Renowned interior designer Bunny Williams will headline Symposium
The Mint Museum Auxiliary is pleased to announce its 57th Annual Room to Bloom Celebration, which will take place April 14-May 22, 2010. This fundraiser supports The Mint Museum and the opening of the new Mint Museum Uptown on October 1. Auxiliary members Cathy Austin and Margaret Switzer are serving as co-chairs of the 2010 celebration.
Room to Bloom kicks off April 14 with a Symposium held at the Charlotte Country Club (2465 Mecklenburg Avenue) from 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. featuring nationally acclaimed designer and author Bunny Williams. Her highly developed sense of style has established Williams as one of the world’s most renowned interior designers. She was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1996 and was awarded the “Design and Business Award” by the Edith Wharton Restoration in 2000. Today her design work is regularly featured in magazines such as Veranda, House Beautiful and Elle Décor. She is the author of On Garden Style, An Affair With A House and Point of View.
This year, Room to Bloom will also include a CommenceMINT Opening Night Celebration and a series of eight parties held in private homes around Charlotte. Special hosts will offer a limited number of reservations for guests to enjoy food, drinks and conversation in spectacular home and garden settings. From enjoying brunch in one of the city’s most beloved gardens to mingling over cocktails and dinner in a sophisticated modern home featuring museum-quality art, guests can experience fine dining while supporting one of the region’s oldest and most prestigious art institutions.
For those who are unable to attend or want to further support The Mint Museum, the celebration also includes a Room to Bloom dinner service, which will allow the public to savor a delicious meal at home provided by one of Charlotte’s top caterers. Each dinner will be delivered to your doorstep for as many people as you would like.
A complete list of dinner party location, hosts and sponsors is available on the Mint Museum Auxiliary Web site. Reservations are $50-$250 per person, depending upon location. All parties are by paid reservation, taken by mail only on a first-come, first-served basis. The response deadline for all events is March 10. To check party availability and download a reservation form, visit the Mint Museum Auxiliary Web site. For all other inquiries, please contact Ryann Fairweather by e-mail or phone at 704/337-2022.
Founded in 1956, the purpose of the Mint Museum Auxiliary is to provide financial support to and broaden public support for The Mint Museum. Over the past 50 years, the Auxiliary has grown from a small group of founding women to over 600 members, donating millions of dollars to The Mint Museum in the process. The Room to Bloom Celebration, formerly known as the Home and Garden Tour, is the Auxiliary’s largest annual fundraising effort, with 2010 marking the 57th annual event.
In addition, the Auxiliary sponsors an annual Fall Mint to be Yours Tag Sale (since 2007). Prior fundraising activities include opening and operating the Mint Museum Shop (1957 – 1998) and an annual Antique Show (1967 – 2004). An Endowment for Mint Museum Acquisitions (EMMA) was established by the Auxiliary in 1985.
Collectively, the Auxiliary’s annual fundraising efforts support The Mint Museum through acquisitions for and restoration of the permanent collection, exhibitions, and educational outreach programs for schoolchildren. Auxiliary members contribute to the success of these fundraisers and provide additional Mint support through other program and special event offerings.
The Mint Museum is currently undergoing an expansion project which includes the construction of a five-story facility in uptown Charlotte and the reinstallation of the Mint Museum Randolph. When the expansion is complete, The Mint Museum’s total combined square footage will grow by more than 60 percent, allowing more opportunities to showcase works from the permanent collection and accommodate significant traveling exhibitions. The new Mint Museum Uptown will house the collections from the Mint Museum of Craft + Design as well as significant collections of American Art, Contemporary Art and a selection of European Art from the Mint Museum Randolph.