Big Bang Gala 2013

See what the Big Bang is all about!

Event Information

April 18, 2013
6:00 pm to midnight

This special evening will celebrate the diverse and delicate nature of life and imagine innovative ways to cultivate a vibrant future—a topic at the heart of the Academy’s mission to explore, explain, and sustain the natural world.

Event Co-Chairs: Matthew Barger, Randi Fisher and Wendy Schmidt

Vice Chairs: Diana L. Nelson and John C. Atwater; Kate and William F. Duhamel; Jennifer Caldwell and John H. N. Fisher

Corporate Chair: Jes Pedersen, CEO, Webcor Builders

6:00 pm

Cocktail Reception

7:00 pm

Insightful Conversations

Explore the vital importance of our natural world’s remarkable and dwindling biodiversity with the visionary thinkers who are inspiring tomorrow’s scientists and environmental stewards.

The Art and Science of Chasing Ice Featuring James Balog - Planetarium
The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability—Designing for Abundance Featuring William McDonough - Tusher African Hall

8:00 pm

Seated Dinner

8:30 pm

Big Bang: Party After Dark

Dinner guests merge with Party After Dark revelers to explore the tastes, sounds and creatures of the night. Join us for dancing, dessert, and inspired cocktails all under a spectacular living roof.

Cocktail Attire

Big Bang Speakers

James Balog
A master photographer and founder of the EIS (Extreme Ice Survey), James Balog has redefined environmental photography, whether capturing endangered animals, North America’s old-growth forests, or polar ice. His work aims to combine insights from art and science to produce innovative, dynamic and sometimes shocking interpretations of our changing world. In the award-winning 2012 documentary Chasing Ice, Balog captures the rapid depletion of thousand-year-old glaciers around the world with beautifully moving photographic imagery.

William McDonough
Recognized as a “Hero for the Planet” by Time magazine, architect William McDonough is a globally renowned leader in sustainable development and recipient of the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the nation’s highest environmental honor. In 2011, he was acknowledged for his design of NASA’s new “space station on Earth,” Sustainability Base. McDonough believes green design can prevent environmental disaster and drive economic growth. He champions Cradle to Cradle-inspired design, which considers the full life cycle of a product—from creation with sustainable materials to a recycled afterlife.

Tables and Tickets

Champions (table for ten, $100,000)

Premium dinner seating with one featured Big Bang Innovator
Premium seats to your preferred Insightful Conversation
Invitation for 10 to an upcoming reception with the Academy’s newly appointed Chief of Science and Sustainability

Protectors (table for ten, $50,000)

Premium dinner seating with one Academy Innovator
Premium seats to your preferred Insightful Conversation
Invitation for 4 to an upcoming reception with the Academy’s newly appointed Chief of Science and Sustainability

Guardians (table for ten, $25,000)

Preferred dinner seating
Preferred seating to an Insightful Conversation
Invitation for 2 to an upcoming reception with the Academy’s newly appointed Chief of Science and Sustainability

Individual Ticket ($5,000 each)

A premium seat to your preferred Insightful Conversation and premium dinner seating with an Academy Innovator

Individual Ticket ($2,500 each)

A preferred seat to an Insightful Conversation and preferred dinner seating

Individual Ticket ($1,000 each) Sold Out

A seat to an Insightful Conversation and dinner

All ticket levels include admission to Party After Dark.
Valet parking included for all gala dinner guests.
Reservations will be held at the door.
Value of goods and services for IRS purposes is $300 per seat utilized.

For additional event information, or to purchase individual tables or tickets by phone, please contact Elizabeth Hundt at (415) 379-5423, or e-mail at .

Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship Prospectus

To learn more about corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rebecca Schuett at (415) 379-5409, or e-mail .

