Pressed suits and fancy ballroom dresses transformed Sacramento State’s University Union Ballroom for the third annual Green and Gold Gala on Friday night.

An art-themed event, the Green and Gold Gala is a celebration for supporters, donors and friends of the university.

President Alexander Gonzalez announced that the money raised from the gala would go toward creating the Wayne Thiebaud Endowment Fund, named after the night’s guest of honor.

The Endowment Fund will cover maintenance of the Thiebaud art collection, which consists of 150 Thiebaud art displays and is valued at over $1 million. The collection was the gift of an anonymous donor, and will be housed in the University Library’s Special Collections and University Archives.

“The university felt that this event would be a great opportunity to recognize Thiebaud for everything he has done for our campus and the surrounding community,” said Laurie Hall, writer and editor for the Office of Public Affairs. “Wayne Thiebaud is a well-respected, influential artist who has had a huge influence in the Sacramento region and on the world.”

As a Sac State alumnus, Thiebaud is the only individual who received three successive degrees from Sac State – a bachelor’s degree in art in 1951, a master’s degree in art in 1953, and an honorary Ph.D. in fine arts in 1998.

When asked how he felt about being honored, Thiebaud said, “It feels like I got spoiled. It’s very hard to believe that I deserve it; it’s a great pleasure.”

He is known for his signature style of brightly colored still-life paintings of food and other objects, shown against neutral backgrounds. Over the years, he has been internationally commended for his work.

A recipient of numerous awards and other honors, he received the Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievements in the Arts in 1991 and the National Medal of Arts Presidential Award in 1994. Due to his strong ties with the university and the Sacramento area, he was chosen to formally acknowledge his achievements throughout his life.

UC Davis art history major Kristen Koch said, “He does work that make people happy – especially his foods and pastel colors. People gravitate towards his art because it’s joyful and inspiring.”

Koch and her father, Richard Koch, Sac State professor emeritus, attended the gala because as an avid fan of Thiebaud’s work, Kristen had always wanted to meet him in person.

In addition, News 10 anchor Cristina Mendonsa returned to her alma mater as emcee for the third consecutive year. Music was provided during the reception by Sac State’s Latin Jazz Quartet, and among other guests, artist David Garibaldi was in attendance.

Performing artist Garibaldi entertained the crowd with his demanding on-stage presence and quick artistic skill. The crowd clapped and stomped their feet in time as loud rock music resounded throughout the ballroom while Garibaldi attacked the blank canvas with his brush. As specks of paint flew throughout the air, Garibaldi appeared to randomly splash paint onto the canvas in a carefree, spontaneous manner; however, in less than five minutes per painting, the end results yielded images identical to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Thiebaud.

“The artwork was fabulous,” said Carol Ensley, executive assistant to the president. “It was amazing to see such talent transform nothing into a masterpiece in such a short time.”

The formal, black-tie event commenced with the serving of wine and hors d’oeuvres, followed by dinner and a special program organized by the Office of University Advancement. The night concluded with a performance by Hip Service, one of Northern California’s accomplished dance groups, and salsa lessons were given to enthusiastic dancers by Felix Barba, Associated Students Inc. director of Arts and Letters.

“I’m really pleased that there are a lot of people from the campus, both faculty and students, who are attending,” Gonzalez said. “The gala is a really good chance for people to celebrate what Sacramento State is.”

The university seeks to provide students the opportunity to share their talents with attending guests. This student involvement shows contributors who they are supporting when they donate to Sac State, and the university aims to incorporate as much student involvement as possible into the night.

“The gala brings together a lot of supporters who don’t know each other to meet and celebrate; it’s a huge connection to the community for us,” Provost Joe Sheley said.

The gala is organized annually by the Office of University Advancement; however, due to the incredible size of such an event, it takes the cooperative effort between multiple campus organizations, such as the offices of Public Affairs, Fundraising and Public Relations, the Department of Public Safety and the University Union, to make the night successful.

In addition to the announcement of the Wayne Thiebaud Endowment Fund and collection, the university received many other large gifts from benefactors. In honor of John and Myrna Stremple, a $500,000 gift was donated; over $375,000 will go toward scholarships for the math and science honors students and $125,000 will support the football program.

The estate of Earline Ames, a former Sac State administrator, donated $400,000 for scholarships in education, and the estate of alumna Nancy Owens donated $400,000 to the College of Education.

The estate of Charlotte Walker gave a $156,000 gift to support faculty development and reentry student scholarships to the Charlotte Walker Endowment.

The school received a $100,000 gift for scholarships for honors program students and other University programs from the Wells Fargo Foundation, as well as $10,000 from both presenting sponsors Wells Fargo Bank and Douglas Patino, the former Vice Chancellor for the Office of University Advancement.

Office of University Advancement Vice President Carole Hayashino said, “This year’s event focused on the alums and the students. We’re very proud of the success of our alums and we take great pride in our students and their future success.”

Amber Kantner can be reached at [email protected].