Power Ball, Toronto
The Irish author, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once said that moderation was a fatal thing and that nothing succeeds like excess. The latest Power Ball took place some 115 years after Wilde’s death, but he would have approved of the do and indulged right alongside its assembly of contemporary art enthusiasts and modern-day bon vivants.
The party began with the most excessive installation of the evening, a large-scale food-focused interactive performance by New York-based artist Jennifer Rubell, titled So Sorry, in collaboration with Toronto chef Grant Van Gameren (creator of Bar Isabel and Bar Raval), coffee master Sam James (Sam James Coffee Bar) and actress and writer Winsome Brown. Guests entering the performance at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre Theatre instantly became a part of the show; a chandelier made of octopus hung at the centre of the space and attendants cut tentacles for guests to enjoy. There was also a large, stark white surface through which hands emerged from fist-sized holes to offer guests bites of food, making for an unusual experience but a welcome change from typical gala dinners.
Excess and the unexpected seem to run in Rubell’s veins. Her uncle, after all, was the late Steve Rubell, co-owner of the legendary nightclub Studio 54. This latest performance, with its tricks and turns, kept guests on their toes, wondering what exactly was next. At one point, a food fight broke out between the mezzanine levels; potato chips descended over the crowd like confetti. As the food performance came to an end, dinner guests joined a larger crowd in the gallery, where various installations kept with the theme. Toronto-based artist collective 8-eleven presented a site-specific work: a white stretch limousine with a red strobe light attached to its roof and surrounded by projections of flames.
This year’s presenting sponsor, fashion brand Max Mara, hosted installations that offered a moment of serenity amid the madness: A split-screen video of William Wegman’s mesmerizing Weimaraners, titled Flo/Flow, was projected in the main indoor gallery; in the entrance to the Power Plant were Wegman’s portraits of the Weimaraners in Max Mara’s iconic 101801 camel coat, alongside the Italian brand’s latest wares (the images are part of Collezione Maramotti, the impressive privately owned art collection run by the Max Mara founding family and housed in its former headquarters in Reggio Emilia).
Among those out for the late-night lakeside fundraiser: Third-generation Maramotti family member and Max Mara U.S. director of retail, Maria Giulia Maramotti, and Max Mara U.S. CEO, Cristian Notari; Drake Hotel founder Jeff Stober; art collectors Mera and Don Rubell (in town to cheer on daughter Jennifer); Canadian Art Foundation’s CEO and publisher of Canadian Art magazine, Jill Birch; Delaney Capital’s David Fleck; actor Dan Levy; and Campbell Strategies founder Barry Campbell and his wife, philanthropic adviser and Power Plant board member Debra. This year’s event was co-chaired by Acasta Capital’s director, Michael Liebrock, real-estate broker with Chestnut Park Justine Deluce, and GE’s Philippe Meyersohn.
Butterfly Ball, Toronto
The Butterfly Ball, a gala in support of the Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, recently held its 18th-annual benefit at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. The evening, which drew a diverse crowd of established philanthropists and next-gen big givers, raised north of $400,000 for the Toronto-based abuse intervention centre, which works with children and families who have suffered from violence.
The event was chaired by Daniela DeGasperis, descendant of ConDrain and Metrus Development founder Alfredo. I was a guest at the table of philanthropists and art collectors Sheldon Inwentash and Lynn Factor (a social worker by profession and event committee member), who are both passionate and longtime supporters of the foundation. Also at the table were Bobby Genovese and architect Dee Dee Taylor Eustace; Realstar group president and CEO Wayne Squibb and his wife, Maureen; and Toronto-based jewellery designer Myles Mindham. Committee members included Jenna Bitove; Power of Privé’s Jane Hanrahan, who attended with husband Rohan Dixon; and Aird & Berlis LLP corporate finance partner Rebecca Kacaba.
At The Room at Hudson’s Bay’s table sat designer Sid Nigum and his girlfriend and fellow designer, Chloe Gordon of the brand Beaufille; physician Parambir Keila and his wife, lawyer Anjli Patel; and model Irina La˘za˘reanu. Also in attendance were dermatologist Sandy Skotnicki and BridgeRock Inc. CEO Alex Kotyck; socialites Kelly Rosen, Sylvia Mantella and Sarah Macdonald; and Jim DeGasperis and his wife, Lina.