The roarin’ ’20s made a one-night comeback June 1 for the Art Gallery of Alberta‘s Refinery Party. “The idea is to allow access and extend the experience of the exhibitions to a slightly different audience,” says Oksana Gowin, director of marketing and communications for the AGA. The theme was inspired by the gallery’s most recent exhibition, The Piano, which examines the instrument through the work of 13 artists. And the party aimed to replicate a piano bar in the ’20s, signifying the themes of experimentation and rebellion seen in the exhibit. More than 800 guests costumed in their vintage best toured the exhibit. Flapper girls and suave gents were treated to catering and drinks from Zinc Restaurant, performances by Paul Arnusch, DJ Mitchmatic and from creative director Colleen Brown’s flapper alter-ego, Gilda Brass. Guests were given the opportunity to hammer nails into the keys of a piano as part of a recreation of George Maciunas’s “Piano Piece #13.” And while the technology didn’t exist in the ’20s, a Refinery Instagram costume contest waged throughout the evening.
1. Rachelle Theriault and Ashley Wiebe
2. Daniela O’Callaghan and John O’Callaghan
3. Nicole Thompson and Kunal Nand
4. Mitch Holtby and Colleen Brown
5. Karen Gill and Leticia Rodriguez
6. Cailynn Klingbeil and Jarrett Campbell
7. Malini Murthy and Sneha Suresh
8. Katrina Walker and Charlene Clarke-Todoruk
9. Steve Issekutz and Ashley Young
10. Amanda Mouait, Karim Mouait and Candace Christman
