Monet Meets Balanchine: For Kara Minogue, inspiration grows from institution. As a Boston University communications student, she discovered her calling while interning at the Museum of Fine Arts during its Monet in the 90’s exhibit. “I fell in love with the feeling of being in this institution—something bigger than oneself—where everyone is on the same team,” she recalls. After graduating in 1992 she accepted an internship with the New York City Ballet, which eventually led to a full-time position. Kara spent 13 years in the event department—eight as director—before opening her own agency, Kara Minogue & Company in September 2007.
Act Two: Since then, Minogue has taken on projects ranging from cultural and corporate events to not-for-profit consulting. For the 30th anniversary of Studio in a School, an educational program that connects children with professional artists, Minogue choreographed cocktails in the Paula Cooper Gallery and dinner in the Gagosian Gallery, as well as everything from calligraphy to event security. Studio in a School founder Agnes Gund (also president emerita of the Museum of Modern Art) calls Minogue one of the most creative planners she’s worked with: “She was ahead of the game at every critical point, and had the most wonderful can-do attitude. She helped us capture all of the joy and excitement that is the best of Studio in a perfectly flawless night.”
Team Work: Minogue prides herself on bringing together a diverse team of collaborators. “I like to be an ambassador for an institution. I think about who would be perfect dinner companions or the perfect person to invite to chair an event, or a celebrity to invite to come,” she says. For New York City Ballet’s spring gala celebrating Jerome Robbins, she seated Lauren Bacall near Peter Martins, the ballet’s Master in Chief. “They had a ball,” she recalls. Interior designer Charlotte Moss, who collaborated on the ballet’s gala in April adds, “She understands all the constituencies of an event, knows how to navigate through all of those and does so with great diplomacy. It creates an environment where everyone steps up and does what they have to do. I've worked with her for years—she really pulls it all together from A to Z.”
The Show Goes On: Minogue aims to grow her roster of fund-raisers and galas both locally and further afield. She will work with the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture in addition to planning the International Art and Design Fair preview party at the Park Avenue Armory on October 2. Minogue says the centerpiece of the event will be an exhibition featuring Knoll textiles designed by Proenza Schouler.
