Vibe Check: The Foundation Experience

What went on at Saratoga's most secretive fundraiser?

Photo by Courtney Sherry

The gallery room at Saratoga Arts slowly went quiet as more and more people—Champagne in hand—noticed the mysterious, masked figure standing at the front of the room. “The Foundation believes art should have a smidge of the unexpected,” said the man, who, as I suspected, turned out to be Spencer Sherry, community outreach and grants coordinator for Saratoga Arts. He went on to tell the story of The Foundation, the fictitious (we think) secret Saratoga society that kept the arts alive through the Temperance movement of the early 19th century and beyond. “Drinking, gambling and even dancing were forbidden,” he said, solemnly, of the era.

At that moment, the Siri on someone’s iPhone decided to chime in. “For how long?” the robotic voice asked.

“Too long!” Spencer said, briefly breaking out of his cloaked character and into the affable, animated, soon-to-be-29-year-old who’d planned the evening that was in store. He continued his monologue, ending it with a toast: “Let’s raise a glass to art, exploration and the unknown.”

For those who didn’t read last week’s sneak peek of The Foundation Experience, Abby and I were at Thursday’s theatrical, first-of-its-kind fundraiser for Saratoga Arts. And the theatrics had only just begun.

Photos by Courtney Sherry, @dashmediadesigns and Courtney Sherry