Arizona Costume Institute 2021 Holiday Luncheon featured celebrity designer Michael Costello, raised record-breaking funds for Phoenix Art Museum

Feb, 11, 2022

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Arizona Costume Institute 2021 Holiday Luncheon featured celebrity designer Michael Costello, raised record-breaking funds for Phoenix Art Museum

Project Runway alum headlined the sold-out luncheon in support of the Museum’s fashion-design collection

PHOENIX (December 22, 2021) – On December 6, 2021, Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), an affiliate group of Phoenix Art Museum, celebrated the return of its annual Holiday Luncheon by presenting Emmy-award winning designer Michael Costello as the keynote speaker. The in-person luncheon was the first major event hosted at Phoenix Art Museum since the institution’s closure in March 2020 precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sold-out event welcomed more than 350 guests and raised a record-breaking $300,000+ in vital support for the Museum and its fashion-design department.

“We are very grateful to the board of Arizona Costume Institute and its members for their ongoing generous support of Phoenix Art Museum, particularly over the past year and a half when the Museum faced incredible challenges due to the pandemic,” said Mark Koenig, the Interim Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “For more than 60 years, ACI has supported our fashion-design collection, and once again, the Holiday Luncheon has raised vital funds that will benefit fashion-design exhibitions and education programs for our community. We extend our deepest thanks and congratulations to the chairs of this event, Donna Johnson and Lisa Shapiro, and to the entire planning committee for creating a truly memorable luncheon.” 

Costello, the event’s keynote speaker, is a self-taught designer who first began drawing dresses on his bedroom walls at the age of 2, and by 15, he had opened his first boutique. While many may recognize him from television’s Project Runway franchise, Costello has since built a massive empire by helping women of all shapes and sizes feel beautiful. His exquisite dresses have dominated every prestigious red-carpet award show, from the GRAMMYs to the Oscars, and the designer has dressed Beyoncé, JLo, Lady Gaga, Kate Hudson, and many others. His designs have been featured in international fashion publications, including Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, The New York Times’ style section, Harper’s Bazaar, and Apparel News, and several of his dresses are on display at the GRAMMY Museum.

In addition to the hosted interview between Costello and Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum, models wearing Costello’s most noteworthy designs walked among the luncheon’s guests, who enjoyed up-close-and-personal views of his stunning creations. The elegant event also featured a champagne reception, a plated two-course lunch, and a drawing featuring high-end, luxury items from both local and nationally recognized designers, boutiques, and businesses.

For media images (with IDs in the comments) from the ACI 2021 Holiday Luncheon, click here.

2021 ACI Holiday Luncheon Committee

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Donna Johnson
Lisa Shapiro

HONORARY CHAIR

Diane Halle

COMMITTEE

Perrine Adams
Ronna Beeson
Lisa Bell
Matthew Boland
Jennifer Carmer
Libby Cohen
Oscar De las salas
Emily Dietz
Shawnee Doherty
Katherine Emery
Wendy Ferrell
Kati Festy-Sandor
Ann Fuller
Amanda Garmany
Lisa Geyser
Janet Henrich-Glaser
Jan Herwick
Dawna Holtz
Jill Krigsten Riley
Lynne Love
Barbara Lytle
Laura Madden
Kathie May
Mary Ellen McKee
Beth McRae
Priscilla Nicholas
Patti Oleson
Donna Pettigrew Hicks
Shirley Prest
Helene Presutti
Sherri Quinn
Marc Reed
Chrissy Sayare
Tracy Serena
Carol Shriber
Khamsone Sirimanivong
Amy Slethaug
Joy Sprink
Kelley Sucher
Lauri Termansen
Vicki Vaughn
DeeDee Vecchione
Kelly Welty

CORPORATE SPONSOR

to be continued… a consignment boutique

UNDERWRITERS

Main Dish
Miriam Sukhman
FORD/Robert Black Agency
Brenda Howard
Lauri Termansen
Trends Magazine
House Home & More
Psyne Co

About Arizona Costume Institute

Arizona Costume Institute was founded in 1966 to support the fashion-design department of Phoenix Art Museum through the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance and through events and fundraising efforts that support and deepen awareness of the Museum’s fashion-design exhibitions and education programs. ACI’s support of this collection area depends on the enthusiasm of dedicated volunteers. The ACI Board of Managers 2021 president is Khamsone Sirimanivong.  To learn more about Arizona Costume Institute, visit arizonacostumeinstitute.org.

About the Fashion-Design Collection at Phoenix Art Museum

Founded in 1966, the fashion-design collection of Phoenix Art Museum is notable for its quality and comprehensiveness. More than 8,000 objects comprise the collection, including American and European men’s, women’s, and children’s dress and accessories dating from the late 17th century to the present. The Museum organizes two fashion exhibitions annually, which are curated by Helen Jean, the institution’s Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, and presented in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Gallery. Phoenix Art Museum is one of only seven art museums in the United States with a long and continuously active fashion-design program.

About Phoenix Art Museum

Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum has provided millions of guests with access to world-class art and experiences in an effort to ignite imaginations, create meaningful connections, and serve as a brave space for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, the Museum is a vibrant destination for the visual arts and the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. Each year, more than 300,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents a comprehensive film program, live performances, and educational programs designed for visitors of all ages, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.