitchens will finally quit smoking (maybe it would help if he had God on his side). We said goodbye to longtime favorites Joe Gibbs, as well as beloved British Ambassador Sir Manning and his wife, Lady Catherine. While farewells are always sad, they make way for new faces such as financial heavyweight David Rubenstein and Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson. Over the years, we’ve found that A-list status is less about the job and rank than one might think; it’s about having a personality that electrifies the room. We’re happy they’re here.

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