Well-heeled guests heading into MoMA’s ritzy Party in the Garden walked past demonstrators lined up at the door of the museum protesting one of the event’s honorees on Tuesday night.
About two dozen people were outside chanting and holding signs in support of Starbucks’ employees unionizing. They were there to protest the coffee giant’s board chair Mellody Hobson, who was being honored.
“Mellody Hobson, stop union-busting at Starbucks,” said a flyer they passed out to attendees as they entered the door.
Starbucks locations around the country have been working to unionize.
Hobson is the CEO and president of Ariel Investments, the former chairwoman of DreamWorks Animation and also sits on the board of JP Morgan Chase. She is part of a group, including Walmart heir Rob Walton, who just bought the Denver Broncos.
She is married to George Lucas, who was also honored for philanthropic endeavors at MoMA, along with filmmaker Linda Goode Bryant and photographer Wolfgang Tillmans.
Inside the event, things were much more festive with guests getting down at the after party in the museum’s Sculpture Garden on an outdoor dance floor to Anderson .Paak, who performed as DJ Pee Wee.
Meanwhile, down the street in the Jean Nouvel tower guests including former “Real Housewives of New York City” star-turned-power real estate broker Kelly Bensimon and Alex Assouline checked out a preview of ’53,’ a new contemporary Asian spot from restauranteur Ahmass Fakahany, the founder and CEO of Altamarea Group.
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