Grace Wales Bonner Hosts ‘Togetherness’ at the Guggenheim Ahead of the Met Gala

Not too long ago, the Met Gala was mostly contained to the first Monday in May. In the past couple of years, however, the annual event has bloomed into a multiday affair of events and gatherings across New York that is starting to rival fashion week. Thursday night saw parties for Prada, the King’s Trust and Cultured Magazine, and on Saturday Olivier Rousteing of Balmain hosted a dinner with Johnnie Walker, and Grace Wales Bonner gathered a crowd at the Guggenheim for an event called “Togetherness.”

Wales Bonner presented its second “Togetherness” event late on Saturday night, drawing everyone from Leon Bridges, Aurora James, Julez Smith and Keith Powers to Paloma Elsesser and Sage Elsesser (Navy Blue), Selah Marley, Ryan Destiny, Tanner Reese, Benito Skinner, Connor McKnight, Ibrahim Kamara and more.

“Togetherness” is a meeting of live musical performances, art exhibitions and more in the mission of “emphasizing a sense of discovery, giving audiences a chance to experience both new performers and new facets of familiar ones in nontraditional concert settings,” the brand said. After kicking off last June as part of Fête de La Musique in Paris, Wales Bonner brought the event to New York on Saturday ahead of her Met Gala debut on Monday.

Performances were given by The Cavemen, Etran de L’Air, The Joy, Amaarae, Fireboy DML, Navy Blue, Sir Rashad Ringo Smith, keiyaA, Ade “Acyde” Odunlami and Akanbi. The evening was presented concurrently to “Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers,” on view at Guggenheim through Jan. 18.