THE CORCORAN’S 1869 SOCIETY presents ARTINI 2009!

In March, the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s 1869 Society will present ARTINI, a monthlong special event to benefit the scholarship fund of the Corcoran College of Art + Design. Throughout the month of March, 12 of the city’s most creative mixologists will compete to make the most artistic martini. The public is invited to sample “artinis” at the 12 participating Washington venues and vote for their favorite on the Web site of ARTINI partner Washington City Paper HERE.

Throughout the month, venues will host “Feature Nights”—giving guests the opportunity to taste the “artinis” at a discounted price. Participating restaurants include Founding Farmers, The Bar at the St. Regis, Teatro Goldini, Enology, Wisdom, Mie N Yu, Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar, Rasika, PS7 Restaurant, Bourbon, The Tabbard Inn, and Art and Soul.

“Artinis” will be inspired by works of art created by Corcoran students. For instance, Jon Arroyo of Founding Farmers restaurant will create an “artini” after the artist Paolo Martinez-Calderon’s work Meet Paola after a Month. Similarly, Souheil Chaouachi of Teatro Goldoni will create an “artini” inspired by William Knipscher’s work Trace No. 5.

On March 28, the Corcoran will host the concluding event from 8 p.m. to midnight. The event will offer a sampling of the “artinis,” a cocktail bar, music and dancing provided by DJ Heather Femia, an ARTINI Raffle and a tour of the museum’s special exhibition Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes. Sample raffle prizes include a $200 dinner for two at The St. Regis Washington, D.C and two round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines.

Tickets for the event cost $80 for 1869 Society members, $90 for Corcoran members and $100 for nonmembers. For $125, guests can also purchase a VIP ticket which includes five raffle tickets and an invitation to the VIP post-reception at Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar. Tickets go on sale Thursday.

Consider joining the 1869 Society. Members of the 1869 Society have access to private exhibition previews and receptions at the museum, invitations to Cultural Cocktails events (think happy hour with a twist), free or reduced admission to exciting public programs, travel and learning opportunities designed just for Society Members, and one additional guest pass for free admission to the Corcoran’s renowned permanent collection. Membership is $125 a year.

Each year the 1869 Society also sponsors Fall Fête, one of the District’s most-anticipated parties. This exciting event assists the “artists of tomorrow” by raising funds in support of educational programming for area students.

All of this comes in addition to the great benefits Corcoran membership already offers you: unlimited free admission to temporary and permanent exhibitions, guest passes, discounts at Café des Artistes and the Corcoran Shop, reduced fees for Continuing Education classes at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, and a complimentary subscription to Night & Day, as well as to Member E-News. LEARN MORE HERE.