Part of our list of New York's Top 10 Event Designers.
Company: Avi Adler
What They Do: Always artistic, striking, and original, sometimes surreal, their work often incorporates flowers but is rarely floral-driven. Adler and Stark have designed the blockbuster Robin Hood Foundation benefit since 2001, decorating a dining room big enough for more than 3,000 people and creating oversized installations ranging from a giant reflecting pool to a mound of pinwheels. Another nonprofit client is the New York City Opera, and they’ve become favorites of the style-conscious media and fashion worlds as they continue to innovate and surprise.
Trademarks: Repetition of objects, like 10,000 plastic glow sticks used on chandeliers for Robin Hood in 2003, or a wall of lemons for an Esquire party.
How They Started: Trained as painters, the duo began their event work when a friend asked for help with the decor for a Brooklyn Museum of Art fund-raiser.
Ages: Adler: 49, Stark: 36.
How They Act: Always calm, cool, and friendly—even during the last moments before hundreds of guests are about to enter one of their events. With their big-name clients, a book deal, and relationship with Target, they could act like divas—but they don’t.
—Chad Kaydo
Posted 04.06.05
Photo: Stan Honda/AFS/Getty Images (Target)
This story originally appeared in the February/March 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.
Company: Avi Adler
What They Do: Always artistic, striking, and original, sometimes surreal, their work often incorporates flowers but is rarely floral-driven. Adler and Stark have designed the blockbuster Robin Hood Foundation benefit since 2001, decorating a dining room big enough for more than 3,000 people and creating oversized installations ranging from a giant reflecting pool to a mound of pinwheels. Another nonprofit client is the New York City Opera, and they’ve become favorites of the style-conscious media and fashion worlds as they continue to innovate and surprise.
Trademarks: Repetition of objects, like 10,000 plastic glow sticks used on chandeliers for Robin Hood in 2003, or a wall of lemons for an Esquire party.
How They Started: Trained as painters, the duo began their event work when a friend asked for help with the decor for a Brooklyn Museum of Art fund-raiser.
Ages: Adler: 49, Stark: 36.
How They Act: Always calm, cool, and friendly—even during the last moments before hundreds of guests are about to enter one of their events. With their big-name clients, a book deal, and relationship with Target, they could act like divas—but they don’t.
—Chad Kaydo
Posted 04.06.05
Photo: Stan Honda/AFS/Getty Images (Target)
This story originally appeared in the February/March 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.
David Stark (left) and Avi Adler
Robin Hood Foundation benefit, 2004
Target Pop Up Store in Times Square, 2004
New York City Opera's opening night benefit, 2004
