Friday Night: Yerba Buena Artists Ball

Notes by Jennifer Maerz, Photos by Chrissy Loader

Yerba Buena's annual Artists Ball celebrated its seventh year on Friday night with a politically-themed party at the SOMA art space. Men wandered the halls dressed as Abe Lincoln, cheerleaders shouted artsy, nonsensical protests from human pyramids, and red, white and blue balloons were batted around by women in shimmery prom-like dresses.

The party chatter was similarly slanted toward our roller coaster election season, with local political bloggers trading analysis of the Biden-Palin debate under an outdoor canopy/ food tent where restaurants from Bix to Poleng Lounge offered delicious, gratis bites.

For kicks, clusters of guests got their Polaroids taken by cardboard cutouts of McCain, Palin, Obama, the Clintons, and good old Lincoln throughout the party, but the attractions that garnered the most attention were musical in nature.

Hercules and Love Affair brought a large entourage to the stage to regurgitate palatable disco for the '00s, and much later an energetic Mos Def jumped around the stage for a crowd that had shrunk from intimate-sized to downright cozy -- in other words, this was far from a sold out event. Maybe the smaller turnout was due to the rain -- or more likely, the economy.

Unfortunately as confidence in the financial market dwindles, so too do people willing to pay $125 a ticket to support the non-profit art center. It's too bad, as Yeba Buena hosts some great exhibits, films, speaking events, and, of course, parties.

The Artists Ball Seven had plenty of eye, ear, and tongue candy on offer, it just felt like there have been more revelers taking advantage of all they have on offer in the past.