| EVENT REPORT 02.22.06 12:00 AM |
PRINT | SEND TO A FRIEND |
|
| Nonprofit Brings Middle East Flavor to TriBeCa |
| An exotic marketplace with stalls of spices, fruits, jewelry, and coffee filled Skylight for Seeds of Peace's benefit. |
|
| The sights, smells, and sounds of the Middle East showed up in TriBeCa as Seeds of Peace, an organization that brings together young people from regions of conflict to promote leadership skills and peaceful coexistence, held its eighth annual Young Leadership benefit at Skylight. |
|
CONTINUED > |
|
|
PHOTO GALLERY |
 | | At Seeds of Peace's "A Journey Through the Peace Market" benefit, Michal Dagan Designs decorated a courtyard area with rugs, padded brocade-covered stools, and tables with mosaic hurricane candleholders and votives. |
|
|
 | | Bentley Meeker projected vibrantly colored, elaborate patterns onto Skylight's walls. |
|
|
 | | Among the variety of Annemarie's Feast's hors d'oeuvres was minced kabob of lamb kofta served with a yogurt dipping sauce. |
|
|
 | | Sweet tobacco smoke filled a hookah tent, along with rugs, stools, throw pillows, and tables that made imbibing more comfortable. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Called "A Journey Through the Peace Market," the event recreated the experience of a Middle Eastern bazaar. Susie Wiesenfeld, director of events for Seeds of Peace, hired Michal Dagan Designs to create the look of the fund-raiser, and the Usual Suspects to handle technical production. "Since [Seeds of Peace] couldn't take everyone to the Middle East, they wanted to bring the Middle East back here for everyone to experience," said Michal Dagan Levison, creative director of Michal Dagan Designs.
"I wanted to create an experience for everyone to really feel what it's like to be in the region. So there was an actual marketplace, with a courtyard, there was a hookah tent, and the V.I.P. lounge was more luxurious, like being inside a restaurant. I wanted to capture an indoor/outdoor feel, [where people could] go in and out through different pockets and have different things to do," Levison said.
The long hallway near Skylight's entrance became a gallery, with photos and stories of graduates of the Seeds of Peace program hanging on the walls. Further inside, the 900 guests wandered around the bazaar, passing by stalls filled with spices, fruits, baskets, jewelry, coffee, and tea; food provided by restaurants like Django and caterer Annemarie's Feast; and henna tattoo artists and an Arabic calligrapher. Much of the merchandise, including the coffee and tea, as well as the services of the tattoo artists and calligrapher were donated for the event.
The sweet tobacco smoke filled a hookah tent, along with rugs, stools, throw pillows, and tables that made imbibing more comfortable. A V.I.P. tent held tables, rugs, and candles with a similar look and included passed hors d'oeuvres and food stations so guests didn't have to battle the bazaar crowds for a snack. The menu from Annemarie's Feast included vegetarian potato-pea samosas with cilantro pesto, mini falafel with lemon tahini dipping sauce, and minced kabob of lamb kofta drizzled with yogurt and minced garlic.
Levison decorated a courtyard area with rugs, padded brocade-covered stools, and tables with mosaic hurricane candleholders and votives. A belly dancer worked her way around the tables. Several Seeds of Peace graduates gave speeches; later in the evening, Middle Eastern vocalist Smadar Levi and Grammy winner John Legend performed. MTV's Gideon Yago was the M.C. of the event, which included a live and silent auction.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
Photo: Keith Gerchick (hookah lounge)
Related Stories
Met Entertains Guests on the Nile
Brooklyn Museum Guests Walk Like Egyptians
MORE EVENT REPORT STORIES
City Marine Corps Recreates Traditional Dinner With 1920s Menu and Fund-Raising Fines
Interactive Circus Performers Lighten Mood at Cancer Fund-Raiser
HSBC Replicates Wimbledon—Grass Court and All—Stateside for Tennis Promotion
Cisco Caps Three-Day Partner Summit With Executives-Only Rock 'n Roll Gala
Gen Art Reaches $100,000 Fund-Raising Benchmark With Alumni Support
| More Suppliers/Venues to Consider |
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|
The Institute of Culinary Education
ICE offers hands-on cooking classes for groups of as many as 84 people. Groups are split into teams to prepare different parts of the menu, and are then seated to a full-service sit-down dinner of the meal they just made. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
Global Elite Group
Global Elite Group specializes in providing unobtrusive and discreet security services to protect clients, guests, and property. We work closely with today's top event planners to ensure a safe and secure environment for weddings, bar mitzvahs, private and corporate parties, fashion shows, concerts, and much more. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
Geoff Howell Studio
President and creative director Geoff Howell attended the Pratt Institute, designed store windows, and painted backdrops for magazine photo shoots before founding this design studio in 1997. The studio’s attention to detail and sophisticated work has garnered such clients as Estйe Lauder, Louis Vuitton, and Steuben Glass. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
