Leonardo DiCaprio, Tracee Ellis Ross and Gayle King Hit New York Art Parties

Outside the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday night, the wind was howling as broken umbrellas blew across South Street like urban tumbleweeds.

But, inside the former ferry building that houses Cipriani South Street, Tracee Ellis Ross looked right at home standing on a stage welcoming guests to the New Museum’s Spring Gala.

The “black-ish” actress twirled to reveal a sky-blue bodysuit — which looked a little like a swimsuit — under a black-and-blue sleeveless dress.

“I wanted to wear something worthy of the artistic celebration at hand,” she later explained of the outfit, a hand-painted creation by Francesco Risso for Marni.

As the annual spring ritual of courting New York’s patrons kicks into gear, Ms. Ross, the evening’s host, was one of more than 500 artists, philanthropists and other notables from the cultural world who stood and sipped at the event, which honored the artists Mickalene Thomas and George Condo. The night raised $2.1 million for the New Museum, which will be temporarily closed until 2025 for an expansion that will nearly double its exhibition space.