Unlocking Hope

Empowering gala unlocks $300,000 for Women's Fund at Austin Community Foundation

Keyholder 19 Women’s Fund at Austin Community Foundation

Lexie Hall and Nicole Hughes.

Photo courtesy of Austin Community Foundation

What: Keyholder '18

Where: Topfer Theater at ZACH

The lowdown: More than 400 people gathered at Zach's Topfer Theater on December 4 for Keyholder '18, the marquee fundraising event for the Women’s Fund at Austin Community Foundation. Held in conjunction with Google, attendees raised more than $300,000 for the Women's Fund, which helps close the inequality gap for women and children in Central Texas.

CNN's National Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux served as the fundraiser's keynote speaker and shared deeply personal stories from her own time spent caring for her mother as she battled ALS.

Another highlight of Keyholder '18 was the creation of the Innovation Grant. According to the Austin Community Foundation, the grant "will be awarded in 2019 to a nonprofit organization that is taking a creative and innovative approach to addressing one or more impact areas of the Women’s Fund."

Who: Suzanne Malveaux, Toya Bell, Diane T. Land, Marjorie Clifton, Lexie Hall, Nicole Hughes, Sara Seely, Bernd Lienhard, Kimberly Storin, Beth Goff-McMillan, Jessica Weaver, Cynthia Shafer, Tahjar Roamartinez, Jenny DuFresne, Cherie Mathews, Melinda Garvey, and Andra Liemandt.

Mike Nellis, Madge Vásquez, and Shannon Ratliff

$Keyholder 19 Women\u2019s Fund at Austin Community Foundation$

Photo courtesy of Austin Community Foundation

Mike Nellis, Madge Vásquez, and Shannon Ratliff

charity

Night at the Museum

Austin museum opens lush gala afterparties to the public for first time

Photo from Thecontemporaryaustin.org.

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For 11 years now, the Contemporary Austin has been hosting "Art Dinners" at its lakeside location, Laguna Gloria. These fairytale-like galas take place as dusk sets in, surrounded by twinkling lights strung across the property's sprawling 14-acre sculpture park. But until now, they've been invitation-only affairs. For the first time ever, the Contemporary Austin is inviting the public to the best part this magical evening: a late-night afterparty.

The Art Dinners have welcomed 300 art luminaries, collectors, civic leaders, and philanthropists over these years to raise funds for the museum's classes and exhibits.

On October 25, once the dishes are put away and the early birds have weeded themselves out, the Art Dinner Afterparty will begin. It will go from 9:30 until "late evening."

Guests can expect a pop-up cocktail bar by the cool Austin speakeasy Garage, with specialty drinks like espresso martinis. Plus, there will be late night snacks from Dolce Bacio Gelato and Restart CBD. Live music and performances will be provided by J'cuuzi and DJ SuperNova of Pangea Sound. Highlights also include: tarot card and palm readings, live body painting, and fire dancing. All of this set to the stunning backdrop of Laguna Gloria's grounds at night. It's basically A Midsummer Night's Dream.

A DJ performs at a late-night Laguna Gloria party. Live music for this after party will include performances by J'cuuzi and DJ SuperNova of Pangea Sound. Photo courtesy of Giant Noise

"We're excited for the magic of our iconic Art Dinner to reach wider audiences," says the museum's Earnest and Sarah Butler executive director and CEO, Sharon Maidenberg, in a release. "We wanted to extend the welcome to more folks and give them the opportunity to engage with our gala, which has historically been a very intimate affair."

Tickets are now on sale on the Contemporary Austin's website at $160 for members and $200 for nonmembers. Ticket sales will benefit the museum's exhibits and educational programming. The Contemporary is Austin's only museum focused solely on contemporary artists and their work. It offers year-round exhibitions, classes, workshops, and events.

$The Contemporary Austin \u2014 Laguna Gloria$ The Contemporary Austin — Laguna Gloria is one of the most beautifu Artwork by Tom Friedman, photo by Brian Fitzsimmons via the Contemporary Austin

Event organizers recommend that guests "dress sharp." Valet parking will be provided, but if this night is as Shakespearian as we think it might be, you may want to catch a rideshare.

More information about the museum is available at thecontemporaryaustin.org.

museums galleries galas dinner visual art