Decorators, dealers, and members of the design community flocked to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History on Wednesday night for Party for Life, the Gift for Life’s gala. Previously held in New York, the event rang in its 27th year with its Southern debut in Atlanta.
“New York was really incredible to us for a long time, but we felt like it was time to pivot and bring some energy to our organization,” said Matt Katzenson, chair of Gift for Life and CEO of Fine Lines, a wholesale sales agency. “We, as a board, spent a lot of time talking about what would be best for us and how we could grow the work that we're doing. We decided to move to Atlanta because we felt like the Atlanta market really is one of the cornerstone markets in our industry."
The gala was a cheerful occasion, with design professionals in town for the Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings Market excitedly greeting friends they might see only once a year. The museum’s grand hall, which is home to cast replicas of two of the world’s largest dinosaurs, was glitzed up for the occasion. Designers descended the spiral staircase to the atrium’s ground floor, where the space was outfitted with a dance floor, DJ booth, open bars, and food stations serving eats by Affairs to Remember. Guests also perused the silent auction table, offering prizes that included a Golden Nugget getaway and a homemade Italian dinner for eight people in Dallas.
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The annual benefit raises money for Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA). Gift for Life made DIFFA its sole charity partner in 2008. Adding to the evening’s excitement, Thom Filicia was on the scene as Gift for Life’s honorary chair and spokesperson. He took the floor to kick off the event, remarking that the fight against HIV and AIDS is still relevant today. Other design professionals in attendance included Douglas Self, founder of JDouglas; Brian Bowman of Bowman Dahl; and Becky Tyre, host of the podcast Retail Details. The evening also honored Anne McGilvray with the Gift for Life’s Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Party for Life was a year in the making, and Katzenson couldn’t have been happier with the results. “We're a volunteer board of people that are committed to the cause to support people living with HIV and AIDS. To be able to be in this venue at the Fernbank Museum with all of these incredible people is just fantastic.”
