On Saturday October 2nd, Sag Harbor Cinema hosted their first annual Un-Gala at The Church at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor. The collaboration between the two East End non-profits raised close to $500,000.00. Lite bites and libations were served in the basement which acted as an interactive gallery with land and seascapes created by known philanthropic artists and The Church co-founders Eric Fischl and April Gornik. Gornik serves as Chairperson on Sag Harbor Cinema’s Board of Directors. The red carpet consisted of a rendition of the yellow brick road with poppies blooming and the Emerald City in view behind a rainbow. Props were on hand and dogs were in attendance.
Guests were greeted by Sag Harbor Cinema Board President John Alschuler and Eric Fischel who discussed how the two non-profits have impacted the community.
Dinner was served by Cynthia Battaglia of Distinctive Catering beneath a piñata in the shape of a vehicle by artist Justin Favela in the main hall. The interior of The Church had been gutted and rebuilt in a modern Tudor-style where local writers are celebrated with large black and white photographs. The Church is a deconsecrated 19th century Methodist church which was gutted, then reconstructed by Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership. Each course had colorful additions of edible flowers or pomegranate seeds to adhere to the whimsey. Live auction paddles consisted of masks that guests could decorate like unicorns. Bounty, Celebrate, Culture, Church, Cinema, Anchor, Local, Harvest, Local, Dance, Eat, Drink, Party and Play seemed to be the theme while live auctioneer Gabriel Butu encouraged guests to keep bidding. At the end a bounty of confetti rained down on the guests as the New Orleans-inspired eight-piece band The HooDoo Loungers entertained. Guests then joined DJ Chili at the afterparty at The Cinema with handcrafted cocktails served by Jesse Matsuoka of Sen, Sag Harbor.
Sag Harbor Cinema’s art-deco sign has become a symbol of the old and new Sag Harbor as it was recently saved in the 2016 fire. The facade of the Cinema had to remain the same as a historical icon of The East End. The Cinema has three state of the art theaters with independent, foreign language, and documentary films. SHC provides education programs on film history, film making and more.
“I think the message was sent that we don’t mess around when it comes to creative play,” said Fischl.
Sponsors of the event included: Lead Sponsor Fiduciary Trust International; the support of Teremana Tequila, Empire Merchants, Bedell, Wolffer Estate, Channing Daughters, Croteaux Vineyards, The HooDoo Loungers and Sag Harbor Florists, and the generous support of Alschuler & Diana Diamond; Martin & Michele Cohen; Ryan Greenawalt & Joey Licitra; Helena Hernmarck; Phil Kent; Lena Kaplan; Wendy Keys; Linda Mintz & Penny Zuckerwise; Katherine Rayner; and Darren Star.
The Un-Gala 2021 was made possible by the Host Committee: John Alschuler and Diana Diamond, Laurie Anderson, Bill and Jill Collage, Moises Cerdas and Marta Blanco, Blythe Danner, Alexandra and Chris Dean, Peter Duchin and Virginia Coleman, Bill Evans and Sandra Foschi, Amanda and Glenn Fuhrman, Steven Gambrel and James Anderson, April Gornik and Eric Fischl, Ryan Greenawalt and Joey Licitra, Billy Joel, John Kaplan, Phil Kent, Wendy Keys, Susan Mead and Neil Slevin, Hilary Loomis, Susan Lacy and Halsted Welles, Don Lemon and Tim Malone, Rob Marshall and John Deluca, Mario Polumbo and Stefan Gargiulo, Richard and Lisa Plepler, JJ and Chelsea Redick, Nicole Seligman and Joel Klein, Darren Star, Sally Susman and Robin Canter, Dini von Mueffling, E.T. and Audlyn Williams.
sagharborchurch.org
sagharborcinema.org
