SAN FRANCISCO CENTER FOR THE BOOK’S 5TH ANNUAL GALA EVENT TO SUPPORT RECORD RESURGENCE IN INTEREST IN BOOKS AND BOOKMAKING
Decadent Wine and Dessert Party Celebrates Sweet Reclamation of Banned Books
The San Francisco Center for the Book (SFCB) is pleased to announce it will host the 5th Annual SFCB Gala Party and Live Auction to take place from 6pm until 10pm Friday, November 7, 2008, at SFCB, 300 DeHaro Street in San Francisco. All proceeds from this annual fundraising event support the programs of the San Francisco Center for the Book.
The SFCB provides both a home for Bay Area book artists and a place where the wider community of experienced practitioners and newcomers alike can discover book arts. SFCB workshops foster learning at all levels – from introductory classes to yearlong courses, traditional bookbinding to cutting-edge printing techniques and experimental book forms. Exhibitions also run year round at the Center, each designed and curated to inform and intrigue visitors. As a service to the community, free public programs abound at the Center, from poetry readings, to book signings to gallery talks.
This year’s Gala will kick off with an open wine bar with tastings of special vintages provided by Stags’ Leap Winery (stagsleap.com) and an opportunity to bid on silent auction items, including fine art and books from the current exhibition "Banned and Recovered: Artists Respond to Censorship".
Hearty hors d’oeuvres and a decadent dessert buffet featuring “forbidden fruits” (catered by Thomas John Events) will be paired with Stags’ Leap premium wines and gourmet coffees. Jazz music during the evening will be provided by Michael Gold (mgoldmusic.com) and guest artists.
The live auction will feature six 3'x 3' prints created at this year's Roadworks Steamroller Event (see sfcb.org/html/roadworks.html) by Patricia Curtan, Emory Douglas, Jason Jagel, Rik Olson, Favianna Rodriguez, and San Quentin State Prison students of Katya McCulloch with Art Hazelwood. In addition, the SFCB will auction several themed baskets inspired by the SFCB's current exhibition "Banned and Recovered: Artists Respond to Censorship" (in the SFCB Austin/Burch Gallery through Wednesday, November 26. 2008) containing banned books, wine related items, and more. The auction portion of the evening will close with a “Dutch” auction to support a new initiative of the SFCB, The Steve Woodall Program Fund, honoring 12 years of service by our outgoing Artistic Director.
Event Details:
6:00pm: Wine and hors d'oeuvres reception, silent auction opens
7:00pm: Live auction begins
8:00pm: “Forbidden Fruits” decadent desserts served (until 10pm)
9:00pm: Silent auction closes
Tickets are available at two levels:
General Admission Gala ticket: Includes open wine bar, hearty hors d’oeuvres and dessert, live and silent auction ($80/person, $150 for two)
Sponsor Gala ticket: Includes all of the above plus special event memento designed by artist Sara Silva and entry into a raffle for a magnum of Stags Leap 2005 Estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon ($125/person; $240 for two).
For reservations, please make checks payable to the San Francisco Center for the Book and send to SFCB Gala, 300 DeHaro Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Tickets are limited. Requests by mail or phone must be purchased by October 31.
For more information, contact dyana@sfcb.org or call 415-565-0545 x 15.
The SFCB Gala is sponsored this year in part by Stags' Leap Winery.
About the San Francisco Center for the Book
The San Francisco Center for the Book (SFCB) is devoted to teaching and fostering the joys of books and bookmaking—their history, artistry, continuing presence in our culture, and their enduring importance as a medium of self-expression. For more information, visit sfcb.org or call 415-565-0545.
