This Colorful Gala Lit Up the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Michael Blanchard Photography

Music, Historic Collection, Contemporary, and Landscape: these are four of the cornerstones of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, whose May 7, 2016 gala saw record-high attendance that honored these cornerstones, to shed light on what makes them so special.

Guests were entertained in four distinct rooms — each of which represented one of the cornerstones — and were designed by Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum cornerstone committee members in tandem with an event planner, Jennifer Wheaton.

Then, they enlisted Frost Productions to create a captivating atmosphere and create cohesion between the room’s décor, implementing artistic lighting solutions throughout the new museum wing.

Lighting was integral from the start of the evening, as evidenced by a visually-stunning lobby in which beams of colorful light emanated from the edges of a staircase that invited guests to explore the cornerstone-inspired rooms just steps away.

The artful lighting designers opted for a softer ambiance in the Richard E. Floor Living Room, designed with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s contemporary cornerstone in mind.

Featuring tables with tall, spring-hued floral centerpieces, narrow beams of colorful light added more mystique to the whimsy evoked by the eye-catching arrangements.

Michael Blanchard Photography

Meanwhile, wireless LED technology was used to wash coral hues on to the glass vases hung by the event’s floral designer, Michael Ciano of Winston Flowers. The result was a gorgeous assortment of coral peonies, yellow ranunculus, orange tulips, viburnum and fritullaria — all illuminated, creating a vibrant focal point that popped.

Michael Blanchard Photography

The museum’s Café G served as the Italian-inspired garden setting that paid tribute to the Landscape Cornerstone.

This enchanted indoor landscape architecture featured tones of lavender and purple light that projected subtle patterns and added texture to purple irises, plum fritullarias, and potted as well as free-standing topiaries that were abloom throughout the lively space.

The lighting blended with the natural elements of the garden and beautifully complemented the dark wood of the chairs throughout, while creating an illusion of sunlight filtering through tall trees that encompassed a transparent, glass walkway.

Michael Blanchard Photography

Calderwood Hall features an exposed ceiling on each level celebrated the music cornerstone of the museum as a modern space with a black and white theme.

White serpentine tables, high backed leather chairs, and arrangements of white cherry branches added drama to the main level of the theater.

Acoustic tiled ceilings provided texture on each mezzanine level — which Frost Productions washed with heavy saturations of red light, creating amazing contrast against the clean black and white tables below. Additionally, down lighting added a hint of branch-like patterns which added depth and richness to the look.

The Historic Cornerstone was recognized within the traditional and sophisticated exhibition in Hostetter Gallery.

Stunning with a pink, gold, ivory and navy palette, flowers featured antique garden roses, Vanda orchids, pink nerine lily and jasmine vine.

And while other areas of the museum were lit to expose the magnificent décor elements all around, this room was left alone so as to not disturb the quality of the incredible works of art housed within.

Want to shine some light on your next affair? Contact Frost Productions to help create a beautiful design for a successful event that won’t be forgotten.