COD Foundation virtual gala raises $93,000 for Frida Kahlo exhibit
The College of DuPage Foundation and the McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn announced Monday that more than $93,000 was raised as part of a virtual gala called “For the Love of Frida: Bringing it Home.”
More than 460 households viewed the 75-minute virtual event on March 20. It was created to support the upcoming Cleve Carney Museum of Art exhibition “Frida Kahlo: Timeless.” The exhibition was to have come to COD last year, but it was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Frida Kahlo: Timeless” runs from June 5 to Sept. 6, and will feature a 26-piece collection on loan from the Museo Dolores Olmedo in Mexico. The exhibition also features more than 100 photographs from the artist's life and a Frida Kahlo-inspired garden designed by Ball Horticultural Company.
The virtual gala also included two “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” announcements. An architectural scale model of Kahlo's Casa Azul will be featured in the exhibit and built by Chicago-based Wight & Company, while a virtual tour is being planned to increase exhibit accessibility throughout the country.
The virtual gala featured McAninch director Diana Martinez as host. It included segments with local and international officials, an interview with star chef Carlos Gaytán (“Top Chef”) of the award-winning Chicago restaurant Tzuco and a tour of Kahlo-related sites in Mexico by curator Justin Witte.
More than 100 virtual gala guests also purchased party pack tickets that included a cocktail box kit from Tequilería and a customized cooler bag containing a three-course dinner for two prepared by Tzuco.
“Frida Kahlo: Timeless” is presented by Bank of America and made possible through support from the College of DuPage Foundation, Milly and Alan Peterson, Ball Horticultural Company, Wight & Company, Nicor Gas, Aeromexico, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Office of Tourism and the DuPage Foundation.
Tickets are on sale now. For more information visit Frida2021.org.