Art is the Heart of Orange County
Nearly 400 guests came together to attend the Orange County Museum of Art’s (OCMA) second annual Art Sense Opening Gala on Oct.1. The black-tie, sold-out celebration netted more than $2.1 million, which will support the museum and its operations in its inaugural season.
The sum raised is double the achievement of any previous OCMA fundraising event.
The Art Sense Opening Gala, which was chaired by Jennifer Segerstrom and co-chaired by Lisa Merage, co-founder and managing partner, RAJ Capital, took place at the museum’s new building in the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus, next to the Segerstrom Concert Hall.
The event, which was presented by lead sponsor South Coast Plaza, honored artist Sanford Biggers with the first Art Sense Gala award. Biggers was commissioned to create an outdoor sculpture, titled “Of Many Waters…(2022).” The sculpture serves as one of the inaugural exhibitions at OCMA, which opened to the public on Oct. 8.
Heidi Zuckerman, CEO and director, OCMA, thanked the gala attendees, saying, “Events like tonight, in places like this stunning new museum, take so much perseverance, and focus, and attention, and grace, from so many people.”
The new $93 million museum boasts a 53,000-square-foot facility, with an open plaza that includes an additional 25,000 square feet of exhibition space. A spacious roof terrace, equal in size to 70% of the building’s footprint, will offer additional space that can be arranged as needed for installations and events. The OCMA building was designed by Morphosis Architects under the direction of Thom Mayne, founder, Morphosis Architects, and a Pritzker-prize winner, and Brandon Welling, partner-in-charge, Morphosis Architects.
OCMA will offer free admission to the public for 10 years, thanks to a $2.5 million gift from Lugano Diamonds.
Fore a Cure
CureDuchenne partnered with Ryan Getzlaf, retired Anaheim Ducks captain and Stanley Cup-winning NHL All-Star and his wife, Paige, for the 11th Annual Getzlaf Golf Shootout.
Held on Sept. 9-10, the event raised more than $750,000 to support CureDuchenne.
The Getzlaf Golf Shootout brought together professional athletes, celebrities and community leaders for a two-day experience. The event featured an MVP Dinner reception on Friday evening followed by a day of activities and golf at the Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point.
This year’s sponsors included Porsche, FR Construction, F&F Capital Group, Roger Dunn Golf Hawaii, Air Control Systems, Duke Spirits, Ameriprise Financial, PMG, TaylorMade, Independent Capital Management Inc., Ayres Hotels, Ayres Construction Company, TSG Wealth Management, Brewery X, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, TransUnited Financial Services, Inc., Krank Golf, Glaceau Smartwater, Anuva Capital and Khalil Law Group.
Over the past 11 years, the Getzlafs have raised more than $5.3 million to fund early-stage research and bring new therapies for boys and their families dealing with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy, which affects approximately one in 5,000 male births.
“Every dollar raised and invested into cutting-edge research moves us closer to a cure, said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne. “Now more than ever, hope for a cure is on the horizon.”
Wine Time
More than 300 guests gathered at the 16th annual Keep the Promise wine tasting benefit at Big Canyon Country Club on Sept. 15, in support of The Wooden Floor. The evening grossed nearly $435,000, for the youth development nonprofit.
More than 200 bottles of 12 of the world’s top 1% wines—all with a rating of 100 points—were uncorked for the tasting experience, including the 2010 Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vielles Vigne from Rhone, France; the 2013 Opus One, Napa Valley; and the 2013 Aubert Eastside Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast.
All the wines at the benefit were hand-selected and donated by Orange County philanthropists Janice and John Markley, longtime supporters of The Wooden Floor and honorary co-chairs of the event. The Markleys founded the benefit in 2006.
The evening’s sponsors included Janice and John Markley; R&V Management; Frome Family Foundation; KNU for Kids Foundation; The Smith Group; Anaheim Ducks and Honda Center; City National Bank; Cohn & Swartzon, PC; The Ezralow Company; First Republic Bank; Hydraflow—The Ayloush Family; Carlson & Jayakumar LLP—Jehan Jayakumar; Ronald M. Simon Family Foundation; Cox Castle & Nicholson LLP; and Rutan & Tucker.
Bits & Pieces
MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center on Sept. 20 held a groundbreaking ceremony for its 40,000-square-foot Women’s Health Pavilion, which is scheduled to open in 2023 in Laguna Hills. On Sept. 15, the Laguna Art Museum celebrated the creation of the Directors Circle—a new high-level patron group of museum members whose philanthropic support the museum’s major initiatives, education programs, exhibitions and community engagement—with an inaugural dinner and awards night held at the Montage Laguna Beach, a major sponsor of the evening.