Host Committee

California Academy of Sciences Board of Trustees
Bruce Alberts, Ph.D. James N. Alexander John C. Atwater* Matthew Barger Richard C. Blum Teresa Briggs Dan Carroll Peter Y. Chung Penny Coulter Troy Daniels William F. Duhamel Gregory C. Farrington, Ph.D. † Peter Fenton John H.N. Fisher Randi Fisher Peter M. Folger Mark Gaumond Edward A. Gilhuly Rosemary Gillespie, Ph.D Diane Greene John Hafernik, Ph.D. ‡ Harry Hagey Susan Desmond-Hellmann		Glenn W. Holsclaw Nelson Ishiyama Oliver Jenkyn David M. Kennedy Salman Khan Roger Kuo Sharon Long, Ph.D. Susan Oberndorf Emilie Munger Ogden Liebe Patterson Gary Pinkus William S. Price, III Wendy Schmidt Kurt N. Simon Jill Tarter, Ph.D. Thomas W. Tusher Virginia Goss Tusher, Ph.D. Jerome Vascellaro Geerat Vermeij, Ph.D. Summer Walker Richard Yorke Adrienne L. Zihlman, Ph.D. Mary Zlot
* Chair † Executive Director ‡ President
Individual Sponsors
Linda and Andrew Ach Bianca and James Alexander Martha and Bruce Atwater Susie and Riley Bechtel Cynthia L. Hill and Steven Beckendorf Stephen Brady Josie Brownback Susie Tompkins Buell and Mark Buell Shawn and Brook Byers Carlson Family Foundation Carolyn Klebanoff and Fred Cohen Penny and James G. Coulter Carla and David Crane Lucinda and Charles Crocker Ann and John Doerr Dana and Bob Emery Courtney Benoist and Jason Fish Doris Fisher Laura and John Fisher Sako and Bill Fisher Janie and Donald Friend Elizabeth and Richard Fullerton Patricia and Richard Gibbs Cynthia Fry Gunn and John A. Gunn Mimi and Peter Haas Fund Carol and John Hamilton Margaret and William Hearst, III Leslie and George Hume Barbera Brooks and Henrik Jones		Meridee Moore and Kevin King Mimi and Dan Kingsley Laura and Michael Lazarus Adrienne Zihlman and Jerold Lowenstein Celeste and Anthony Meier Steven Merrill Nancy and George Montgomery, Jr. Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel Newsom Julie and Will Parish Laura and Mike Patnode Mary and Gary Pinkus Amy Rao and Harry Plant Anonymous Lisa and John Pritzker Mary Murphy and Terry Reagan Sibylle Szaggars Redford and Robert Redford Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Helen and Charles Schwab Melanie and Tom Staggs Cynthia Woods and Myron Sugarman Susan Swig Susan and David Tunnell Mary and Jerome Vascellaro Summer and Brooks Walker Sally Ward Lynn and Peter Wendell Diane B. Wilsey
As of 3/11/13

Event Information

April 18, 2013
8:30 pm to midnight
For adults 21+

Big Bang: Party After Dark! Come for an unforgettable mix of music, dancing, entertainment and local food, all under the Academy’s living roof. This special evening will feature a live DJ set by retro-soul crooner Mayer Hawthorne and an open bar, while raising critical funds for the Academy’s conservation and sustainability programs.

Tickets

Individual Ticket $75
Bundle (15 Tickets) $1000
Groups enjoy special savings.

The California Academy of Sciences is dedicated to explore, explain, and sustain the natural world. Proceeds from the Big Bang Gala benefit the Academy’s world-class research and education programs ($45 of each ticket is tax-deductible).

Thank you for your interest. Big Bang: Party After Dark tickets are now SOLD OUT. Proceeds from the event benefit the Academy’s research and conservation programs.

Dress up!

Music, Creatures, and Cocktails

Explore the tastes, sounds and creatures of the night amongst friends and 38,000 live animals with acclaimed retro-soul crooner and DJ Mayer Hawthorne. Complimentary late-night bites, desserts and inspired libations at open bars throughout the museum will keep the party going strong.

Mayer Hawthorne (DJ set)

Soul singer, DJ, rapper and multi-instrumentalist, Mayer Hawthorne will headline the night. Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and John Mayer have all taken to Twitter to proclaim their adoration. Mayer Hawthorne puts a modern spin on the traditional DJ set—incorporating Motown classics and his original tracks to produce a truly one of a kind dance party.

Del Popolo

Eat fresh Neapolitan-inspired pizza under the Golden Gate Park stars, catered by Del Popolo—a mobile pizzeria committed to creating rustic pizza using ingredients sourced from small, generational producers. Del Popolo is housed in a twenty-foot transatlantic shipping container that’s been re-purposed and modified into a kitchen. A wall of glass doors exposes the interior, including the traditional Italian-made wood-fired oven.

Come join us for a special sustainable pizza making demonstration by Del Popolo pizzaiolo Jon Darsky (formerly of Flour + Water and Pizzeria Delfina).

Poolside

L.A.-based duo Poolside have a sound that can only be described as “Daytime Disco.” Having spent the majority of their careers in smaller indie dance bands, Poolside puts a breezy disco pop spin on classics like Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.” You may feel like you’re poolside, but you won’t need sunscreen to enjoy this up tempo California vibe.

Rock the Bike

Dance the night away with Rock the Bike, an all bike-powered DJ booth, featuring DJ Izzy Wise. Take turns on the bikes to light up the night sky with El Arbol, a bike-powered art installation (pictured). Based in Berkeley, Rock the Bike is group of cyclists, musicians and innovators dedicated to creating a sustainable future, one bike at time.

Illuminating Visuals by ALL OF IT NOW!

Howard Wong is ALL OF IT NOW!, a locally grown VJ and Public Works’ resident VJ. ALL OF IT NOW! Has performed with Miike Snow, Dirty Vegas, Blackalicious, Mark Farina, Rusko, Rob Garza (Thievery Corporation), Miguel Migs, Derrick Carter, Claude Vonstroke, DJ Craze, Big Freedia, and many more.