Council for Canadian American Relations to Honor Jacqueline Desmarais and Frank Gehry at 40th Anniversary Gala, 4/30

On April 30, 2014, Jacqueline Desmarais, patron of the musical arts and benefactor of young musicians, and Frank Gehry, iconoclastic architect and design visionary, will be honored by the Council for Canadian American Relations (CCAR) at its 40th anniversary Gala dinner in New York City at the Metropolitan Club. The Honorary Gala Chairmen are The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney and Mrs. Mila Mulroney, and The Honorable Hilary M. Weston and W. Galen Weston. Audrey and David Mirvish with Lauren and John J. Veronis are the Gala Co-Chairs. The gala will host prominent dignitaries as well as leaders in business, the arts, and public life from both countries.

The gala evening's program will highlight the accomplishments of its distinguished honorees, whose contributions have made a significant difference in the arts and culture of both Canada and the United States. The evening is also a celebration of CCAR's 40 years of achievement, as well as the organization's future plans for important cultural collaborations between Canada and the United States. A portion of the funds raised in this evening will go a newly named Jacqueline Desmarais Fund for Young Artists and to the TurnaroundArts initiative (an affiliate of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities) on behalf of Frank Gehry.

Since its creation (originally as American Friends of Canada) by David Rockefeller and the late Prime Minister of Canada, The Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the Council for Canadian American Relations has served as an 'open door' to dialogue and understanding between the two nations through its support of the arts. The organization represents a consortium of donors in both countries, and more than 100 beneficiary institutions ranging in size and scope. Grantees have ranged from the Art Gallery of Ontario to MoMA, the Canadian Opera Company to The Metropolitan Opera, and many more. Its special programs provide forums for broader dialogue that, in turn serve to foster understanding and friendship between the two nations.

Ticket & Table information:

$50,000 Platinum Table

Includes listing on the Leadership Committee on the gala invitation and printed program; premiere seating for ten at the gala dinner; special acknowledgement during the evening; full page message in the printed program.

$25,000 Gold Table

Includes listing on the Leadership Committee on the gala invitation and the printed program; prime seating for ten at the gala dinner; full-page message in the printed program.

$10,000 Silver Table

Includes listing on the Leadership Committee on the gala invitation and printed program; preferred seating for ten at the gala dinner.

$2,000 Gold Ticket(s)

Includes listing on the Committee on the gala invitation and printed program.

$1,000 Silver Ticket(s)

To purchase tickets and tables contact: Council for Canadian American Relations Gala Office c/o MK Event Studio, 111 Cherry Street, New Canaan, CT 06840 Tel: (203) 298-4722 Fax: (203) 298-4724.

Tickets are tax deductible as permitted by law in both the US and Canada. Council for Canadian American Relations is a U.S. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Canadian taxpayers may also receive a tax credit, as a qualified donee under subsection 149.1(1) of the Canadian Income Tax Act.

For further information on the gala, email gala@ccar-nyc.org.

About the Council For Canadian American Relations (CCAR): CCAR operates a program that makes it possible for individuals in Canada and the United States to receive a tax benefit when supporting arts and cultural institutions across the border. Beginning in 2013, CCAR launched a new series of special programs and events celebrating Canadian-American collaborations through the arts to provide even greater support for cultural organizations in the two countries.

The Council for Canadian American Relations was created in 1972 as American Friends of Canada by prominent U.S. banker David Rockefeller and the late Prime Minister of Canada, The Rt. Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau. It was supported by an exceptional group of political and business leaders that included Henry Ford II; Robert Sarnoff, Chairman of RCA; art collectors Norton Simon and Lila DeWitt Wallace, and notable Canadian philanthropist Bluma Appel. The original mission was to foster and encourage awareness, understanding and appreciation between the peoples of Canada and the United States through the arts. These visionaries knew that by creating a tax-wise program to encourage cross-border donations to the arts, they would be opening a door between the peoples of Canada and the United States. It has been a very wide door. Over its 40 years, CCAR has loaned and gifted hundreds of works of art to museums and galleries, and established cultural programs that encourage dialogue through the arts between Canada and the United States.

CCAR's Mission: The Council for Canadian American Relations promotes artistic excellence and strengthens cultural institutions within and between the two nations through its programs and facilitation of cross-border funding.