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Attendees came from Richmond, from South Boston and all points in between. It also pulled in almost a quarter of a million dollars in fundraising. From all accounts, the latest Longwood Center for the Visual Arts Gala (LCVA) on Saturday, April 13 was a success, packing out Longwood’s Blackwell Ballroom with close to 500 guests. Director of Community Engagement Lisa Tharpe said the group will raise more than $230,000 as a result of this year’s LCVA Gala. 

“Our communities have been so generous to LCVA over the years, and we are forever grateful for their generous support,” Tharpe added. “They see the immense value of the LCVA programming for area schools, as well as the community outreach & impressive exhibitions we offer, (which is) of course always available at no charge.” 

This year’s event was labeled “AquaLuxe,” built around the theme of the 1960s jet set and the iconic fashion and celebrity photos of Slim Aaron. 

Slim Aarons was a famous photographer known for his photos of celebrities and trendsetters. During the 60s and 70s especially, you could find his photos in Life and Town & Country magazines. It was a far cry from the man’s earlier experiences behind the camera, covering combat in World War II, almost intentionally finding something that was a complete 180 degree turn from the war. And over time, his post-war work became iconic.

It’s also worth pointing out that in previous years, the creative work was split between members of a large gala committee, with several subcommittees. But the LCVA museum is going through national reaccreditation with the American Alliance of Museums, so the museum staff was needed elsewhere. In other words, there was still a committee, but this time the group was in charge of implementing the creative ideas co-chairs Nash and Mindy Osborn, along with Shannon Friedman from Shannon Friedman Interiors, came up with. 

“We truly appreciate and value the cultural benefits this organization brings to our community,” Mindy and Nash Osborn said in a joint statement. “This biennial gala provides an opportunity for donors and friends to gather in celebration and support of all the programming provided by the talented staff of the LCVA.”

Editor’s note: To read more about the LCVA Gala, check out the May edition of Farmville the Magazine.