Clear Channel Martini-Fest At Art Museum Turns Into A Night Of Debauchery

[matcom]

<snip>

The glistening white Santiago Calatrava addition has made the Milwaukee Art Museum one of the city's classiest social addresses. But a recent martini fete held there turned into an overcrowded, drunken affair. Some unruly guests accosted artworks, which have been taken off display for a checkup.

A hallway at the Milwaukee Art Museum was among the areas open for a party that offered unlimited martinis for $30.

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.

"In our five years of experience, we have never had any problems with rental events," David Gordon, the museum's director, said in a brief written statement responding to questions about the event. "It was not an appropriate event to be held in the museum, and we have reviewed our procedures for bookings."

The art museum rents out space during most weekends and many weeknight evenings for events that often include food and drink, as many museums do. When he arrived about five years ago, Gordon liberalized the museum's policies about whom it would and would not rent space to in an attempt to attract a wider array of audiences for the museum. It is more welcoming to the community now than it was under the previous director, Russell Bowman, when the museum often turned away community groups and an event such as Martinifest would have been unthinkable.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=404718

[anarch]

1. see, the thing about drinking martinis is that it imparts a classiness

to the drinker...you know, it's like sophisticated and stuff.

"All you can drink" martinis. What a world.

[elehhhhna]

4. no kidding.

[Hugin]

2. Why do I find this particularly hilarious?

LOL!

[BlueIris]

3. ". . . it was probably too cheap." Nice. Even when doing damage control,

they're elitist. Got news for the Clear Channel hacks: "Their people" are just as sleazy as any "working class individual" I've ever met when loaded on martinis.

[eyesroll]

7. It was too cheap for the venue.

But not necessarily for classist reasons.

I live in Milwaukee -- and Milwaukee drunk psychology is a weird beast. Some people want to drink their money's worth -- if they can. This is independent of income level, I think.

Charge $100 for an "open bar" (say, for charity instead of Clear Channel) and nobody's going to try to get that drunk. It's really not doable. Sure, you'll have a few people who won't behave, but they can be dealt with individually.

Hell, have a free open bar at a wedding and you'll have very few ugly drunks.

But that $30 -- that's 3-5 Milwaukee martinis. It's an achievable goal for a lot of people (not me -- 2 would make me ill).

Yes, charging $100 would weed out people who can afford $30 for a night of entertainment but not $100. But it would take care of the problem in any case.

The art museum is NOT an appropriate venue for a drunk-fest. It IS an appropriate venue for a benefit or a wedding with an open bar.

[BlueIris]

8. Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying that.

DS1 may need a lecture as well. But perhaps you won't want to waste your time doing that.

I love Ignore.

[eyesroll]

10. Wow, so now a discussion point is a lecture?

(And DS1 can read my reply to you, since I don't think he's ignoring me like you are.)

You DON'T mix something that's inexpensive and likely to get rowdy -- and let's face it, it's Clear Channel, it's billed as a way to get drunk -- with fine art. It was a dumb move on their part.

[Mike Daniels]

9. I disagree that cost decreases the chance of drunken behavior

I belonged to a "young supporters" group (21 to 39 year olds) for the Smithsonian Institution for a number of years.

Every year they had a big Black and White Gala event that was always held in one of the major museums. Starting tickets were $89 and they went up from there to $135 with open bar available at all ticket levels.

Anyhoo, the group was banned from having any future alcohol inclusive events at a number of the individual buildings due to drunken misbehavior that occurred during some of the Gala's. Mind you these are people who are lawyers, government workers, non-profit employees (to name a few) and who are probably all over the political spectrum.

Basically, if you offer unlimited alcohol regardless of the ticket cost, you're taking a risk on having a fiasco on your hands regardless of venue.

[eyesroll]

11. You're right, the risk is still there -- but I think it's lower the more

it costs.

There are drunken idiots at all income levels and of all political affiliations.

But people see "$100 a person" and I think they're more likely to equate that with a dignified event. But that could just be what I've seen here in Milwaukee.

[DS1]

5. "probably too cheap" - because there's no such thing as a rich alcoholic

:eyes:

[eyesroll]

12. I have been instructed by a poster who has me on ignore to deliver

a lecture to you for your response.

So, see my response upthread to a poster who put me on ignore for the grievous sin of...disagreeing with her. (On DU. The horrors.)

I think it was too cheap.

[Beware the Beast Man]

13. Did you say something?

I heard a voice...:shrug:

[DS1]

14. It was the wrong venue for that kind of decision, and too cheap

on a simple dollar-per-participant-per-drink ratio and likely lost a lot of money. I wasn't suggesting that the low dollar amount brought in the bar crawl till vomit ensues crowd, I'm just saying that people from all walks of life drink too much.

And, after knowing me for awhile, you can imagine how much weight I give the opinion of someone who can't lecture me themselves :eyes:

:hi:

[Maddy McCall]

6. Even as a college freshman, I could have afforded that!

It certainly wouldn't have been cost prohibitive to spend $30 to drink all the martinis I could hold! :D

[swimboy]

15. "Bring your own mug Martini Nite"

:eyes:

[texas1928]

16. Can you just put my martinis in this Slurpee cup?

Please.

[Hugin]

19. LOL!

You read my mind...

[schmuls]

17. I live in Milwaukee; my co-worker, who I took a responsible bartending

course with, so we could work as bartenders at UW-Milwaukee events made a point. That is, the Museum could be sued for any injuries caused to people, because it is the duty of bartenders and people holding the event to make sure these things to do happen.

[schmuls]

18. EeK! I mean do not happen!

[DS1]

20. I'm sure we can ALL appreciate the fact that one of the pieces on display

was NOT

[Serial Mom]

21. I live in area too - first reports did NOT say it was Clear Channel

which makes me wonder why - I heard TV reports of this 2 days ago and no mention of sponsor Clear Channel.

Maybe because some of their right wing talking heads from the local Clear Channel were there and they may have tried to put it on the back burner???

This happened 2/11 and we are first hearing about it now, about 2/27 and 2/28???