The Museum of Art and Design played host to Monday night’s Rare Earth’s Fluorescent Ball, and dare we say it was a full on fashion prom complete with art nerds, wannabes, music geeks, and those ever-present popular kids. Throw in some fluoro outfits, (some good, some bad) and you have a Prosecco-filled Monday evening that certainly boggled Tyson Beckford’s mind. We spotted him observing the room from its sidelines with puzzled awe.

Although the evening’s weather wasn’t up to par, energetic DJ sets by scenesters like Paul Sevigny and Chrissie Miller certainly lightened everyone’s mood, especially the cork-wedge clad group of (probable) financiers whose bump-its and fist-pumping skills proved to be an unlikely start to a wild dance party.
The event served as the museum’s young patrons gala with a sale of one-off fluorescent works including a light-up noose—any takers? Always Mister Popular, Paper‘s Luigi Tadini favored the video installations on display, “its always nice to see movement,” he attested. Aesthetic technician and designer Christian Cota–there to co-chair and cheer on contributing artist friend Anne Grauso–said, “You need light to make fluorescent come alive, it doesn’t always work with fashion.” Rather fitting as this was evident in a few choice attendees’ ensembles, though we won’t single out offenders.