In May, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Mission Creek Gala, which was designed by Gillian Valentine, highlighted four distinct habitats: the Santa Barbara channel, the coastal wetlands, the oak woodlands, and the California wildflowers on Figueroa Mountain. For example, the coastal habitat dining setup featured small tide pools filled with starfish, shells, and other ocean-inspired elements.
The New York Public Library hosted the 2018 Library Lions Gala in November, with honorees Ron Chernow, Francis Ford Coppola, Jessye Norman, Claudia Rankine, and Elizabeth Strout. The event raised more than $2.7 million. Once again, event designer David Beahm transformed the Rose Main Reading Room into the gala’s dining room with floral projections by L&M Sound and Light cast on the walls and table decor that included white blooms.
At this year’s event, held at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto in November, guests enjoyed a dinner created by Nota Bene executive chef David Lee on the stage of R. Fraser Elliott Hall. A close-up shot of roses was projected on the large screen behind them.
