MONTREAL, Aug. 30, 2023 /CNW/ - Le Bal du MAC will hold its annual benefit event at the private art center Arsenal art contemporain on September 30, 2023, and is breaking new ground by offering guests an ephemeral club. Under the theme PALACE, this year's club aesthetic promises a bold contemporary art ambiance, under the artistic direction of the renowned Dick Walsh. Éric Bujold of the National Bank of Canada and Jade Raymond of Haven Studios will serve as honorary chairs. A silent auction will be held in the evening, featuring exceptional lots of works by internationally renowned artists such as Françoise Sullivan, Marc Séguin and Caroline Monnet. Some 700 guests are expected to attend, including well-known personalities, members of the artistic community and business professionals. The event is sold out.
PALACE : an electric and mysterious evening
The eagerly-awaited Bal du MAC enables the Fondation du Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal to donate funds to support the MAC's various educational activities, enrich the Museum's Collection, promote Quebec artists and present some of today's most prestigious international artists in Montreal.
This year, guests at the Bal du MAC will enter a select venue, hidden from the world, that will reveal itself only to them, for just one evening. The Arsenal will be transformed into a glamorous, enigmatic, ephemeral nightclub for guests wearing crazy chic evening wear. The name: PALACE. The atmosphere will be electric, creating a night where reality becomes blurred and the impossible becomes possible. DJ Frigid will provide the musical ambience. This fund-raising event promises to revisit the formula of balls and galas, offering a universe where art meets funkiness, audacity is celebrated and exuberance becomes the norm.
Under the honorary chairmanship of Éric Bujold (Head of Customer Relations, National Bank of Canada) and Jade Raymond (President and Founder, Studios Haven), the 2023 edition of the Bal du MAC owes its success to the dedicated and committed organizing committee made up of Marie-Josée Simard (Committee Chair), Elizabeth Camiré, Violette Cohen, Josée Dufresne, Sara Joli-Cœur, François Lachance, Stéphanie Larivière, Patricia Lemaire and Cathy Samson.
A silent auction of works by internationally renowned artists
A silent auction will once again feature local artists such as Anahita Akhavam, Nicolas Baier, Trevor Baird, Ludovic Boney, Jason Cantoro, Clovis-Alexandre Desvarieux, Jérôme Fortin and Rosalie Gamache, Moridja Kilenge Banza, Trevor Kiermander, Benjamin Klein, Suzelle Levasseur, Howard Lonn, Luce Meunier, Caroline Monnet, Anne-Marie Proulx, Robert Rahal, Marc Séguin, Lorraine Simms, Heidi Spector, Françoise Sullivan, and Ewa Monika Zebrowski. Auctioned works will be available exclusively to the evening's participants.
"The Bal du MAC remains the flagship event of the Fondation du MAC, and is essential to support the Museum's needs and maintain its commitment to contemporary art lovers. This year's edition promises to be another not-to-be-missed event in Montreal. I would like to thank our donors, volunteers and partners, as well as the MAC and Fondation teams, for their invaluable collaboration." - Anne Lebel, Executive Director of the MAC Foundation.
"It's a privilege for me to begin a new cultural season at the Musée as president of the Bal du MAC organizing committee. The 2023 event will be an opportunity to renew our love and support for the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, in a daring and convivial atmosphere." - Marie-Josée Simard, Chair of the Bal du MAC Committee
"Whether as Honorary President or as a contemporary art enthusiast, I'm proud of the National Bank of Canada's support as Official Partner of this year's Bal du MAC. Together, we are helping to further the MAC's mandate of promoting artists from here and abroad." - Éric Bujold, Chief Customer Relations Officer, National Bank of Canada.
" The Bal du MAC is a cultural catalyst that inspires us, connecting artistic and business communities throughout the city. It's an event not to be missed, and I am honoured and proud to work with the Fondation du MAC to highlight the importance of contemporary art, the ever-evolving influence and impact of human creativity, and the voice it gives to diverse perspectives that shape our world today." - Jade Raymond, president and founder of Haven Studios.
Acknowledgements
The Fondation du Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal would like to warmly thank the evening's president, Marie-Josée Simard, the honorary presidents, Éric Bujold and Jade Raymond, as well as all the members of the Bal du MAC organizing committee, Elizabeth Camiré, Violette Cohen, Josée Dufresne, Sara Joli-Cœur, François Lachance, Stéphanie Larivière, Patricia Lemaire and Cathy Samson, and its invaluable partners who make this event possible: Arsenal art contemporain, Banque Nationale and Studios Haven. The Foundation would also like to thank all its partners in goods and services for their invaluable support, including Club Local, Société des Alcools du Québec and Vins Balthazar. We would also like to thank Studio Baillat for its visual signature for the Bal du MAC 2023.
About the Fondation du MAC
The mission of the Fondation du MAC is to support the museum in its various areas of activity, namely the enrichment of its collection, exhibition production, promotion and educational programs. Its mandate is to solicit funds from companies, philanthropic foundations and individuals interested in the dissemination and conservation of contemporary art in Québec, Canada and abroad. The Foundation thus participates in the development of the very first major institution devoted entirely to contemporary art in Canada: the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. https://macm.org/en/foundation/ 
About the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) brings contemporary art to life in Montréal and Québec. For more than fifty years, the MAC has been a vibrant place where local and international artists, their works and an ever-growing public come together. As a place of discovery, the Museum offers visitors constantly renewed, often unexpected and striking experiences. The MAC presents temporary exhibitions devoted to current artists - relevant and significant - who are privileged witnesses of our society, as well as exhibitions of works drawn from the institution's rich permanent collection. Here, all forms of expression are possible: digital and sound works, installations, paintings, sculptures, immaterial works and more. Offering a range of educational activities that familiarize the general public with contemporary art, the MAC is also the instigator of unique artistic performances and festive events. This is a window on a thousand avant-garde expressions that make art shine in the city and in the world. www.macm.org
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