On a June evening in Calgary, a city's relationship with its own cultural future was put on vivid display. Contemporary Calgary's LOOK 2022 gala — dressed in the spirit of Studio 54 and the instruction to be fabulous — raised nearly $1 million for contemporary arts, drawing together artists, civic leaders, sponsors, and volunteers around a shared conviction that culture is not a luxury but a commitment. The sum itself is significant, but what it represents is more so: a community choosing, deliberately and generously, to invest in the institutions that shape its identity.
Contemporary Calgary's LOOK 2022 Gala Raises Nearly $1 Million
Nearly $1 million raised by a city deciding culture deserves investment
Mark
So nearly a million dollars in one night—how does that actually work? Where does the money come from?
Mimi
Multiple streams. The silent and live auctions are a big piece—people bid on art and experiences. Sponsors underwrite the event itself, so their contributions go directly to the organization. And then there are ticket sales, donations made during the evening. It all adds up.
Luke
But we should be clear: the source doesn't break down the revenue by category. We know the total raised, but not whether it was 40 percent auctions, 30 percent sponsorships, 30 percent tickets, or some other split. That detail isn't in the reporting.
Mark
Fair point. So who actually made this happen—was it the board, or did they hire an event company?
Mimi
The board and a committee of volunteers and community leaders. Kelly Streit chaired it—she runs Mode Models and sits on Contemporary Calgary's board. Peter Tertzakian was board chair. David Leinster is the CEO. Then there were honorary chairs like Douglas Coupland and Ann McCaig, and vice-chairs, and a whole committee.
Luke
The source names some people but says "to name but a few," which means there were more. We don't have a complete picture of who was involved or what each person's specific role was beyond their title.
Mark
Why does the Studio 54 theme matter? Is that just window dressing?
Mimi
It's part of the appeal, sure, but it also signals something about what the organization is trying to do—connect contemporary art to culture, to nightlife, to the moment. Studio 54 was about art and community colliding. That's the spirit they were borrowing.
Luke
That's interpretation, though. The source tells us the theme was Studio 54 and that it was fabulous. The meaning we're drawing from that is ours, not explicitly stated in the reporting.
Mark
What happens with the money now?
Mimi
It goes to Contemporary Calgary to support their work—exhibitions, programming, operations. That's the whole point of the gala.
Luke
Right, but the source doesn't specify how the organization plans to use the funds or what their priorities are. We know the money was raised for "arts and culture in our fair city," but not the granular details of allocation.
El Pulso
- Arts organizations rarely survive on programming alone, and Contemporary Calgary's ability to sustain itself depends on moments exactly like this — a single evening capable of generating nearly $1 million.
- The gala's Studio 54 theme created genuine electricity, with drag performances, live and silent auctions, and an after-party that refused to let the night wind down quietly.
- Behind the spectacle, a carefully assembled team — board members, honorary chairs including Douglas Coupland and Kelly Oxford, vice-chairs, committee members, and volunteers — worked to ensure every moving part aligned.
- Major sponsors underwrote the evening's costs while bidders at auction committed serious money to art and experiences, translating festivity into financial fuel for the institution.
- The nearly $1 million raised signals not just a successful event but a city actively deciding that contemporary art deserves sustained, meaningful support.
On a June evening in Calgary, a city's relationship with its own cultural future was put on vivid display. Contemporary Calgary's LOOK 2022 gala — dressed in the spirit of Studio 54 and the instruction to be fabulous — raised nearly $1 million for contemporary arts, drawing together artists, civic leaders, sponsors, and volunteers around a shared conviction that culture is not a luxury but a commitment. The sum itself is significant, but what it represents is more so: a community choosing, deliberately and generously, to invest in the institutions that shape its identity.
When the invitation arrived with a single instruction — Dress Code: Fabulous — attendees already understood the kind of evening Contemporary Calgary had in mind. The LOOK 2022 gala, held June 11 and themed after the legendary Studio 54, delivered on every promise: drag performances, curated food and drink, live and silent auctions, and an after-party that extended the night well past its formal conclusion. By the end, the organization had raised nearly $1 million — a figure that says something not just about one evening, but about a city's ongoing commitment to contemporary art.
