25th ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT DINNER HONORING DEDE MOSS

On Saturday, February 25, 2023 we hosted our 25^th Anniversary Benefit Dinner in our new home. The unique artist-envisioned dining experience honored longtime arts philanthropist and Locust Board Member, Dede Moss, whose visionary leadership matching grant supported the organization's milestone move to an 8,000 square foot warehouse in Little River, propelling Locust into its next chapter.

Event co-chairs Diane Grob, Lourdes Jofré Collett, Debra Scholl, Dennis Scholl, and Munisha Underhill along with Executive Director, Lorie Mertes welcomed 150 guests to the sold-out event. Among notable attendees were Locust Projects board members, Miami arts leaders, collectors, and patrons, including Ashley Melisse Abess and Matthew Vander Werff, Susan and Richard Arregui, Karen Bechtel, Silvia Karman Cubiñá, Elizabeth Petersen Hoelle, Clive King, George Lindemann, Jr., Gail Myers, Nedra and Mark Oren, Patricia Papper, Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst, Janet Shein, Franklin Sirmans, Fredric Snitzer, Walid Wahab, Alexa Wolman, and Jennifer Farah, representing the event’s Major Sponsor, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The event also celebrated the inaugural exhibition by artist Rafael Domenech who was in residence at Locust for a month building a massive, pavilion-like setting designed to transform over the course of the exhibition with each public activation, starting with the Benefit Dinner.

The dinner, created by the artist in collaboration with Le Basque Catering, served as a “Gesamtkunstwerk,” or a work of art itself, upending traditional gala-goer expectations with a performative twist on traditional interactions between guests and servers along with an ever-morphing architecture. Guests activated the space dressed in single-hued chic and monochromatic ensembles and enjoyed a menu of delicious delicacies in black and white along with cocktails by Tito’s and Fun Wine and wines from Réserve Mouton Cadet and the Golden Hog. 

Each guest received a unique limited edition print created by the artist and inspired by his exhibition of the same title, assembling beneath a desire for sabotage, a play on what the artist sees as challenging notions of what an exhibition is, and what it means to gather in space. 

Locust Projects has been a significant contributor to Miami's cultural scene for 25 years, and the anniversary dinner was a fitting tribute to the organization's mission of nurturing new art and ideas. The celebration was a resounding success, and attendees left with a renewed appreciation for the transformative power of art.

Proceeds from the event support Locust Projects' mission to CREATE opportunities for visual artists at all career stages, INVITE risk taking and experimentation, ACTIVATE conversations around new art and ideas, ADVOCATE for artists and creative practices. 

See more photos fromo the event in our CLOSER LOOK blog.

25th Anniversary Benefit Dinner Sponsors: Major Sponsor: The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; FRIENDS OF HONOREE DEDE MOSS: Helena Rubinstein Philanthropic Fund at The Miami Foundation, Diane & Robert Moss, Karen H. Bechtel & Will Osborne, Diane & Werner Grob, Giorgio Armani Corporation; FRIENDS OF LOCUST PROJECTS: Lino Campos on behalf of Northern Trust, Debra & Barry Frank, Malinda Krantz, Paul Jacober, George Lindemann Jr., Adriana Malfitano, Elizabeth Petersen Hoelle & Will Hoelle, Richard & Amy Pollack, Hal Philipps & Greg Kendall, David & Sydney Schaecter, Fredric Snitzer & Ilene Soloff, Lawrence C. Weinstein, Alexa & Adam Wolman. 

Couldn't make it to the Dinner? Please consider a donation to the 25th Anniversary Fund or joining the Incubator Annual Fund. You may also indicate who you would like to make your gift in honor of.