Book launch helps build playground for Cuban children
Hey Noties! Hope you were infotained by last week’s supersized season opener! This week, we spotlight a whole other kind of event.
THE HER-STORY: Please meet the star of today’s column, Heidi Hollinger. Some of you might already be familiar with this ridiculously accomplished homegrown talent; for those who have yet to have the pleasure, you’re in for a treat.
Not only has the awardwinning photographer (and author and television host and/ and/and!) snapped signature portraits of countless famous personalities, business moguls and world leaders (including Justin Trudeau, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Gorbachev), she has also published several highly acclaimed books showcasing her mastery. Which brings us to her current passion project: a stunning tome titled 300 Reasons to Love Havana, the latest in the beloved 300 Reasons series published by Les Éditions de l’Homme and masterminded by brilliant journo Marie-Joelle Parent, author of the NY and San Fran editions.
Inspired by a lifelong love of Cuba’s capital, which started while Heidi was still a student at McGill, the magnificently laid out book offers readers page after seductive page of visually arresting reasons to explore Havana, as interpreted through the eye of the master lenser.
For food lovers, she immortalizes plates of vibrant fare and lists ultra-cool dine destinations catering to myriad tastes. For architecture enthusiasts, there are astoundingly impressive captures of Havana’s legendary structures, ranging in style from art deco to Cuban baroque, with inside tips on the most compelling hotels to explore. For arts and entertainment devotees, the takes are equally ebullient and stirring (think everything from traditional dance shows to awesome Harley and tapas joints. And for those, like yours truly, who are fascinated by the magic and diversity of people, Heidi delivers there too, in spades.
THE BIG EVENT: The launch of this amazing, expectations exceeding book was in keeping with its author’s larger-than-life spirit, dazzling a dazzling crowd at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ M Boutique and bookstore. As beats by Trabuco Habanero and fierce fiddler Dr. Draw played in the not-so-background and Cuban-style cocktails and nibblies pleased palates, guests skipped around, admiring signed photos that were for sale (and that appear in the book) as well as the book itself.
Of course, we snapped several notables with our own lens, including Pierre Karl Péladeau, CEO of Québecor (parent company of Les Éditions de l’Homme); museum foundation director Danielle Champagne; media personality/ businesswoman Mitsou Gélinas and hub/businessman Iohann Martin; design powerhouses Marie Saint Pierre, Elisa C-Rossow and Denis Gagnon (who designed Heidi’s killer gown, va va wow!); actress/media host Julie du Page; media power pair Anne-Marie Withenshaw and Jay Walker; photographer Emmanuelle Duperré; celebrity chef Daniel Vézina; rocking restaurateur Marc Bolay; influencer/personality Virginie Coossa and so many more.
THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE: The book is fabulous, the launch was fabulous, but most fab-u-lous of all is the plan Heidi has in the works, facilitated by revenues from the book’s sale, to make her own imprint on the Havana area. Thanks in large part to the generous photographer, there will soon be a new playground in the impoverished fishing village Jaimanitas (on Havana’s outskirts), which was famously transformed by revered artist/sculptor José Fuster. The master ingeniously revived the desolate landscape with his hue-tastic mosaics, leading to the region’s nickname Fusterlandia (Heidi’s reason No. 266 to visit Havana). To the delight of many, Heidi accepted the artist’s request to help develop the area’s Unicorn Park for families and children. Bravo, Heidi! You never cease to enchant and inspire.
For more fun with fundraisers and parties: diaryofasocialgal.com