An Unforgettable Night @ Emily Carr: Gala, Marquee and The Show!
On Friday, May 2nd, Emily Carr University hosted Vancouver’s most notable philanthropists and creative economy leaders for a spectacular evening celebrating creativity, our greatest natural resource! Our University’s purpose is to transform creativity in art, design and media into an infinite spectrum of possibilities for our culture as well as for our economy. With such an ambitious mandate, the University has numerous contributors to recognize and thank for their ongoing support. To do just that, on May 2nd, we hosted three distinct yet simultaneous cultural events which mingled festivities for: the launch of THE BIG IDEA Capital Campaign for our new campus; the announcement of a milestone gift which kicked off the Campaign; and Emily Carr’s famous annual graduation show Preview Night for The Show at Emily Carr (if you missed it, the online catalogue is a great way to take a virtual tour of many pieces.)
And, the Red Carpet Photos below aren’t to be missed – especially if you’re in them!
A red carpet affair, THE BIG IDEA Gala at the beautiful Granville Island Hotel hosted more than 300 invited guests. All in attendance are advocates of our Capital Campaign’s three strategic priorities, and all were dressed to impress for the evening. Making grand entrances, celebrants first posed for paparazzi then slipped inside the hotel to delight their senses in true gala style. DJ Pri from Girl on Wax was spinning the kind of atmospheric tunes worthy only of an art world fête, while champagne, oysters and more gourmet fare flowed, all sumptuously prepared by the hotel’s sterling chefs.
At 7:30pm sharp, guests spilled forth from the hotel doors to gather under THE BIG IDEA Marquee — a tent of astronomical size under which a proportionally matching and transformational gift to the University was announced. Following heart-felt speeches and cheers for THE BIG IDEA from the crowd, more groovy music was performed at dusk by a live female sax player and her drummers, while Firebelly Performance Society literally illuminated the evening with fireworks and a dance troupe fire performance. And, as if this weren’t enough already, guests next stepped across to Emily Carr University’s campus — the two buildings transformed into 6,000 square feet of pristine, white gallery space and filled with 350 graduation exhibition art pieces, many of which, by the way, have since been snapped up. With cocktails and DJs casting shades of New York, campus workspaces became a showcase for Industry leaders to enjoy a Preview Night of The Show at Emily Carr 2014. A grand event experience, The Show was generously made possible this year by RBC Wealth Management, Presenting Sponsor for The Show at Emily Carr.
Many, many thank you’s are in order!
In addition to our Presenting Sponsor, RBC Wealth Management, we would also like to thank our Legacy Partner, Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP who have supported the University since 2008 through scholarships and event sponsorship. Once again, you have helped us to bring these fantastic events to The Show. Thank you also to our other valued, returning sponsors OpenRoad Communications, Cat’s Socialhouse and Opus Art Supplies, which has supported graduation for many years and contributes to the University through a named bursary endowment established in 2006.
We also want to thank Savoury City for supporting The Show for a second year with their outstanding cuisine and hospitality. Thank you to Steamclock Software, Hemlock Printers and a special thank you to Grafata Display & Imaging for providing all large format printing for our opening events. Thank you also to our newest sponsor Monotype for joining us in supporting the Grad Show this year.
And finally, we want to thank our in-kind sponsors that contributed to the events this year. Thank you to Steamclock Software, Hemlock Printers and a special thanks to Grafata Visual & Display for providing all large format printing for our opening events. Thank you also to The MACNABS - check out the aerial shots of our new campus location used in the campaign video above — these were captured by realtors Russ and Jordan MacNab. As operators of a quadcopter drone used exclusively for their real estate clients, Russ and Jordan donated HOURS of time and expertise (and gadgetry joy) to Emily Carr University to make this video produced by Go2 Productions amazing!
Red Carpet Photos
Created with flickr slideshow.