Ghosts playing eerie melodies on tiny music boxes and TV monitors showing images of witches and bats helped create a spooky vibe at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) for its third annual fund-raising costume ball. AGO dubs the event the Shadow Ball in a nod to Halloween, and each year picks a theme appropriate to the holiday. Carrie Shabinski, AGO's manager of special events, said the decor for this year's party was meant to suggest "nightmares and delirium." AGO event planner Jane Hilton and event coordinator Machel Reeves worked closely with Shabinski to organize and execute the ball, which attracted 350 guests and netted $305,000.
Several shadow-filled art installations added to the creepy atmosphere. One, by artist Karen Azoulay, depicted a haunted forest; another, by artist Marla Hlady, combined lighting and sound to create the effect of a dark, stormy night.
The theme continued in the dining room, where black candles, dinner plates, and napkins from Chair-man Mills and grey linen from Around the Table topped the dinner tables. Fiori Floral Designs supplied white flowers in long silver baskets to complete the look. For dinner, AGO executive chef Anne Yarymowich designed a meal with Jamie Kennedy Kitchens that featured prime rib with mushroom croquettes for the main course. Dessert was a serving of miniature gingerbread cakes with poached pears, pear cider reduction, and spiced whipped cream. During dinner, Steve Lucas, artistic director for Theatre 2.0, projected light on the ceiling, creating the illusion of a night sky filled with constantly moving clouds and shadows.
Later in the evening, Juno award-winning musician Andrew Downing performed an original composition inspired by the 1919 silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
Several shadow-filled art installations added to the creepy atmosphere. One, by artist Karen Azoulay, depicted a haunted forest; another, by artist Marla Hlady, combined lighting and sound to create the effect of a dark, stormy night.
The theme continued in the dining room, where black candles, dinner plates, and napkins from Chair-man Mills and grey linen from Around the Table topped the dinner tables. Fiori Floral Designs supplied white flowers in long silver baskets to complete the look. For dinner, AGO executive chef Anne Yarymowich designed a meal with Jamie Kennedy Kitchens that featured prime rib with mushroom croquettes for the main course. Dessert was a serving of miniature gingerbread cakes with poached pears, pear cider reduction, and spiced whipped cream. During dinner, Steve Lucas, artistic director for Theatre 2.0, projected light on the ceiling, creating the illusion of a night sky filled with constantly moving clouds and shadows.
Later in the evening, Juno award-winning musician Andrew Downing performed an original composition inspired by the 1919 silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
The dining room at the Art Gallery of Ontario looked eerie yet elegant for the gallery's third annual fund-raising costume ball.
Ghostly characters played eerie melodies on tiny music boxes as guests entered the venue through a long, dark corridor.
TV monitors framed by black drapes showed images of witches, bats, and other spooky Halloween characters.
