25th Anniversary

The event took place in a 20,000-square-foot tent from Arena Americas that was situated on the grounds of the McCormick Tribune Y.M.C.A.

Sponsor names appeared on the back of ghost chairs at each sponsor's table.

Limelight Catering serviced the event. Menu items included a first course of hanging flatbreads in two flavors: herb and olive oil and three cheese. The dish incorporated onions from an Illinois farm and cheeses from Wisconsin.

The entrée was pan-seared filet of beef and blackened miso cod with potato and fennel gratin, spring vegetable succotash, and red miso sauce. Ingredients were culled from local farms including Slagel Family Farms, Nichols Farm & Orchard, and Stewards of the Land.

Dessert was Eli's Cheesecake with seedling strawberries and poached rhubarb from the Ellis Family Farm in Michigan.

After-party entertainment included a performance from cellist Tahirah Whittington, who is pursuing her doctorate at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.

Artist Shala created a piece of original artwork at the event, which was auctioned off for $8,000 at the live auction. The artist encouraged guests to participate in the creation of the piece by having them sign their names on it.

Lani Love (pictured) was one of the DJs to spin at the after-party. Megan Taylor also spun, and the Alderman Proco Joe Moreno tried his hand at the turntables during a special guest appearance.

At night, lighting from Sound Investment was meant to evoke a sunset with hues of yellow, orange, and red.

Lacma hosted a 50th anniversary gala this year—a special fund-raiser for the milestone occasion that pulled in $5 million—where performers greeted guests on the red carpet.

Drummers from Earth Harp Collective performed near Chris Burden's "Urban Light" lamppost installation.

Mark's Garden handled the flowers, which provided pops of red throughout the event.

About 750 guests attended the dinner. In the dining area, black fabric draped the east and west walls, while the south wall was an 88- by 22-foot custom green hedge wall installation highlighting the Lacma 50 logo.

Patina catered the dinner, where dishes bore the numeral "50" to celebrate the museum's big anniversary. Landmark Winery and Colgin Vineyards provided the wines.

Seal performed for the crowd.

A 60-student performance group from John Burroughs’s High School Powerhouse Choir created and sang a birthday medley to Lacma, backed by a  firework wall display.

Strange Fruit performed a dramatic aerial act for the crowd.

Following their energetic performance, the students lined the concourse with red lit spheres. As guests exited, they scooped up freshly made doughnuts and coffee.

Bright yellow construction hats served as on-theme—and easy-to-read—custom table numbers at the Make It Right gala, which was held in May at the Sugar Mill in New Orleans.

Sheets of nails were arranged in a chevron pattern to create a functional and eye-grabbing table centerpiece.

For the small stage backdrop, 1,200 paint cans were arranged to spell out the word "give."

Resting on sawhorses, the banquet tables were made from materials that will become kitchen counters.

Event designer David Stark suspended door frames, ladders, and other construction materials to spell out the name of the foundation in an overhead decor piece.

As a surprising and humorous way to decorate the cavernous Park Avenue Armory's drill hall, the Jewish Museum and David Stark used more than 5,000 T-shirts to form walls and a ceiling. The custom tees were painted with tongue-in-cheek takes on classic slogans, like "Frankie Says Relax It's Purim" and "Got Spiel?" "We love the fact that the characters of Purim—Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and Ahasuerus—could somehow be re-contextualized as the Fab Four, and thinking of that iconic T-shirt in which the Beatles names were lain out in the Helvetica font, we immediately made the leap to lay out our Purim names in that same format. And then that led to the blur of other iconic T-shirt graphics mixed with references to Judaism and Purim—all with a big smirk," said Stark.

From a production perspective, the T-shirts were light enough to hang overhead, which lowered the Upper East Side venue's ceiling height and created a sense of intimacy in the space.

The T-shirts—in different colors and printed with a variety of phrases—also decorated the cocktail space, creating continuity in the design between the reception and dinner spaces. The furniture, bars, and decor were kept to a minimum in the cocktail area, allowing the eyes to be drawn upwards.

The T-shirts were even used to create a wall between the dinner area and cocktails; the colors and slogans provided the tactile and whimsical backdrop for the DJ booth where duo Andrew Andrew spun tunes for guests.

Staffers also matched the evening's design, sporting long-sleeved tees printed with "Esther, Mordecai, Ahasuerus & Haman," the names of the main characters in the story of Purim.

The "Lomo Wall," created with creative agency BBDO New York, consisted of 3,000 photos that were part of the American Red Cross's "Storytellers" advertising campaign.

The wall served as a decor piece—and unofficial photo backdrop—at the V.I.P. reception.

General Ray Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, received the Lifetime of Service Award, and Colonel Gregory Gadson received the Exceptional Service Award.

A banner and giant red cross were part of the event staging and changed appearance with lighting patterns.