Benefit Gala 2025

A Surreal Ball: A Celebration of Imagination

The National Advisory Board of the University of Wyoming Art Museum invites you to an evening of enchantment at A Surreal Ball: A Celebration of Imagination, to be held on April 12, 2025, at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, in Laramie, Wyoming.

Step into a realm where dreams dance with reality and imagination knows no bounds. The University of Wyoming Art Museum invites you to an extraordinary evening of art, wonder, and philanthropy at our Surrealist-Themed Benefit Gala. Prepare to embark on a journey through the surreal as we transform the evening into a fantastical landscape inspired by the most imaginative corners of the mind.

The UW Art Museum, Wyoming's only academic art museum, depends on corporate and individual sponsors to fulfill its mission. Over 50% of the UW Art Museum’s annual operating budget comes from private donations, such as gala proceeds from sponsorships, tickets, and the live and silent auctions, which directly support diverse exhibitions, innovative educational and public programs for all ages across the state, and care for a permanent collection of more than 11,000 objects — all while offering free general admission to more than 20,000 visitors annually.

Take a look at last year's Gala.

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Programming & Visual Inspiration

The celebratory evening will unfold like a dreamscape, where time melts and reality dances. It will encompass:

 

5 pm: Social Hour, Hors d’oeuvres, and opportunities to bid on a robust selection of Silent Auction items, including art, local contributions, and exciting travel opportunities.

 

7 pm: A Three-Course Dinner, Program, and Live Auction of Art and Vacation Packages.

 

Following dinner: Dance the night away or mingle with friends.

 

Attire: Surreal Elegance - A Black Tie Affair with Whimsical Inspired Looks

sponsor levels

A graphic displaying sponsorship levels

Imagineer

  • Alyson Hagy and Bob Southard
  • Arp & Hammond Hardware Co
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming
  • First State Bank | First Bank of Wyoming
  • Hathaway & Kunz
  • Ivinson Memorial Hospital
  • Jay Schniders
  • Levin Strategic Resources
  • Lisa and Ray McElwee
  • Melissa J. Lyon, PC
  • Nicolas & Tangeman, LLC
  • Nicole Choi and Philip Treick
  • Oliver Hopcroft
  • Spine & Injury Clinic of Laramie
  • Sue and Albert Sommers
  • Susan and Gary Miller
  • UW Foundation
  • UW Office of Academic Affairs
  • UW Office of Student Affairs
  • UW Office of the President
  • Ward Electric Company
  • Wyoming Community Foundation
  • Yancy Interiors + Home | Yellowstone Mediation

Time Traveler

  • By Western Hands 
  • Rocky Mountain Power
  • Wyoming Public Media

Visionary

  • WE Soda

Academic

  • American Heritage Center
  • The College of Business
  • The College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
  • The College of Health Sciences
  • The Haub School
  • The Honors College
  • UW Alumni Association
  • UW English Department
  • UW Visual Arts Department