Parties of the week: Vancouver Art Gallery’s Summer Gala and the Power Plant’s Power Ball

Vancouver Art Gallery Summer Gala, Vancouver

The Vancouver Art Gallery held its Summer Gala on June 15, the institution’s most important annual fundraiser. This year it was given in honour of the just-opened summer exhibition Alberto Giacometti: A Line Through Time. The show, which runs through the end of September and is chock full of Giacometti’s beloved sickly figures, was originally shown in Norwich, England, at the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the genius Swiss sculptor and painters’s death – the opening at VAG marks its first sojourn in North America. Aside from a first look at the sprawling show, guests at the gala, which was co-chaired by Megan Martin and investment adviser Rosy Shang, had the chance to take in the world premiere of Woman Walking, a work by award-winning choreographer Julianne Chapple that takes its inspiration from Giacometti’s creations. Dancing followed the swish dinner and the lively live auction, all of which contributed to the $750,000 raised, funds that support the Vancouver Art Gallery’s exhibitions, education and public programs.

1. Robert Davidson and Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson.

Robert Davidson and Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson.Pardeep Singh

2. Rosy Shang and Megan Martin.

Rosy Shang and Megan Martin, Vancouver Art Gallery Summer Gala co-chairs.Pardeep Singh

3. David Calabrigo and Corinne Stavness.

David Calabrigo, Board Chair of the Vancouver Art Gallery and Corinne Stavness.Pardeep Singh/Handout

The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery’s Power Ball: 21 Club, Toronto

The previous week, on June 6, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery hosted Power Ball. Now in its 21st year, the Toronto fundraiser highlights the wonderful and sometimes slightly wacky work of contemporary creatives, while raising funds that support this country’s leading institution devoted solely to contemporary visual art. This latest edition of the bash kicked off with a preparty reception populated by the more established supporters of the gallery (retailer Holt Renfrew served as presenting sponsor of this year’s event, titled Power Ball: 21 Club), at which Toronto artist-restaurateur Sarah Keenlyside debuted her food and performance work Centerpiece (2019), a cheeky celebration of the choreography of restaurant service with a dozen bow-tied waiters in glossy bowl-cut wigs, who danced wielding larger-than-life bananas. Later, as night fell over Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, supporters filled in the gallery for a night of immersive artist projects and performances, including a handful curated by Tobaron Waxman of the Intergenerational LGBT Artist Residency, Dainty Smith and Imogen Quest of Les Femmes Fatales Burlesque, drag queen Tynomi Banks as well as a site-specific installation by two-spirit Métis artist Michel Dumont, an alum of the Residency, were among them.

4. Centerpiece (2019) by Sarah Keenlyside.