Odd Ball: Lux with Added Comfort

Each year that the Odd Ball has been around, I have often scratched my head as to what I would even consider wearing. On the occasion of the alien-themed event a few years ago, I was obviously clueless as I arrived in a slate jacket with then-Rapid Growth Managing Editor Juliet Bennett Rylah. Lucky for her, I saw the aliens, got inspired, and with the quick turn of my jacket 180 degrees and a hand through my tussled hair, shazam, I was in a freshly-probed-by-an-alien look, ready for the photo wall that greeted us upon entry.
 
I’m not sure what your event anxiety level is with such dress-up affairs, but if you are like me, it can sometimes mean you would rather stay at home than venture out.
 
But this year UICA’s team has taken the fear out of the Odd Ball by visually explaining their theme of Lux – a modern take on the garden party – via a tool I have never seen employed in this fashion: a Pinterest idea board. It even has ideas for guys who, like me, often need plenty of help figuring out what we should wear.
 
The Odd Ball is a chance to let go, to do something different from the normal clad-in-all-black affairs that fill your calendars each year, all while supporting a great organization.
 
As with the last couple Odd Ball events, this night is the first opportunity for UICA to showcase their ArtPrize exhibition Collaboration with a chance to mix and mingle with the artists. This year’s party will feature live bees (Ladislav Hanka’s Intelligence of the Beehive) and a you-submitted video art Karaoke piece (Aaron Nemac’s Hey YouTube: It’s Me).
 
UICA has had a bumpy ride over the years and while the community comes to terms with what this new era will mean, it is worth noting that the collaborative spirit and the creative energy artists can produce is still very much alive here. 
 
Entertainment at UICA’s Odd Ball will include four massive floors filled with musical and performance art choices from Julianna Nahas-Viila, Actor’s Theatre, Michael Schaeffer, and DJ Super Dre.
 
Funds raised will help keep exciting exhibitions debuting in our community, like the upcoming exhibitions Kirk Newman: Looking Forward and Buying Friends: The Ryan Kortman Collection (both shows open November 2014), as well as their exciting new 2015 programming including the Exit Space Project.
 
 
Admission: $125.03 (non-member), $98.89 (member)