April 16, 2001
Carlos preps for annual gala By Eric Rangus erangus@emory.edu
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A Night on the Nile is the theme for Veneralia 2001, the Carlos Museums annual fundraising gala, Saturday, April 21. The telltale theme coincides with the debut of a new, never-before-seen private collection of Egyptian art, and proceeds will help fund new Egyptian galleries, which will open in the fall. Tickets are $250 per individual, and patron tickets are $1,000 per couple.
Running an art museum and acquiring pieces of the quality displayed at
the Carlos is an expensive endeavor. Veneralia plays a major role in filling
the coffers. A lot of people dont know it, but we are responsible for
raising 50 percent of our budget, said Allison Germaneso Dixon,
the museums coordinator of marketing and public relations. Veneralia
is a big part of how we do this. Indeed. Since 1989, Veneralia has been the Carlos primary tool
to raise funds, and it has been quite successful. Last year, Veneralia
(which means Festival of Venus) brought in more than $160,000
through ticket sales and a live auction. It is estimated that about 350 peoplemore than half of them museum
memberswill attend Veneralia 2001. A sit-down gathering of that
size is much too large for the museums reception hall, so it facilitates
the raising of a 10,000 sq. ft. tent that occupies the Quad in front of
the museum for a week before the event. Since the tent blocks off the sidewalk in front of the Carlosand
because a huge white tent is not exactly aesthetically pleasingnot
everyone on campus appreciates its existence. But it is the tent that makes the event possible, Germaneso Dixon said,
and without it, a vitally important fundraiser would be in jeopardy. We
hope that people will understand and bear with us, she said. Proceeds will support the museums newly acquired Lichirie Collection
of Egyptian artifacts, an exhibit of which is set to open Oct. 6. Veneralia 2001 will begin with a cocktail reception at 7 p.m., and attendees
also will get a sneak preview of the museums newest exhibition,
The Collectors Eye: Master-pieces of Egyptian Art from the
Thalassic Collection. The 175-piece collection, which ranges from monumental statues of pharaohs
to finely crafted amulets and jewels, has never been shown publicly and
will make its debut April 22. The gathering will move inside the tent at 8 p.m. for dinner and dancing
to the music of the Bo Thorpe Orchestra. While tickets are a significant source of income for the Carlos, a majority
of the proceeds come from the live auction. The list of items up for bidding this year includes a Egyptian vacation, a 14-day cruise around Northern Europe and Scandi-navia, several pieces of jewelry and art, and a Jaguar XKR convertible. For more information or to receive an invitation and purchase tickets, call 404-727-2251. |