The Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami celebrated its 15th anniversary February 25 with a bash produced by David Stark. The event marked the first time that the institution had worked with the New York-based event producer and designer, and was Stark's first large Miami production.
To celebrate the milestone, Stark and his team paid tribute to the venue's accomplishments over the years using geometric shapes and neon colors to highlight elements of contemporary art. The interior gallery, which had been kept as a surprise to guests, was transformed for dinner with a floor-to-ceiling, color-coded photo mosaic of 20,000 images.
“We’re looking at 15 years of MOCA existence, creating decor entirely out of abstractions or croppings of the different graphics that appeared in catalogs, ads, press pieces, invites, and posters throughout the 15 years,” said Stark. “It's this incredible collage created with the museum’s content. It allows us to create something new and exciting, but still have meaning of what everyone came together for.”
TentLogix provided tenting for the after-party, which covered the museum’s courtyard, a space adjacent to where guests had dinner. Museum supporters walked down a red carpet, which led to a dance floor that had been set up underneath a three-dimensional, LED display of the word Paradise. The exhibit of Jack Pierson's “Paradise,” which is regularly displayed on the wall of the courtyard, inspired the letters that were suspended from the ceiling. “The goal is to elevate the decor to the realm of installation art,” said Stark.
Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson performed a dramatic set during dinner, which had been created especially for the occasion. At the end of the night, guests left with gift bags containing perfume from the evening’s lead sponsor, Cartier.