| EVENT REPORT 11.20.07 10:21 AM |
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| Wrapped Up |
| With its upcoming move to a new home at Columbus Circle as inspiration, the Museum of Arts & Design crafted striking visuals from packaging materials for its annual Visionaries awards gala. |
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Prompted by its upcoming move to a new home at Columbus Circle, the Museum of Arts and Design used packing materials as decor for last Wednesday evening's Visionaries awards gala at Pier Sixty. The striking visuals, crafted by event designer David Stark and reminiscent of the construction theme for a recent Alice Tully Hall gala, also served to complement the unique contributions of the 2007 honorees. The event was overseen by the museum's manager of special events, Stephanie Lang, and her assistant, Morgan Oaks.
Guests, who paid at least $1,000 a seat, walked in to see that Stark had dwarfed the hall with hundreds of cardboard boxes that lined the walls, rose from the tables, and hung from the ceiling. Before the seated dinner and presentation, the cocktail hour gave everyone an opportunity to partake in a silent auction. Displayed below one of the room’s focal points—a giant hammer constructed out of bubble wrap—were jewelry and clothing items up for bid. Descriptions of travel and dining packages for auction were perched on top of packing boxes with signs declaring “Fragile” and “This side up.” |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | A large hammer made from bubble wrap loomed over the cocktail area.
Photo: Gustavo Campos |
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 | At dinner, towers of boxes and arrow-shaped packages hung over the tables.
Photo: Gustavo Campos |
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 | Auction items sat atop displays of boxes.
Photo: Gustavo Campos |
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 | Instead of flowers, David Stark created flower-shaped centerpieces from brown twine.
Photo: Gustavo Campos |
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 | Rows of cardboard boxes shaped the backdrop for the evening's entertainment.
Photo: Gustavo Campos |
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There was no disregard for the theme in the dining area, where a variety of centerpieces rose as high as the ceiling. Some tables featured towers of boxes brimming with packing peanuts threaded into tentacles, or giant arrows wrapped in brown packing paper and tape. Other tables had small bouquets of flowers constructed from brown twine. A band performed at the far end of the room in front of a wall of different-shaped boxes that looked like a busy screen shot from the game Tetris.
Honoring Nadja Swarovski, vice president of international communications for Swarovski Crystal; Dutch designer Marcel Wanders; Frank Doroff, senior executive vice president and general merchandise manager for Bloomingdale’s; and philanthropist Ella Fontanais-Cisneros, the night’s ceremonies also featured a live auction where bidders had the opportunity to win a lunch with Liz Claiborne chief creative officer Tim Gunn (perhaps a fitting auction item, given that much of the decor looked like the result of a Project Runway challenge). Between the auctions, seats, and sponsorships, the 750 guests raised $1.7 million for the museum, topping last year’s record by $200,000.
—Michael O'Connell
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Museum of Arts & Design
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The Levin Institute
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Big Image Systems
Founded in 1986, Big Image is one of the world’s leading grand format printing companies, specializing in venue decor for special events. They print backdrops, combining spectacular graphics with durability and ease of use, as seamless images as large as 40 by 20 feet. More >>
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JesGordon/ProperFun
Immersed in the events industry since the age of 14, Jes Gordon has expanded her company over the past 15 years to include full event design and management. Formerly an art gallery owner in Taos, New Mexico, Gordon came back to her childhood home of New York in 1993. More >>
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