The result was no accident. Chairing the event was Kelly Streit, founder of Mode Models and a Contemporary Calgary board member, working alongside board chair Peter Tertzakian and CEO David Leinster. Honorary chairs Douglas Coupland, Ann McCaig, Kelly Oxford, and Adrian Stimson brought their networks to bear, while vice-chairs Kim Berjian and Erin Donnelly-Ferguson, and a broader committee of artists, executives, and community figures, handled the countless decisions that transform ambition into an actual evening.
What united them was conviction rather than obligation — a shared belief that arts and culture are central to Calgary's identity. The Studio 54 theme was chosen deliberately: that New York club once represented a collision of art, music, fashion, and community that felt genuinely alive. Contemporary Calgary borrowed that spirit, creating an atmosphere where guests didn't merely attend but participated — bidding, celebrating, staying late.
Nearly $1 million raised in a single evening requires the alignment of many things at once: trusted leadership, a compelling mission, sponsors willing to invest, and a community with both the means and the will to direct resources toward culture. The fabulous dress code was the visible surface. Underneath it was something more serious — a city making a deliberate choice about what it values and what it intends to sustain.
When the invitation arrived with a single instruction—Dress Code: Fabulous—attendees understood what they were walking into. On June 11, Contemporary Calgary threw its LOOK 2022 gala, a Studio 54-themed evening that delivered exactly what the dress code promised: visual spectacle, drag performances, carefully curated food and drink, and the kind of after-party that lingers in memory long after the night ends. What made the evening remarkable, though, was not just the production value or the costumes. The gala raised nearly $1 million for the organization, a sum that speaks to something deeper than a single night of celebration—it reflects a city's commitment to keeping contemporary art alive.
The money did not materialize by accident. Behind the glittering surface was the work of a substantial team, each person bringing their piece to the puzzle. Kelly Streit, founder and CEO of Mode Models and a board member at Contemporary Calgary, chaired the event. Peter Tertzakian served as board chair, while David Leinster, the organization's CEO, helped steer the vision. The honorary event chairs—Douglas Coupland, Ann McCaig, Kelly Oxford, and Adrian Stimson—lent their names and networks to the cause. Kim Berjian and Erin Donnelly-Ferguson took on vice-chair roles. Beyond that core group sat a committee that included Alexandra Burroughs, Chris Cran, Deb Kerr, Kevin Krausert, Ellen Parker, Carol Ryder, and Elizabeth Carson, among others whose names the record does not fully capture.
What bound this group together was not obligation but shared conviction: that arts and culture matter to Calgary's identity and future. The gala itself became a vehicle for that belief. The silent and live auctions drew bidders willing to spend serious money on art and experiences. Sponsors stepped forward to underwrite the evening's costs, knowing their investment would flow directly to supporting the institution. Performers—particularly the drag acts that punctuated the night—brought energy and artistry that money alone cannot buy. Volunteers handled the thousand small tasks that transform a vision into an actual event.
The Studio 54 theme was more than nostalgia. That legendary New York nightclub represented a moment when art, music, fashion, and community collided in a space that felt alive and urgent. Contemporary Calgary borrowed that spirit for an evening, creating an atmosphere where people wanted not just to attend but to participate, to bid, to celebrate. The after-party extended the night, suggesting that the energy generated was too vital to simply end when the formal program concluded.
Nearly $1 million is a substantial sum for a single evening's fundraising, and it does not emerge from thin air. It requires the alignment of many moving parts: a compelling mission, trusted leadership, a community with disposable income and the will to direct it toward culture, and the logistical skill to pull off an event that feels effortless even though it is anything but. The gala succeeded because all those elements came together. The fabulous dress code was just the visible surface of something more serious underneath—a city deciding that contemporary art deserves investment, that the institutions housing it deserve support, and that the people who make those institutions possible deserve recognition.
Citas Notables
Such success happens only when a dedicated army of staff, sponsors, artists and volunteers unite for a common cause – that being the importance of arts and culture in our fair city.— Source reporting on the gala's success
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en Calgary Herald ↗
General News