Mad-Men Style Fundraising

When you throw in the word martini and a theme like Mad-Men style then there is only one thing that can happen: A whole lot of fun, fashionable attire (50s style) and lots of drinking. Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) hosted its fifth annual Martini Madness!, a chic cocktail fundraiser event featuring one-of-a-kind glasses, bottomless martinis, sizzling snacks, live jazz, a big-board auction and mid-century style.

HCCC Board Member and ABC Channel 13 anchor, Melanie Lawson, hosted the Big Board Auction, which was quite the highlight as the big board raised $20,000. (Total funds raised with tickets and sponsorships have not yet been totaled.)

This year’s January party allocated a cool winter-wonderland vibe with a mid-century theme along with delicious delicacies like braised oxtail and sharp cheddar sliders, grilled/marinated octopus skewers, petite lobster and local vegetable pot pies by Sorrel Urban Bistro. Nearly 250 guests wearing ‘Mad Men’-inspired fashions had tons of fun posing for color and black-and-white photos at the retro photo booth as they grooved to swinging jazz by the Jeremy Dorsey Trio and sipped Lemon drops, Cosmopolitans and Winter wonderlands.

The main highlight of the event were the martini glasses that were made specially for the event by 15 different artists both local and national. “The artists used a diverse selection of craft materials to design their glasses, most were glass, but some used ceramics, turned wood, metal, and even paper for the stems. Some were blown glass or hand-etched glass,” informed Mary Headrick, Communications Director at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

Overall event chairs Marie Louise and David Kinder with the support of honorary chairs Alton LaDay, Libbie Masterson and Judy Nyquist hosted a successful event. Supporting the Martini Madness were: Sara and Bill Morgan, Betsy & Chuck Powell, Jennifer & Jason Gordon, Anne Lamkin Kinder, Toni & Joe Listengart, Leslie & Brad Bucher, Kristen & David Buck, Kim & Joe Dang, Mady & Ken Kades, Kara & Dax Sanders, Polly and Jeff Whittle.

Photos by Sandeep Khandelwal

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