66th edition of the Museum Ball raises more than $2 million for the MMFA

More than $2 million was raised at the 66th edition of the Museum Ball, held on November 7. The sole fundraising event organized in support of the MMFA, the Ball annually brings together key figures from the spheres of art, politics and business to celebrate and support culture.

The Ball was presented by IG Private Wealth Management and co-chaired by Rana Ghorayeb, Executive Vice-President – Head of Real Estate at La Caisse,Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, and Annamaria Testani, Head of Strategy, Advisor and Client Experience at IG Wealth Management.

Guests were also invited to tour this autumn's major exhibition, Chiharu Shiota : The Soul Trembles, lauded by the public and critics alike. The internationally renowned Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota generously created an illustration for the occasion, which was handed out to party goers. This was just one of the many contributions made by the artistic community, while Canadian artist Karilee Fuglem designed one of the galleries as this year’s guest scenographic artist. Montreal’s multidisciplinary artist Gabrielle Laïla Tittley, better known as Pony, was also on hand to ask attendees about their relationship to art and to the Museum, as a sort of “person-on-the-street.” Guests could also admire the works in the MMFA collection, made by artists from here and abroad, in the banquet halls. Chef Youssef Jbari, of Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim, crafted a special menu for the event, in which, as he described, “[e]ach dish is an expression of connection–to place, to culture, to nature and, ultimately, to one another.”

The theme of this year’s Museum Ball was “Returning to Love,” an ode to the strength of the ties that bind us together. More than 800 people heeded the call, not to mention the hundreds of guests who joined the party following the meal for the irresistible Museum After-Ball, where the band Broken Nails and DJ Dr. MaD kept the crowd dancing until the wee hours.

The Ball is crucial for maintaining the MMFA’s financial well-being. As a not-for-profit organization, the Museum has to raise funds for over half its operating budget as well as for the vast majority of its acquisitions. The Museum Ball’s Virtual Auction, a first this year, gave guests and the public at large the chance to support the institution. Items up for bid included a night at the MMFA and a photograph autographed by Cole Caulfield, exhibited last spring on the first floor of the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion.

The next edition of the Museum Ball will take place November 6, 2027.

Acknowledgments
Presenting Sponsor : IG Private Wealth Management
After-Ball Official Partner : Dunton Rainville
Hall of Honour Sponsor : Heritage Acutions
Official Wine Partner : E. Guigal
Festivity Partners : Gin Hendrick's, Labatt
Photo Booth Partner : Airbnb
Beauty Partner : Aeosp
Gift sponsored by : Warwick Le Crystal - Montréal

ABP, Atelier Le Traon, Avera AV, Bernie Beigne, Camellia Sinensis, Caserne, Chef Youssef Jbari, Lobby Lounge & RawBar, Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver, Chiharu Shiota, Cochons tout ronds, Comète, Cozey, edible arrangements, EQ3, Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, Forand Évènements, Fréchette, Vins d’exception, Henry Mizrahi, Hydro-Québec, Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec, JOY Wellness Club, Les Marchands, Les Sœurs en vrac, Lester’s, LG Chabot, L'Orangerie – Spa thermal du Vieux-Montréal , Master Shucker, Le Maître Écailler, METRO, Niché, Peinture Denalt, RE Le Traiteur, SAQ, Sizons, Tenue de Soirée.

Additional thanks to Anaïs Maison Florale, Aube Expérience, Florence Boulianne, Broken Nails, Canada Sauce, Catastrophe, Célébrations, Concordia Business Services, DJ Dr. MaD, Frédéric Faddoul, Gabriel Fournier, Jimmy Hamelin, HIDI, Alexis Johnston-Benamou, LeBooth Activation, Charlotte Lefebvre, Orbita Futura, Oxide Design Floral, Peter’s Heaters, Phénix AcroArts, Poterie Mylo, Pro Séri, Québec Photobooth, Myriam Reid, Dylan Ross-Aubré, Matt Smilenot, Staff Personnel Événementiel, Studio C, Studio Sveja and Valet Prestige.