The AGO holds annual Art Bash! fundraiser and Gift of Time Gala supports Canuck Place Children’s Hospice

The Art Gallery of Ontario Art Bash!, September 28, Toronto

The Art Gallery of Ontario held their most important annual fundraiser on the evening of September 28. Art Bash!, since its inception in 2017, has become a high point on Toronto’s fall social calendar. The gallery was of course the locale and lending thematic inspiration to the gala was the just opened exhibition KAWS: Family, which focuses on the work of artist Brian Donnelly, known professionally as KAWS (he attended the gala). While an ambitious capital campaign is well underway for the development of the new Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery (Stephan Jost, the gallery’s CEO announced during his remarks before dinner that some $96 million has already been raised), funds from Art Bash!, which well surpassed the $1 million mark, directly support access to education programming for young people. Gala co-chair Daniel Abichandani, a partner at Deloitte, noted during his remarks that, “59% of the audience that attend exhibitions at the AGO are under 25 years old and over 60% identify as a racial minority, a 41% increase from 7 years ago,” which he said “reflects contemporary Canada.” To my right at dinner was Audrey Hudson, the Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief of Education & Programming at the gallery, who leads the team undertaking much of the important work, including a now vibrant virtual learning program which has engaged more than 1.3 million young people since 2020. Post dinner, guests were met by a gaggle of young patrons who flooded the gallery’s Walker Court where DJ Karim Olen Ash was holding court, later by the 11 p.m. mark Keys N Krates took to the stage to perform. Among them out: gala co-chair Sonja Berman and her husband Gary Berman, CEO of Tricon Residential, which served as the evening’s presenting sponsor; Andrew Federer, vice chair of capital markets at RBC, which served as a major sponsor; art patron pairs including Steven and Lynda Latner; Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin; Tyler and Claire Macnamara; Max and Heather Gotlieb, and Francis and Eleanor Shen.

Dani Reiss and Kara MacKillop.Kennedy Pollard/Handout

Lorne Gertner and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin.Kennedy Pollard/Handout

Janice Fricker and Divya Shahani.Ryan Emberley/Handout

Holly Coll-Black and Rupert Duchesne.Ryan Emberley/Handout

Lynda Latner, Heather Gotlieb and Ellen Halpern.Kennedy Pollard/Handout

The Canuck Place Children’s Hospice Gift of Time Gala, September 23, Vancouver

A few nights earlier, and a little further West, the annual Gift of Time gala, now in its 19th year, was in full swing in Vancouver with some 500 in attendance. The gala supports Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, and raised more than $1.5 million by night’s end, funds which will aid pediatric palliative care for some of the most medically complex and ill children and their families across B.C. and the Yukon. B.C. artist, Gabryel Harrison’s painting Spring is Constant, a work on canvas that bursts with ethereal blooms, served as the inspiration for the look of the gala, and later, via the live auction and some fierce bidding, contributed to that total amount raised for the cause. Co-Chairing this latest was real-estate pro Michelle Porter, social worker Robyn Lalani, and health care advocate Lucy Greer. There in the room too were a flock of Canucks alumni (the team has supported the cause for nearly 3 decades) including Dave Babych, John Grisdale, Jyrki Lumme and Arthur Griffiths; Ron Orser and Andrea Battison from key sponsor Pacific Property Group; Nicola Wealth returned as presenting sponsor, with John and Claire Nicola in attendance, as well as David Tassan, the companies president; and of course Denise Praill, CEO of Canuck Place.