LOOK: The Dada Ball in support of Contemporary Calgary, May 25, Calgary
The 10th anniversary of the LOOK gala, which raises funds for Contemporary Calgary, was already slated to break 2023′s $1.1-million total raised. During dinner, philanthropist Heather Edwards made an impromptu gift of $1-million, and by night’s end the total raised hit a very healthy $2.2-million. The funds from Edwards and those raised by the 500 or so guests who attended will support the gallery’s newly renovated auditorium, and the goal to have it better serve creatives from the community by opening it up as a platform to advance their work. Dadaism, the revolutionary avant-garde art movement that swept much of Europe after the First World War, served as the evening’s theme. Guests donned homages to the movement’s key players, such as Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp, and bold expressions of their own imaginations as they filled into the gallery (formerly the city’s Centennial Planetarium) via a living site-specific work on the lawn by Calgary-based Cassie Suche titled GROW: Dada. A cocktail reception preceded the dinner, where Denise Clarke of One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre delivered a “dada manifesto.” In between courses there was a fashion show hosted by dinner sponsor Holt Renfrew (Debra Kerr, vice-president of sales and service for the retailer, has supported the gala since it’s inception) and later a performance by singer Kiesza. There were remarks too by Contemporary Calgary’s CEO David Leinster and Kelly Streit, who serves as co-chair of the organization’s board and returned as chair of the event. Later, the live auction was in full swing in the Dome. Chaired by the gallery’s chief curator Kanika Anand, this year’s live and silent auction offered some 65 works, including pieces by artists Chris Cran, Erik Olson and Winnie Truong, which together contributed nearly $600,000 to the grand total raised. By 10 p.m., a fresh group of young patrons had made their way into the gallery for the after party, where sets by DJ Iman and DJ Hannah kept guests dancing well into the night. Returning this year as presenting sponsor was Rogers, with company chairman Edward Rogers in attendance with his wife Suzanne, and there too in the room was Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek; Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women; arts patrons Morris and Ann Dancyger (for whom the gallery’s observatory gallery is named); and artists Marcel Dzama and Faye HeavyShield, who served as honorary chairs.
Laureen Harper, Suzanne Rogers and Julie Shaw.PHIL CROZIER/The Globe and Mail
David Leinster, Morris and Ann Dancyger.PHIL CROZIER/The Globe and Mail
Lorne Paperny, Vanessa Watters and Dr. Raechelle Paperny.PHIL CROZIER/The Globe and Mail
Andrea Thomas Hill and Brian Hill.PHIL CROZIER/The Globe and Mail
Jade Davis, Casey Wager and Tara Cowles.PHIL CROZIER/The Globe and Mail
Stefan Hancherow and Shannon Norberg.PHIL CROZIER/The Globe and Mail
Heather Edwards, Irfhan Rawji and Kelly Streit.PHIL CROZIER/The Globe and Mail
The inaugural MOCA Live, May 25, Toronto
The top floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) was for the night of May 25, dedicated to contemporary dance for the inaugural MOCA Live, a fundraising initiative designed to provide museum supports and an intimate arts experience. The program placed the work of choreographers Peggy Baker and Cameron Fraser-Monroe in conversation. Baker’s works In a Landscape and Brute had both originally premiered some 30 years ago – this most recent remounting, which kicked off the evening, was sublimely performed by leading dancers Katherine Semchuk and Tanya Howard, respectively. Fraser-Monroe’s Brace followed; the site-specific commission thoughtfully melded hoop dance and ballet with Ukrainian dance, and was performed by both Fraser-Monroe himself and Katie Couchie. Also out to support the museum’s new venture: arts patrons including Vahan and Susie Kololian, Mary Jo Looby and Colin Kelleher, and Carol Weinbaum (a MOCA board member) and Nigel Schuster; artists Jeremy Laing, June Clark and Andrea Bolley; and MOCA’s executive director and CEO Kathleen Bartels, public programs curator Candice Cavanagh and its recently installed artistic director Rui Mateus Amaral.
Carol Weinbaum and Nigel Schuster.Vlad Lunin/The Globe and Mail
Daniel Faria, June Clark and Peggy Baker.Vlad Lunin/The Globe and Mail
Katie Couchie and Cameron Fraser-Monroe.Vlad Lunin/The Globe and Mail
Brad Keast and Kim Le.Vlad Lunin/The Globe and Mail
Candice Cavanagh and Rui Mateus Amaral.Vlad Lunin/The Globe and Mail
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct Julie Shaw's name in the first photo caption.