NEW YORK-MAY 20: EL MUSEO 2009 GALA on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 E 42nd St New York, NY 10017 (tel: (212) 247-7426) El Museo del Barrio announced that the 2009 Gala on May 20th, raised close to $600,000 in support of El Museo's exhibitions, education and public programs. Held at Cipriani 42nd Street, the evening honored Tony Award winner Lin Manuel Miranda; Luis Ubiñas of the Ford Foundation; and Gloria and Emilio Estefan. El Museo's gala was graced by the stellar presence of much of the Latin design and social world, and a surprise visit from Gov. and Mrs. Paterson to celebrate his birthday. Gala chairs Yaz and Valentin Hernandez and Isabel and Ruben Toledo were joined by designers Carolina Herrera, Jason Wu, Christian Cota, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Angel Sanchez and Brian Reyes; model Liliana Dominguez, and Triana Bautista (the first gypsy top model), and many more. In addition, El Museo kicked off sales of the whimsical portraits created by Ruben Toledo together with schoolchildren from East Harlem. Over a third of the portraits of Latino greats sold at the gala—including portraits of Diego Rivera, Marc Anthony, and Carolina Herrera, among many others. The portraits will be available El Museo's website http://www.elmuseo.org beginning the week of May 25th. The special edition cigar boxes created for El Museo by Ruben Toledo will also be available for continuing sale. For details contact Ren Herring (info follows). About El Museo del Barrio: Heralded by The New York Times as "an institution in its ascendancy," El Museo del Barrio was founded in 1969 by a group of Puerto Rican educators, artists, parents and community activists in East Harlem's Spanish-speaking El Barrio, the neighborhood that extends from 96th Street to the Harlem River and from Fifth Avenue to the East River on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Since then, El Museo del Barrio has evolved into New York's leading Latino cultural institution, having expanded its mission to represent the diversity of art and culture in the Caribbean and Latin America. As the only museum in New York City that specializes in representing these cultures, El Museo del Barrio continues to have a significant impact on the cultural life of New York City and is now a major stop on Manhattan's Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue. Currently El Museo is undergoing a $22 million-dollar facelift, which will be completed this fall. The mission of El Museo del Barrio is to present and preserve the cultural heritage of Puerto Ricans and all Latin Americans in the United States. MEDIA CONTACTS: English/general press: Ren Herring/Jonathan Marder & Company: ren.herring@gsmltd.net, 212.231.7920 Español: Franziska Castillo/El Museo del Barrio: press@elmuseo.org, 212.660.7102 PHOTO CREDIT: Copyright © 2009 Manhattan Society.com by Gregory Partanio with assistance of Christopher London & Stuart Rinzler | tel:718.614.7740 | e-mail: PrinceGregory@manhattansociety.com PLEASE NOTE: MANY MORE PHOTOS & ID'S COMING SOON***