Museum Expansion Project

DALLAS (November 12, 2009) –Celebrating “the ultimate dig” at its new Victory Park site, the Museum of Nature & Science will host its annual fundraising event Dinner in the Wild 2009: Construction Zone on Thurs., Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. at the Museum Construction Site (1155 Broom St., Dallas).  Construction Zone is the culmination of two days of groundbreaking events for the $185-million Victory Park facility. 

Event chairs are Ka and L.L. Cotter.  Honorary chairs are Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr.; Nancy Perot Mulford; Suzanne and Patrick McGee; Carolyn and Karl Rathjen; and Katherine Perot. 

“Although every Dinner in the Wild event is special, this year is particularly memorable because we’re actually on the site celebrating the groundbreaking of our new Victory Park facility,” said Ka Cotter.  “This is a huge milestone in the journey to create the new institution … and credit goes to our generous donors and hard-working board members and staff.  The Museum of Nature & Science has come a long way!” 

She adds that although the annual Dinner in the Wild usually attracts a crowd of 1,000, this year’s event topped that mark before invitations were mailed! 

“I believe our early ticket sales reflect the excitement people have about the new museum,” said Cotter.  “And they want to be a part of the first-ever big event at the new site!”

Surrounded by construction-type décor” – scaffolding, hard hats, paint-spattered table cloths, crane-inspired bars and more – the evening kicks off with a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by dinner catered by famed chef Kent Rathbun and a live auction at 8 p.m.  Hot auction items include:

• “A “Maltese Cross” cuff bracelet, inspired by the signature bracelet designed by Duke Fulco di Verdura for fashion legend Coco Chanel, features black jade, gold, aquamarine, pearl and diamond.”  Valued at $25,000, the carved-to-fit cuff is a variation of the original Maltese Cross cuff for Coco Chanel in the early 1930’s (several photos are available of her wearing the cuff). Influenced by the golden glow and bright colors of Byzantine mosaics, Verdura pressed colored stones into rich gold and in the process revolutionized 20th century jewelry. The cuffs became part of Chanel’s signature style, marking the auspicious beginning of Verdura’s professional career. Specs: carved black jade cuff with 18k yellow gold Maltese cross. Set with one oval and four pear-shape faceted aquamarines weighing 6.21 carats, four round cultured pearls and 12 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 1.86 carats.
• Owner’s Club Suite for the January 3 Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game complete with 21 tickets, open bar and buffet, sideline passes and parking passes (regular season home finale)
• Beaver Creek ski trip for four at the Ritz Carlton Club and Resort at Bachelor Gulch in the Colorado Rockies (airfare courtesy of American Airlines)
• Ten-day buffalo and plains game-hunting safari for two in Tanzania, Africa (courtesy of Robin Hurt Safaris)
• Fine Minerals International bi-color tourmaline from the Southeast Region of Brazil
• $5,000 Stanley Korshak shopping spree package complete with wardrobe/makeup consultation and home closet evaluation

Chef Rathbun will add spice to an already savory night by offering guests a multi-course dinner.  As executive chef of locally and Texas-based restaurants Abacus, Jasper’s and Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, Chef Rathbun has received numerous awards and national recognition from Bon Appétit to USA Today, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal to NBC’s Today Show.   Most recently Chef Rathbun was featured on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.” 

Dinner in the Wild is the Museum’s primary means of raising money for its education initiatives, including a scholarship program that opens the door for at-risk school children in North Texas to visit the Museum.  With a mission of inspiring minds through nature and science, the Museum is dedicated to improving science literacy among school children and providing an understanding of the natural and man-made world in North Texas. 

Glass sponsors at the $50,000 level include Balfour Beatty Construction; Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr.; Nancy Perot Mulford; Suzanne and Patrick McGee; Carolyn and Karl Rathjen; and Katherine Perot.  Steel sponsors at the $25,000 level include American Airlines; Bank of America; Ka and L.L. Cotter; and Perot Systems Corporation.  Copper ($12,500) sponsors include Nancy M. Dedman; Fine Minerals International; Bert Headden and Cindy Thomas; The Hoglund Foundation/Sally and Forrest Hoglund; Kent Rathbun Catering; Ketel One Vodka; Nokia Siemens Networks; Susan and Prentice Spradley; and Daniel Trinchillo. 

Tickets are sold out, but a limited number of table sponsorship opportunities beginning at the $12,500 level are still available.  For more information, please call 214-428-5555 ext. 1427 or email diw@natureandscience.org.

About the Museum of Nature & Science
The Museum of Nature & Science – the result of a unique merger in 2006 between the Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place and the Dallas Children's Museum – is a non-profit educational organization located in Dallas's Fair Park. In support of its mission to inspire minds through nature and science, the museum delivers exciting, engaging and innovative visitor experiences through its education, exhibition, and research and collections programming for children, students, teachers, families and life-long learners. The facility also includes the TI Founders IMAX® Theater and a cutting-edge digital planetarium. The Museum of Nature & Science is supported in part by funds from the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Texas Commission on the Arts and HP. The Museum of Nature & Science also is building a new $185-million museum on a 4.7-acre site in Victory Park to complement the Fair Park facilities.  To learn more about the Museum of Nature & Science, please visit natureandscience.org.

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