Djerassi Artful Harvest Gala

On Sunday, October 22, over 100 philanthropists descended on the spectacular Djerassi Resident Artists Program property in the hills of Woodside, overlooking the Pacific Ocean for the annual Artful Harvest fundraising gala. The world-renowned artists residency, celebrating its 40th anniversary, has provided the gift of time and space to over 2,500 artists. The program was founded by Dr. Carl Djerassi, father of the birth control pill, in memory of his daughter, Pamela, a Stanford-trained artist who studied under Nathan Oliveira.

At the event, co-chaired by Sally Fay, Elaine Mellis and Dale Djerassi, the Artists Barn was transformed into an art gallery where the first Djerassi Group Show of visual artists debuted. 13 artists with close ties to the Djerassi Program participated including Alex H. Nichols, Amber Jean Young, Naomie Kremer, Lauren DiCioccio, Shara Mays, Anna Sidana, Tiffany Shlain, Nicole Buffett, Monique S. Desto, Valentin Popov and Albert Braun. The artwork sales benefitted the Djerassi Program and 50% was granted back to the artists. In addition, the estates of Nathan Oliveira and Fred Rochlin donated works.

During dinner, created by Michelin-starred Chef Mark Sullivan of The Village Pub, guests were treated to a reading by Djerassi Alum author, Pulitzer and National Book Award finalist, Ingrid Rojas Contreras. She read from her book “The Man Who Could Move Clouds” which she wrote segments of during her time at Djerassi. After dinner, another alum artist, Cuban-born jazz saxophonist and composer, Yosvany Terry, brought down the house with his amazing performance.