Despite last night's torrential downpour, 82 Mercer was packed to the rafters for the annual Whitney Art Party, which benefits the museum's noted Independent Study Program, the graduate-level education program that lets artists, curators, historians and critics work alongside each other to strengthen their respective disciplines. Hosted for the fourth straight year by designer husband-and-wife team Max and Lubov Azria, the Art Party is also an occasion for the fashion crowd to celebrate art, and guests included the likes of  Emille de Raven, Adam Lippes, Christina Ricci, Alek Wek, Pamela Love and Leigh Lezark bid on works like Nate Lowman's painted Study for Two Paintings and Cecily Brown's watercolor Rummy—. "How else would we raise our future curators, artists and art historians?" said Lubov Azria, as she snuck her own peak at the hung works. "Without this program where would American art be?"—RANDI BERGMAN