Fifth Snap Gala Brings Art Institute's Permanent Collection into Focus

The Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Photography is pleased to hostSnap: The 5th Photography Benefit Gala on October 19, 2013 in the museum's Modern Wing. This year's event celebrates the museum's encyclopedic permanent collection of photography. Proceeds from Snap contribute to the Photography Gala Fund, the largest single source of acquisitions support for photography at the Art Institute. This fund has helped make possible landmark purchases of work by André Kertész, Richard Misrach, Daido Moriyama, and Ed Ruscha, among others. The event is co-chaired by Meredith Bluhm-Wolf and Dia S. Weil.

The gala will commence at 7:00 p.m. in the Art Institute's fine-dining restaurant Terzo Piano with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and a stunning nighttime view of Chicago's sweeping skyline. Popular at previous Snap galas, guests will once again have the opportunity to get their photo snapped in classic photo booths and sets depicting famous photographs. A seated dinner of locally grown, seasonal fare follows at 8:30 p.m. in the Modern Wing's Griffin Court with an innovative setting designed by INDO, a Chicago-based design and fabrications firm specializing in site-specific installations created with recycled and repurposed materials.

At 9:30 p.m., a live auction of photography sessions by internationally renowned photographers-including Moyra Davey, Abelardo Morell, Jason Salavon, Tony Tasset, and James Welling-will be conducted by Alexander Gilkes of Phillips. Desserts and after-dinner drinks will be served following the auction.

About the Photography Permanent Collection

Although photographs were exhibited at the Art Institute throughout the 20th century, a dedicated department of photography was not formed until 1974. The photography collection itself began in 1949 with the gift of nearly 250 photographs by Alfred Stieglitz and his circle. The Stieglitz Collection, along with the Julien Levy Collection of Surrealist and avant-garde works, gave the museum core strength in early 20th-century photography from the United States and Europe. The Art Institute's collection also includes important works by pioneers and expeditionary photographers of the 19th century, as well as photography made in Chicago, beginning with the heyday of the New Bauhaus at the Illinois Institute of Technology in the 1940s and 1950s. With approximately 22,000 objects, the present collection is encyclopedic in scope, inspiring a continuing program of engaging exhibitions on subjects across photographic history.