POP PARTY: Takashi Murakami headlines Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Art Gallery’s latest offering. The Japanese artist’s works — some 50 pieces — have taken over the gallery walls for his first retrospective exhibition, The Octopus Eats His Own Leg, part of an extensive international tour. Bright, bold and extremely colourful, the pop paintings draw on manga, anime and Japanese culture. The multi-talented artist — considered of this generations most iconic contemporary pop artists, in the same stratosphere as Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Douglas Coupland — was on hand for the opening of his Vanhattan exhibition, coincidentally falling on his 56th birthday. Fittingly, the VAG threw a birthday party fitting for the pop superstar. Fans shelled out $1,000 a ticket to party with the pop art star. Murakami sported a plush Octopus crown and Technicolor suit for the celebration and VAG fundraiser. A commissioned work by the man of the hour garnered the night’s top bid of $150,000. It would contribute to more than $300,000 raised from the live auction yours truly conducted in support of the gallery’s ongoing programmatic efforts and student initiatives to inspire creativity in the city.
ROYAL FEAST: St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation ushered in the Year of the Dog at its 11th Scotiabank Feast of Fortune Gala. Parq Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»was party central for the annual Chinese New Year dinner and auction. Fronted by chairs Margaret Chan and Hao Min, and emceed by news anchors Sophie Lui and Bowen Zhang, this year’s celebrations drew 650 health care supporters who rallied to support the purchase of a new and very much needed mammography machine for Mount Saint Joseph. Displaying the loyal traits of a dog, hospital supporters, led by honorary chair and event founder Sing Lim Yeo, would lead the fundraising charge following a royal repast by award winning chefs and live performances by pianist Robbie Akehurst and Hong Kong pop star Pancy Lau. Donations ranging from $100 to $150,000 rained down. The spectacular night would conclude with a cheque presentation totaling $900,115.
FULL HOUSE: A capacity crowd convened at the Terminal City Club for the second annual All-In-For-Arthritis poker tournament fundraiser, sponsored in part by the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Courier. Attendees were invited to play a hand for children living with arthritis. Chaired by Dave Turner and Chris Vescey, the charity card game drew a record number of participants to the members-club-turned-Vegas-casino for a night of glam, gamesmanship and indulgence. Yours truly along with CBC’s Margaret Gallagher served as masters of ceremonies. Stakes were high as players competed for bragging rights and coveted airline tickets with Westjet and Pacific Coastal Air. Indochino’s Morgan Whitney would come out on top, besting runner-up Irene King and a generous field that would help raise nearly $100,000 — a new record — for childhood arthritis research. Three in 1,000 Canadian children have childhood arthritis.
ILLUMINATING LUNCH: A sold-out crowd at Vancouver’s Four Seasons Hotel was treated to a dazzling performance by Juno-winning singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk. The celebrated artist headlined BC Women’s Hospital Foundation’s 18th annual Illuminations fundraising luncheon, presented by RBC Wealth Management and emceed by CTV’s Tamara Taggart. Led by an influential committee, and with the incredible support from 400 guests and the generosity of sponsors and Vancouver’s corporate community, the power lunch generated a new Illuminations fundraising record of $280,000. The record-breaking donor response will allow the hospital foundation to deepen its ongoing investment in desperately needed women’s health research funding.
Hear Fred Mondays 8:20 a.m. on CBC Radio’s The Early Edition AM690 and 88.1FM; email: [email protected]; Twitter:
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