| EVENT REPORT 03.17.09 12:34 PM |
PRINT | SEND TO A FRIEND |
|
| Material Worth |
| Cardboard, copper wire, shoe boxes, and aluminum foil were among the recession-friendly materials employed at Redcat's fifth anniversary gala. |
|
Using just cardboard, copper wire, bare canvas, shoe boxes, tape, paint, aluminum foil, and abundant imagination, Redcat—the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater—in downtown Los Angeles whipped up a lavish fifth anniversary gala dinner on Saturday evening that would have made any recession-minded host proud.
Los Angeles-based artists Miwa Matreyek of Cloud Eye Control and Scoli Acosta designed the benefit. They began their work in earnest in September, just as the economy began to implode. “As the world economic crisis was unfolding, we were fond of the idea of doing something simply elegant, not outlandish and not slick and not garish—simple materials with extraordinary effect,” said Mark Murphy, executive director of Redcat, who planned the event with Clara Kim, the contemporary arts center’s gallery director and curator, and Chris Mannino, its director of development. |
|
CONTINUED > |
|
|
PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Recession-friendly materials decked Redcat's fifth anniversary gala.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/WireImage |
|
|
 | Miwa Matreyek designed the visual projections.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/WireImage |
|
|
 | Scoli Acosta designed a chandelier for the gala.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/WireImage |
|
|
 | Jackson Catering prepared a first course of citrus-braised spring baby vegetable salad, burrata, coriander, and butter lettuce.
Photo: Steve Gunther |
|
|
 | Table decor by Acosta included colorfully mismatched place mats.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/WireImage |
|
|
|
|
|
Starting with bare canvas, Acosta created tablecloths by painting on colorful rectangles to serve as placemats and gluing a large aluminum foil medallion in the center. Inside the silvery swatch, he attached a round Xeroxed image of a black-and-white drawing of lilies. Placed on top of the drawing were white cardboard lilies that guests could take home.
The cardboard blooms were also arranged on lobby cocktail tables, in a straight line atop the storage shelf behind the lobby bar and in a giant pouf dangling from the ceiling of Redcat’s black-box theater, where dinner was served to 240 supporters and artists. Beneath the aerial bouquet was a chandelier made of taped-up shoe boxes in the shape of an upside-down igloo, which was lined with aluminum foil. Acosta envisioned the tablecloths as mirror images of the hanging bouquet seen from beneath the chandelier. He also decorated the lobby walls and theater balcony with painted cardboard cutouts in the shape of a diamond with knobs on its points.
Projected on two of the theater’s facing walls was Matreyek’s video of a black-and-white cityscape punctuated with giant body parts, red dots, moving lips, eyelids that parted to reveal teeth and other playful images reminiscent of Salvador Dali and Monty Python.
The evening at the arts space in the bowels of the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex began with cocktails at 7 p.m., while DJ Frosty, a.k.a. Mark McNeill of Dublab.com, spun a mix designed for the multigenerational crowd. At 7:45, members of the all-women’s band known as Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles marched into the lobby to lead guests to their tables. Most tables were laid with place cards by organizers who had seated individuals with an eye toward generating brisk dinner conversation, as they might at a dinner party in someone’s home.
Award presentations to the honorees—artist Barry McGee, philanthropist Robert Egelston, and CalArts’ President Steven D. Lavine—were tucked between courses to prevent gala burnout. After guests feasted on Jackson Catering’s citrus-braised spring baby vegetable salad and brisket pot roast, bassist Charlie Haden performed with his cofounder of CalArts’ jazz program, David Roitstein, on piano. The crowd returned to the lobby to schmooze and cruise a dessert buffet with mini cocoa cakes, raspberry frangipani tarts, and other treats. Even though the dinner was over by 10:15 p.m., the last guests didn’t drift toward the parking garage until 1 a.m., leaving $375,000 for Redcat’s visual and performing arts programs in their wake.
—Irene Lacher
RELATED TOPICS
Redcat, Budgets
MORE EVENT REPORT STORIES
With Help From Lexus, Cedars-Sinai Gala Breaks Fund-Raising Record
Hello Kitty's Anniversary Pop-Up Takes Over Japanese-Inspired Royal/T
Gen Art's Fresh Faces Opens Inaugural Rock Fashion Week L.A.
Microsoft Introduces Windows 7 With Cute Kid, Product Vignettes
This Is It Premiere Sprawls Over L.A. Live With Aerialists, LEDs, and Fans Galore
MORE STORIES ABOUT REDCAT
6 Inspiring, Steal-Able Ideas From Art Events
Redcat Stages Underwater Opera at Anniversary Celebration
MORE STORIES ABOUT BUDGETS
Poll Results: 2010 Event Budgets Look Bigger
After Months of Price Slashing, How Will Vendors Negotiate Post-Recession Contracts?
As Hollywood Slogs Through Recession, Studio Events Go On—Cautiously
| More Suppliers/Venues to Consider |
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|
Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park and CityWalk Special Events
From catering to decor to flawless execution by a professional and experienced event management staff, Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park and CityWalk Special Events is a one-stop shop for excellence in events. Only Universal Studios Hollywood brings true Hollywood style to events with several unique outdoor and indoor venues, including the 9,600-square-foot Globe Theatre event space. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
GLOW Design Group
Glow Design Group is a team of designers, artisans, and technicians who provide a wide range of services to the special event industry. From lighting, video, and scenic design to technical direction and production management, Glow’s multimedia approach allows them to design across traditional boundaries, integrating lighting video and scenic elements to create striking visual environments. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
SJM Industrial Radio
SJM Industrial Radio is one of the country’s leading two-way walkie-talkie radio rental sources. With a variety of top-quality Motorola radios and accessories readily available, SJM Industrial Radio can be counted on to provide the best equipment, the best service, and the best deal. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
