Guests at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) danced the night away in pink at the 2024 MAD Ball on Oct. 16, gearing up for the launch of their newest exhibition, “Barbie®: A Cultural Icon.”
Each year, the MAD Ball benefit raises funds for the museum’s educational initiatives while celebrating the success of their previous — and upcoming — shows. The 2023-2024 season was significant for MAD with the run of Taylor Swift: Storyteller, which spanned the singer’s expansive music career and artistry. This theme of female empowerment continues with MAD’s new Barbie®: A Cultural Icon, a collaboration between Illusion Projects and Mattel, Inc. highlighting the 65-year legacy of Barbie.
Barbie®: A Cultural Icon chronicles Barbie’s history through examining the dolls’ evolution and impact on global fashion and popular culture. The exhibition spans across two floors of the MAD, taking guests along a timeline of Barbie from her iconic 1959 black-and-white swimsuit to the 2024 Inspiring Women Series. The craftsmanship behind each outfit, hairstyle, and accessory is highlighted throughout Barbie®: A Cultural Icon as guests learn about the contents of each Barbie collection and the real-life events that inspired them. Over 250 dolls are on display along with supplementary advertisements and merchandise that reflect the time period of the collection they belong to, including Space Age Barbies from the ’60s Space Race or the first-ever Barbie for President.
After exploring the new exhibition and completing a scavenger hunt educating on all things Barbie, guests were open to create their own miniature Barbie outfits, shop Barbie merchandise and jewelry made with repurposed Barbie accessories , and hit the dance floor with a DJ set from Queen Estere and DJ Mary Mac. A three-course dinner was served at MAD’s top-floor restaurant, ROBERT, complete with Barbie-pink cocktails and desserts.
To commemorate Barbie’s arrival at MAD, the benefit recognized Robert Best, VP of Barbie Product Design at Mattel, and named him this year’s Visionary Award recipient. Since 1995, Best has contributed designs for various Barbie collections, whether Star Trek dolls or his famous Fashion Model Collection from the early 2000s, which infused contemporary fashion and classic haute couture.
“I’m so excited about this exhibition because when I was nine years old, my parents gave me my first Barbie, which I still have to this day,” MAD Board Chair Michele Cohen said when presenting Best with his award. “As a steward of the Barbie brand, [Best] is responsible for evolving Barbie creatively and socially, enhancing her status as a global icon. Together they have made the world warm and beautiful.”
In his speech, Best remarked that Barbie allowed him to embrace his identity and passion for fashion design throughout his childhood, something he hopes to pass down to today’s generation of Barbie owners.
“This award is particularly meaningful because it represents the collective effort of a dedicated team, which aims to celebrate every individual, each unique story, culture, and experience,” Best said.
“Barbie®: A Cultural Icon” is on view at the MAD until March 16, 2025.
(Photo by Getty/PMC and BFA; courtesy of Jonathan Marder + Company)
