Play is Serious Business! Exploratorium’s spring gala attracted some 400 supporters and raised more than $1.63 million for the museum on April 6, 2016. Chaired by Google’s first investor Ram Shriram and his wife Vijay Shriram, the gala evening highlighted Exploratorium’s creative and hands-on approach to education.
The cocktail reception included whimsical and acrobatic performances from Earth Circus Productions, hands-on activities and scientific demonstrations by Exploratorium staff, scientists, engineers and designers. Dinner followed in the museum’s Bechtel Central Gallery and Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery and Terrace. An additional 200 guests joined for the afterparty that featured ’80s cover band Tainted Love.
The annual fundraising event generates support for the museum’s core initiatives: exhibitions, student and teacher education, a vibrant arts program, environmental and life sciences research, and its signature exhibits and public programs.
Play is Serious Business at the Exploratorium Gala Committee: Ravin and Alka Agrawal, Shona L. Brown and John Rohrer, Jennifer Caldwell and John H.N. Fisher, Martha Ehmann Conte, Julie and Greg Flynn, Stephanie and William F. Mellin, Cameron Phleger and Michael Horwitz, Aaron Vermut and Adriana López Vermut
Photos by Gayle Laird