Entering Metropolitan Pavilion for the Sundance Institute’s 25th anniversary celebration was a bit like entering a rustic, woodsy retreat—or in this case, a humble rendition of the institute’s Park City, Utah, home. A large map of the institute’s compound accompanied a signpost with directions to the institute’s various facilities. In fact, maps, both of Sundance and its mountainous state, appeared on surfaces ranging from the signpost to deer statues and faux flowers. Tall trees dotted the cocktail space, and their leaves were—you guessed it—cut from maps.While the first area focused on the film organization’s home turf, the black-and-white dining room was a showcase for the institute’s work, with excerpts of film and theater scripts and musical scores broken up into chunks of text that covered everything from silk-screened tablecloths to votives, napkin rings, and a series of wall and stage panels.
Annie Weis, the institute’s director of development for individual giving, oversaw the event and worked with David Stark, who designed the anniversary’s creative look, with active input and ideas from gala chairwoman Glenn Close. The actress reached out to her friends in the industry—Paul Newman, Kathy Bates, and Uma Thurman, among them—who served as celebrity waiters during the cocktail hour.
—Mark Mavrigian
Posted 11.08.06
Photos: Nicole Villamora for BiZBash (decor, food), Evan Agostini/Getty Images (Thurman), Susan Montagna (sign, stage, dinner centerpiece)
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Annie Weis, the institute’s director of development for individual giving, oversaw the event and worked with David Stark, who designed the anniversary’s creative look, with active input and ideas from gala chairwoman Glenn Close. The actress reached out to her friends in the industry—Paul Newman, Kathy Bates, and Uma Thurman, among them—who served as celebrity waiters during the cocktail hour.
—Mark Mavrigian
Posted 11.08.06
Photos: Nicole Villamora for BiZBash (decor, food), Evan Agostini/Getty Images (Thurman), Susan Montagna (sign, stage, dinner centerpiece)
Related Stories
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Lincoln Center Pools Are Alphabet Soup
Bloomberg Swears In With Homey Touches