15 Inspiring Ideas From Winter Benefits

The Chicago art museum celebrated the opening of its new exhibition, "Van Gogh's Bedrooms," with a 450-guest gala on February 20. HMR Designs handled decor, and worked with Frost to create projections of the artist's works that surrounded the dining area. The idea was to let guests feel as though they were dining inside a Van Gogh painting.

Perez Art Museum Miami's March 4 gala drew some 800 guests. With an overall concept from Lee Brian Schrager, the evening included a "Chef's Table" seated dinner, a "Supper Club" lounge, and a "Remix" after-party. In the Supper Club lounge, interactive artist stations included a floor-to-ceiling coloring book, which invited guests to doodle on the wall.

The Steampunk-theme gala took place at the Carlu in Toronto on March 4. The evening featured a unique bar sponsored by digital marketing agency Ecentricarts. “Modernist Cocktails,” prepared by Barchef, included a concoction called the "Steampunk Snow.” The drink was made with elderflower “snow,” cubes of black licorice, basil sprouts, gin and chamomile, violet gel, and aromatics of grapefruit.

On January 30, the Chicago museum kicked off Black History Month with the 33rd iteration of its annual gala. Food For Thought provided a strolling buffet. Near the salad station filled with fresh vegetables, a wall from The Flower Firm was decorated with crates holding leaves and miniature garden plots.

The art institutions celebrated the opening of a new building designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro in San Francisco. The January 31 event's bright, modern aesthetic was inspired by painter and graffiti artist Barry McGee. The artist created the designs featured on the invitations and on the custom tableware. White Rain Productions planned the event.

This year's January 9 gala in Miami had less of a backyard-barbecue feel than previous iterations, with a look modeled on a French garden. Greenery, high hedges, silver tones, and amber lighting all added to the sophisticated, outdoorsy vibe. The event took place at the YoungArts Campus and Wow Factor handled decor. Starr Events also worked on the benefit.

Amfar hosted its annual New York Gala in February, raising more than $2 million for AIDS research. Held at Cipriani Wall Street, the event featured performances from Swedish duo Icona Pop and British singer-songwriter Charli XCX, who later joined up on stage. The gala was produced by Andrew Boose/AAB Productions.

In January, the Walrus Foundation hosted its annual gala at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto. The event paid homage to the Canadian city, and the skyline appeared in imagery throughout the event. Tabletops were decked with miniature renderings of the Toronto skyline, created in paper by artist Kalpna Patel.

On February 6, the Boston Ballet hosted its annual gala at the Castle at Park Plaza. The benefit's French theme was inspired by the upcoming production of Gaîté Parisienne, and dancers performed scenes from the show in a red-carpeted aisle that ran down the center of the dining area. The gala was designed by Altieri Events. 

Held on February 5 at Liberty Grand, the massive event drew some 3,000 guests. The benefit had a "Night in the Woods" theme, which showed up in decor that had glowing green projections of trees. Decor & More handled the evening's design.

The foundation hosted its annual Dragon Ball at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on February 6. With a Chinese New Year theme, the event attracted some 1,000 guests. Designed by Michelle Tran of With a Flower, a flowery tree was decked with hanging red envelopes. The envelopes represented Lai See, which are filled with money and other gifts, and presented to kids by their parents or grandparents on Chinese New Year.

The nonprofit hosted its annual gala on March 5 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum. The evening had a "Mission: Possible" theme that inspired a unique presentation of raffle tickets. During the cocktail hour, "Change Agents" wearing suits and sunglasses sold raffle tickets bearing numerical codes. One guest's ticket had a code that unlocked a suitcase displayed on the silent auction table. Within the suitcase was a ticket for the evening's grand prize: a week-long stay in Hawaii.

The San Francisco Ballet's January 21st gala had a "Provocative" theme. J. Riccardo Benavides of Ideas handled decor, and used fashion-inspired materials such as onyx lace, fuchsia ostrich feathers, and yards of sheer fabric. The fashion theme continued on decorative mannequins wearing ballet-inspired costumes.

On March 11, the Prevent Cancer Foundation hosted its gala for 900 guests at the National Building Museum in Washington. Designer David Tutera handled decor for the evening, which had a "Vie en Rose" theme inspired by the guest of honor, the Ambassador of France Gérard Araud. The thematic decor included arrangements of pink and red roses.

Now in its second year, the Monogram Dinner by Design Presented by Caesarstone took place January 19 to 24 at the Design Exchange in Toronto. The event, which benefited Casey House and Design Exchange, showcased interactive dining installations from 12 architecture and interior design firms. Each designer was given free rein over his or her installation; the only directive was that each dining area seat 10 guests. Designer Joel Loblaw brought elements of the outdoors inside. Inspired by childhood memories of camping or visiting a rustic cabin, the installation contained firewood, enamelware camping plates, and peat moss.