THE LOOK SERIES
Meet the Client
Contemporary Calgary began as a collaboration of visual arts partners, including the Institute of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Art Gallery of Calgary, and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Their mission is to build a global city of choice by engaging Calgary in the art of our times.
Objective of the Event
We were tasked with creating a multiyear campaign that would raise funds for Contemporary Calgary while also raising their profile.
The Event:
The LOOK series
Date:
2014, 2015, 2016
Client:
Contemporary Calgary
This Is LOOK
Nationally lauded. Internationally sought after. Celebrity filled. A multi-million dollar legacy- and only three years in the making. This is LOOK.
Contemporary Calgary’s LOOK series has ignited Western Canada’s cultural revolution through its experiential event programming and daring interpretations of what modern art should look and feel like in the 21st century.
Repeatedly hailed as one of the nation’s top events (The Globe and Mail 2015 and 2016), selling out weeks in advance, attracting attendees from around the world, and raising millions of dollars, the LOOK series has successfully established Contemporary Calgary as a thought leader in the modern and contemporary art world.
Over its lifetime, LOOK has engaged thousands of Canadians, played host to a plethora of celebrities, and raised significant funds in support of Contemporary Calgary.
Leveraging Star Power
The series has attracted the robust support of dozens of highly engaged, top tier sponsors, even seeing presenting sponsor Holt Renfrew organize a private shopping night (one of their most successful, to date) to support and raise interest in the event, which resulted in over 500 tickets being sold.
The event itself has featured a pop-up restaurant by award-winning chef Brett McDermott; multiple live art installations; a Warhol-inspired after party; Canada’s largest modern and contemporary art auctions; and a once-in-a-lifetime live conversation between New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik and award-winning actor, comedian, musician and art collector, Steve Martin- all hosted by TV personality Lainey Lui.
This event’s strategically built brand, impressive star power, magnetic programming, and thoughtful communications and marketing resulted in an award-winning series that far surpassed its marketing and fundraising goals.
THE RESULTS
Over the three years that this repeatedly sold out event ran, it raised millions of dollars, and saw thousands of people from across the nation attend. The event itself won multiple international awards and was lauded by The Globe and Mail as “the event of the year.”
