Galleria of Delights : Culture: Gala-goers will get a preview of the new Bowers Museum, which promises to be a centerpiece of social activities.

Heard the buzz that’s crisping the social wires? The official naming of the county’s hot new party place: the Leo Freedman Foundation Galleria at the newly renovated Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana.

The 2,400-square- foot space, with its mission church- style ceiling, oxblood-red tiles and sculpture garden, will be christened with a preview cocktail party on June 27 when the museum stages its La Fiesta gala, “Rediscover the World of Bowers.” A sit-down dinner will follow in the museum courtyard. “The Leo Freedman Foundation has given us $1 million,” says Patricia House, the museum’s director of development. “We’re ecstatic.”

The museum, established in 1936 and closed for the past two years for a $12-million renovation and expansion project, officially reopens Oct. 18 with a public ceremony to be attended by Gov. Pete Wilson. More than 10,000 guests are expected.

More about the Bowers:

* Two of Orange County society’s grande dames , Athalie Clarke and Ruth Segerstrom, will have rooms in the museum named in their honor. Family matriarch Segerstrom, guiding force behind C.J. Segerstrom & Sons (owners of South Coast Plaza) has donated $250,000 to the museum. Clarke and her daughter, heiress Joan Irvine Smith, have made a combined donation of $100,000.

* Restaurateur David Wilhelm-- famous for his Bistro 201, Kachina and Barbacoa hot spots--will manage the museum’s yet-to-be named restaurant, a bright space seating 100 that overlooks the tree-studded courtyard. (Wilhelm will cater La Fiesta, whipping up a menu for 500 guests that includes appetizers such as duck braised in mole sauce and crispy shrimp in Piki bread with salsa verde and tangerine sauce. The main course, dubbed “A Festival of Maize,” will feature Zuni corn and black bean soup, grilled salmon wrapped in a corn husk with cilantro and green chili butter and a dessert of chocolate mousse in an almond tulip shell with fresh raspberries.)

A series of parties will anticipate the museum’s opening: On Aug. 16, the new, Southwest-cuisine themed restaurant will be previewed at a $500-per-person gourmet fest. On Oct. 16, the museum will stage a black-tie sneak preview for its Fellows support group and cultural art exhibitors.

Opening exhibits include “Tribute to the Gods: Treasures of Museo del Oro,” a display of 300 pre-Columbian works of art, and “Power and Creation: Africa Beyond the Nile,” a collection highlighted by sculptural art from West and Central Africa. (Social tidbit: Watch for the new Bowers to celebrate all of its exhibits with elegant launching parties.)

Museum director Peter Keller calls the expanded facility with its 14,000 square feet of exhibition space “a Southern California institution.”

“The Bowers is no longer to be considered a Santa Ana or even an Orange County institution,” says Keller, who was associate director of public programs at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles before he joined the Bowers last summer. “We have board members from as far away as Santa Barbara. Many are from the Los Angeles area.”

House sees the museum as a social destination as well as an exhibition space. “Social organizations will be able to use our galleria space for parties--the rentals will give us revenue--and people will want to enjoy our restaurant and museum shop even when they are not wanting to visit the galleries,” she says.

The spacious galleria can accommodate hundreds for social gatherings, House says. “And it is designed as a central spot where guests can flow into the galleries, the restaurant, the courtyard.”

The Bowers’ charming old balcony, which overlooks the courtyard, has also been refurbished and is available for party-giving. “Part of our dedication was to restore the historic facility to elegance,” House says. “The balcony has the loveliest view and can accommodate about 80 people for a sit-down meal.”

Many of Orange County’s prominent families have become involved with supporting the new Bowers. Renee Segerstrom--wife of performing arts philanthropist Henry Segerstrom--for one, has joined its board of governors. Her daughter, Mikette von Issenberg, is a member of the facility’s Governors’ Advisory Council.

Donna Karlen and Judy Fluor-Runels--for years Bowers boosters--also sit on the board of governors. The two women are honorary chairwomen of the La Fiesta affair.

“Needless to say, we are very happy about the response from key Orange County families,” House says.