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A Renaissance Celebration at WAM

A Renaissance Celebration: A Gala Auction fundraiser celebrating the Higgins Collection Integration and supporting the Museum and its exciting path forward

A Renaissance Celebration: A Gala Auction fundraiser celebrating the Higgins Collection Integration and supporting the Museum and its exciting path forwardWe knew something exciting was happening when we got a behind the scenes peek at a photoshoot of festive attire in the galleries at Worcester Art Museum. With less than a month away, we are excited to see what promises to be the social event in Worcester.

On Saturday, June 14, 2014 guests are invited to join the Worcester Art Museum for a special Renaissance-themed evening in celebration of the museum’s opening of Knights!, its first exhibition of material drawn from the Higgins Armory collection .The gala and auction will bring together the region’s taste-makers, art enthusiasts, and business leaders for an elegant night of cocktails, dinner in the Museum’s Stoddard Garden Court, live and silent auctions, period entertainment, and a dance party featuring live music by the band Legit.

Guests will have the opportunity to bid on a diverse array of art, experiences, and goods with all proceeds supporting WAM and the institution’s continued growth. Early bidding begins on June 4th on biddingforgood.org. Attendees are also encouraged to support Worcester’s local businesses in the fashion industry (Dana Lane Photography, Erb PhotographyJames HoganKaron Shea Model ManagementNeal Rosenblum GoldsmithsPerfect Focus EyecareTu Moda SpaWAM Gift Shop), which have drawn inspiration from Knights! to create “The Look” an array of Renaissance looks specially designed for the evening.

The event is sponsored in part by: Peoples’ United Bank, Interstate Specialty Products, Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers of Objects of Value, Sweet, Fletcher Tilton and Washington Mills.

Purchase Tickets Today!

Modern Sheath Skirt with Elizabethan collar
Photograph copyright © 2014 Erb Photography, all rights reserved.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

6 pm  Cocktails & Silent Auction Kick-off
7 pm  Dinner & Live Auction
9 pm  Dance Party & Silent Auction Wrap-up

What to Expect

The Worcester Art Museum will be host to 400+ of the region’s most prominent and influential art enthusiasts, business leaders, and style-makers for an elegant evening of cocktails, dinner, live and silent auctions, period entertainment and a festive dance party.

Entertainment

The evening will be bustling with excitement as kings and queens, their lords and ladies mingle amongst the crowd. Enjoy a slice of Renaissance life as Duo Divertimento melodically charms the crowd. Gather your friends and capture a moment by stopping by the photo booth where you can accessorize your creative black tie. Dancing, anyone? Be sure to bring your dancing shoes as Boston based band Legit takes you through the musical ages.

Take a listen to what’s in store…
70’s Medley
Kick In The Head

Live & Silent Auction

This year’s auction offers a rich mix of art, experiences, and goods that will delight all, and provide many opportunities to further support this great institution. Witness the live auction during dinner featuring Karen M. Keane, CEO of Skinner, Inc while the silent auction will be taking place all evening.

Early bidding starts June 4th via biddingforgood.org.

Great items include:
Red Sox Tickets
8- Day Viking Cruise down the Rhine
Original Photograph by Ron Rosenstock
Historic Flight in a World War II B-17 or B-52
Tu Moda Spa Spa Package
And more…

Ticket Information

There are two ways to enjoy this evening of revelous fun:
$275 – Cocktails, silent and live auction, dinner and dance party
$75 – Dance Party only – includes Dessert and silent auction

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Fashion Meets Art at WAM

Chapter House turned into a photo shoot location for "The Look"
Dana Lane Photography converted the Chapter House into a photo shoot location for “The Look”
Erb Photography shooting "creative black tie" for the Gala Auction's "The Look"
Erb Photography shooting “creative black tie” for the Gala Auction’s “The Look”

The Worcester Art Museum, established in 1898, has often been considered one of the three superpowers of American art museums. In its early days, WAM was the first museum in America to add multiple Monets to its collection and, more recently, the museum has received accolades from national press about having adopted non-traditional approaches to every aspect of the organization. This was readily apparent when the Wall Street Journal highlighted WAM’s [remastered] installation—where Old Master paintings were hung in medallion style groupings “in ‘medallion style’ groupings, common in 17th- and 18th-century stately homes, that hinge on visual connections.”

Apart from the museum’s usage of its gallery walls, WAM has undergone a lot of internal changes as well. This includes revamping its marketing department in an effort to position the museum to take even bolder strides forward in every aspect, big and small. This model has even trickled down to the volunteer groups within the museum, often made up of trustees, corporators, and members councilmembers. With the Gala Auction (“A Renaissance Celebration: A Revelrous Feast and Auction featuring Music, Mead and Merriment”) approaching (Saturday, June 14th), the 14-person auction marketing committee has come up with a unique deliverable for sponsors: The Look.

The Hoche-Scofield room at the Worcester Art Museum has transformed into Erb Photography's studio for "The Look"
The Hoche-Scofield room at the Worcester Art Museum has transformed into Erb Photography’s studio for “The Look”

The Look is billed as a fun way to suggest attire for the gala auction by involving local businesses within the fashion world: Couturier James Hogan is assembling ten dresses to be accessorized by both Neal Rosenblum Goldsmiths and Perfect Focus Eyecare. The models, which represent Karon Shea Model Management, were under the expertise of hair and makeup Angel Ortiz and Jackie Betancurt from Tu Moda Spa for hair and make up. The end result were beautiful photographs taken by fashion photographers Erb Photography and Dana Lane Photography that highlighted fashion forward thinking with suggestions of locally available options for the Gala in June.

The Look does more than provide viewers ideas for attire; it helps each of the participating businesses get an instant return on their investment. The final products are disseminated in various was, both in traditional and digital marketing means, that promote the event and in turn promote the advertisers.

John Mackey, the founder and President of Whole Foods, once said, “If you want to shift the paradigm, you have to be willing to do bold things…it will be controversial, but it will also be catalytic.” While The Look isn’t controversial, it certainly is bold and unconventional. In taking a sneak peek of the Worcester Art Museum’s photo shoot, we know that the final results will certainly accomplish the goals of both the advertisers and the Worcester Art Museum.

We look forward to seeing what you wear to the Gala Auction on June 14th.

Reviewing the work behind the scenes.
Reviewing the work behind the scenes.

About A Renaissance Celebration: A Revelrous Feast and Auction featuring Music, Mead and Merriment – Saturday, June 14, 2014

Step back into the Renaissance period with lords, ladies, and of course, knights at the Gala Auction in June. Dine on elegant fare, bid on fabulous items, be entertained with jesters and minstrels, and dance the night away at the Worcester Art Museum’s (WAM) gala auction. Evening attire is creative black tie and 500 people are expected. . Proceeds from A Renaissance Celebration will fund the new home for the Higgins Collection.

 

About The Worcester Art Museum

WAM, the leading art museum in Central Massachusetts, has a collection of over 35,000 objects spanning 50 centuries. Founded in 1896, WAM has a rich history noted for many precedent-setting initiatives. WAM was the first museum in the country to purchase works by Claude Monet, to establish a partnership with local public schools, to bring a medieval building to the U.S. and to focus its contemporary art program on art of the last 10 years. WAM welcomes 90,000 visitors annually from around the world.

WAM is poised for another noteworthy chapter in its history – incorporating the 2,000-piece Higgins Armory Collection. Integration is already underway and involves creation of exhibition space as well as proper storage and conservation facilities – a costly undertaking.