Fresno Famous

The holiday season has never been short on tradition. People love their annual holiday parties, with the spiced rum and hot coca. They long for bundled-up trips down Christmas Tree lane.

It's the sort of good-feeling nostalgia the Fresno Art Museum is hoping to create with its Holiday High Tea in high Heels, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4.

This is the first year for the fundraiser and the hope is it will stick.

"We wanted to have a signature holiday event," says executive director Linda Cano, the kind of thing people look forward to every year.

The idea is to stage a traditional mid-afternoon tea, a formal-type event with table service of light sandwiches, desserts and wine (sherry is the usual, Cano says). It's a unique way to experience the holiday and a unique way to experience the museum, Cano says. It's a kick-off to the season and the museum will be decorated accordingly, with 12 wreaths created by local florists/artists/interior designers and two decorated trees, which will be auctioned off at the event.

And while this a fundraiser (tickets are $40, must be bought before Nov. 28 and are expected to sell out), it's not a major one and wasn't created to be. It's a way to connect with the community, Cano says, especially those who have never been the museum (and those people do exist). It's a good chance to get them in the door. From there, they can stroll through the galleries, and the theater and out on the museum grounds. "They'll get a chance to see the full frame of the museum's facilities," Cano says. 

That includes a classroom, which many people are unaware exists. But the museum holds education as a central focus of its mission and this years served some 6,000 children with its programs. The goal is to increase that number to 10,000 next year. Money from the event will go to the museum's education programs.

The museum will also hold a family day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 10.