Gala Philanthropic Chairs Dan & Trish Bell, & Phillip & Patricia Frost
By: Dr. Mary Jo Almeida-Shore
Whether or not you are a science buff, the soon-to-be-open Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science will be one place you don’t want to miss. If the Galaxy Gala, the museum’s annual fundraiser was any indication, the lights, sounds, and over-the-top experiences the museum is sure to offer must be seen to be believed. Just ask any of the 1,200 guests who gathered at the Hilton Miami Downtown on the evening of Saturday, April 18 to raise over $1 million for Miami’s new science museum. This year’s theme was “Aqua Lumière.” Hosted by Chief Meteorologist John Morales of NBC 6 South Florida, the dynamic evening celebrated the playful and scientific interaction of light and water, and featured a water and light interactive graffiti experience by French artist Antonin Fourneau- reminiscent of the Lite Bright that kept many of us hyper kids entertained for hours. Guests also enjoyed a performance by Latin GRAMMY®-nominated artist Debi Nova, along with entertainment from Drew T and DJ Blaze Carreras. Produced by WOW Factor, the evening’s environment also included an interactive photo booth that allowed guests to envision themselves in the new Museum, and a massive video screen previewing video content that will be showcased inside the new Museum’s Living Core Aquarium. An interactive water-stimulation dance floor entertained guests along with other technological production aspects including a live “text to donate”feed, where guests were encouraged to purchase a “fish.”With each donation, the Museum’s Living Core Aquarium on the video screen would become more populated with fish.
The gala was followed by the Big Bang 2015: H2Glow after-party, a nightlife-inspired celebration hosted by the Frost Science Young Patrons, which began at 9 p.m. with a cocktail reception featuring glow-in-the-dark graffiti chalk boards, glow sticks and balloons, dancers and smoke machines from Kyrogenifex. At 11 p.m. the doors opened to the main event, where attendees joined gala guests and “crashed”the party., dancing until the early hours of the morning.
The 2015 Galaxy Gala: “Aqua Lumière”was hosted by the Museum’s Board of Trustees, under the leadership of a gala committee comprised of community activists and philanthropists. Gala co-chairs this year were Shelly & Marko Dimitrijevic and Jennifer & Gabriel Montoya. The Honorary Chair was the Hector Family; Philanthropic Chairs were Trish & Dan Bell; Host Chairs were Alicia Cervera Lamadrid & Alberto Lamadrid; and Presenting Chairs included Chanin & Adam Carlin, Jacqueline Simkin and Barbara & Michael Weintraub.
Since its inception, the Galaxy Gala has helped raise funds for the development of the new Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, a state-of-the-art facility under construction in downtown Miami’s Museum Park, slated to open in summer 2016. The new Museum will serve as the venue for future Galaxy Gala and Big Bang events.
