For this year's Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education gala, the McGraw-Hill Companies returned to to the New York Public Library’s Bartos Forum Tuesday night—but with a different approach to decor. Instead of continuing to work with the venue's traditional style, planners incorporated contemporary design for playful juxtaposition.
Again a joint effort between McGraw-Hill vice president of corporate affairs Eileen Gabriele, producer Laura Breitenbach of LMB Communications & Events, and designer Carolyn Bakula of Bakula Design, the gala is something of a well-oiled machine—though the trio aim to keep guests from ever assuming so by reinventing the space each year.
Bakula chose black and charcoal grey for the furniture and linens and limited the lighting provided by Bentley Meeker to shades of red. Modern elements came into play with contemporary seating, silhouettes of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and an illuminated bar. The bar also bore the company name and logo—a first for the traditionally unbranded affair.
