Knoxville Museum of Art's L'Amour Du Vin Glitters with Bandit Lites

The Knoxville Museum of Art held the 17th annual L'Amour du Vin, its primary fundraising event that features a chic wine dinner and auction. The soiree took place on March 7th, and Bandit Lites donated a lighting system for the event, lighting spaces ranging from the façade of the museum to multiple interior spaces and the tents into the gardens.

"For these locations, we chose the Chauvet Freedom Par Quad-4 IP," says Bandit Lites general manager Giff Swart, noting that most of the spaces had limited power available. "Another advantage of the Freedom Par is that they can be controlled wirelessly, and this keeps cables from cluttering the floor and creating trip-hazards."

"As an event planner and designer, I can attest that few other event elements have the same impact as lighting," says event designer Carla May Paré. "It has the power to transform an experience and create magic, which Bandit has done for the Knoxville Museum of Art fundraiser L'Amour du Vin for over 15 years. I am proud and grateful to work with Bandit to create beautiful, ever-changing designs from year to year. Their professional and talented team always help to elevate my vision to more than I could have imagined."

The moment guests arrived at the museum, they were greeted with the museum's façade constructed entirely out of pink Tennessee marble illuminated with glossy colors. Crossing the threshold into the foyer with several auction items, Bandit ensured the lighting set the mood for the gala.

"From there, guests moved into the Great Hall for a reception and silent auction -- where of course they can bid on any of several lots of fine wines," says Swart. "In this room as well, we used the Freedom Pars on the walls to blend with the mood created in the foyer. From there, guests entered a tent for the dinner and live auction portion of the event. The dinner is always a highlight of the evening, as Blackberry Farm, the world's leading private resort, provides their expertise, chefs, and staff. The tent brings another challenge -- in that we don't always want it to look like we're in a tent."

As this evening has swelled into the finest food and wine event in Tennessee, infrastructure was put in place years ago for a structural tent specifically for L'Amour du Vin, with the walls of the tent lit with COLORdash Batten-Quad 12 units.

Lighting an art museum's premiere gala meant attention to visual details were imperative, and Bandit's team decided to draw inspiration from the most obvious of choices.

"Color choice was inspired by the featured artwork and auction item," Swart says. "This year was a work from local artist Denise Stewart-Sanabria entitled Culture Shock Goes Grand. This piece has very vibrant colors and was a great influence to work with."

Bandit Lites rigged five one-ton chain motors to 65' of 12" aluminum box truss. With limited power in the garden and weight considerations, Swart chose GLP X4S and VL 2500 Spots to hang from the spine. Finally, from the center of the truss hung a single 6' tall crystal chandelier.

"We also hung four 10' wide bolts of sheer fabric over the truss which extended all the way to the corners and down to the floor on each side of the tent," says Swart. "This fabric helped to add depth and dimension as we lit it with different color washes from the X4S units and gobos from the VL 2500s."