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Canadian Art Social 2018, Toronto

The Canadian Art Foundation, a national non-profit which, among other art-based education and programming initiatives, publishes Canadian Art magazine, held its 23rd-annual fundraising dinner and auction on Sept. 27 at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. In a sea of galas anchored by auctions, what set this latest (and all Canadian Art galas past) apart was the calibre of art on offer. Weighty works once again fetched handsome sums that directly support the work of the foundation. The magazine’s editor and co-publisher David Balzer spoke to the few hundred in attendance, as did Pomp & Circumstance PR co-founder Amanda Alvaro and philanthropic adviser Debra Campbell, who both served as the event’s co-chairs (Jessica Bradley and Stefan Hancherow co-chaired the 2018 art advisory committee). Postdinner, Stephen Ranger took to the stage, gavel in hand, to auction some of the meatiest lots, including works from Margaux Williamson, Jeremy Laing and Rebecca Belmore, who were just a few of the many artists dotting the space.

  • David Balzer.Nolan Bryant

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Walk in the Park in support of the OVC Pet Trust, Toronto

The following week, Daniels Spectrum was the space for the biennial Walk in the Park gala, a gathering to raise funds for the OVC Pet Trust, a first-of-its-kind fund founded in 1986 at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph that focuses on the health and well-being of companion animals. The evening, co-chaired by philanthropist Emmanuelle Gattuso and lawyer Roly Browning Watt, featured a hologram appearance by actor Jon Hamm (I’m still trying to figure out how it worked), an auction that included luxury beds for lucky dogs created by Toronto designers and a pup portrait session with Deborah Samuel (my host, Dana Margolis, a member of the event committee, went home with that one). The Oct. 1 gala raised just shy of $5-million, an impressive sum that will support emergency medicine and critical care at OVC.

  • co-chair Emmanuelle Gattuso - Walk in The Park in support of the OVC pet trust, TorontoNolan Bryant

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