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A Toast to Tut

On June 9 th, the Field Associates’ Executive Committee treated Chicago to a taste of the summer’s hottest exhibit at “The Field Trip: A Toast to Tut.” The evening began with themed cocktails sipped Sue-side; the famous dinosaur hovered above guests as they sipped on brightly-colored Tut-tinis, Aladdin’s Magic Carpets and Egyptian Breezes. Waiters circulated with mini falafel pitas and Mediterranean bruschetta before partygoers lined up before a bountiful spread of edibles. On the menu: roasted chicken blended with tri-color tortellini, cous cous salad with balsamic vinaigrette and bowls bursting with baba ganouch, hummus and tabbouleh.

As guests polished off their pita-laden plates, DJ Plez and the Keith Baumann Trio took to the stage to entertain Tut-lovers. (King Tut himself was spotted enjoying the band in his sparkly gold headdress.) The dance floor was filled with splashes of color as guests in summery dresses took to twirling like Egyptians. Emboldened by the Tut-tinis, guests tried their luck by entering the raffle; Prizes included packages like the European Era, a deal that included a bottle of Moet White Star Champagne and a cut and finish at Chicago’s Trio Salon.

The evening’s main event allowed guests to tour the Field’s new exhibition: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. The exhibit, which will be in Chicago through January 1, begins with a brief video that documents the 1922 discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Guests are then ushered into a dramatically-lit viewing area in which 50 artifacts from Tut’s tomb are on display along with 70 treasures from other royal burials. Factio was enamored of a winged figurine said to possess wearet-hauku (our new favorite word; it means magic in ancient Egyptian and sounds tres mysterious to us). We loved standing face-to-face with cosmetic jars used by Egyptian queens and we got a little shiver looking at jars used to house internal organs. The exhibition ended with a viewing of CT scans of Tut’s body and photos of what the king really looked like (according to modern technology).

Before heading back to the bar to top off our Egyptian breezes, Factio stopped by the gift shop to check out a selection of high-end, Egyptian-inspired jewelry and thick coffee table books full of fabulous pharaoh images.

Be sure to check out the Tut Exhibit and get your own taste of wearet-hauku before the boy king hits the road next winter.