Putting a little spring in our steps at MAC
SPRINGING INTO MOTION: If edgy-fabulous art-infused benefit events, patronized by close to a thousand of the city’s hippest young movers and groovers are your thing, then please put Les Printemps du MAC (Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal) on your 2016 spring social calendar. Happy you will be.
Indeed, this year’s ninth edition — held, as always, at the chic multi-level monochromatic museum and presented by Power Corporation of Canada and BMO Financial Group — was like a party playground for young adults. Boasting a META theme inspired by Simon Starling’s work Metamorphology and Sophie Calle’s exhibition Pour la dernière et pour la première fois (all currently on display at the museum through May 10), the dynamic organizing team ran with the theme in collaboration with Speakeasy (artistic direction), DentsuBos (visual effects and projection) and Événements TassONE Events (event production), successfully infusing the night with a series of attractions and amusements that paid flawless homage to the oeuvres’ exploration of evolution and change.
Among the most memorable touches were a mesmeric hula-hoop dance number by Anita Bombita and her troupe; supercool projection pics; fine liquid and other nutrition supplied by the generous likes of Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Tattinger Champagne, Méchant Boeuf Bar & Brasserie, Kyo Bar Japonais, Bevo, Taverne Gaspar and Flyjin; and of course, all that make-you-move music courtesy of DJ Thomas H. And speaking of the actual oeuvres, this year’s event brilliantly called for a side entrance that immediately immersed newcomers in the exhibit itself, setting the feel and mood for the eve ahead.
As for those above-mentioned hip next-gen influencers, they were everywhere and everywear, topped by the powerful likes of: honourary president Sacha Haque, senior legal counsel and assistant secretary at Power Corporation of Canada; event chairs Maria Antonopoulos, director of communication at the Antonopoulos Group, and Blakes legal eagle Eleonore Derome; Cercle des Printemps co-presidents Anna Antonopoulos, vice-president of finance at the Antonopoulos Group, and Christine Boivin, director of communications and marketing at Cohn&Wolfe; Cercle ambassador Camille Desrosiers; MAC Annual Ball committee president Debbie Zakaib, of A à Z; Debbie’s husband, board chair/dragon Alexandre Taillefer; foundation president François
Dufresne; Museum director John Zeppetelli; MAC director of marketing and communications Annie-Marie Barnard; the one and only Herby Moreau; and bien sur many hard working and devoted committee members including Alexandra Mohsen, Alexandra Zins, Elsa Vilarinho, Dom Keyserlingk, Nicolas Rubbo, Fatima Atik, Audrey Barbeau, Marie-Eve Gingras, Stefanie Stergiotis, Genevieve Sharp, Maude N. Beland, Naila Del Cid. Sadly, Alexandre
Brosseau and Sebastien Moise could not attend.
Clearly, the glam young organizing gang, a subset of the larger Cercle des Printemps du MAC (founded almost a decade ago by passionate young contemporary art lovers intent upon raising funds for the museum’s foundation) did good on the party front. Even better: their uniquely cool event raised a record-breaking $200,000 toward the acquisition of artwork by both emerging and
established artists, which brings the total monies accumulated to date to more than $850,000.
Bravo to the fine young professionals who are as good at ensuring the future of our cultural institutions as they are at rocking the latest trends.