Creative Brief

For more than two decades, Hickok Cole, an architecture and design firm, has partnered with the Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) to host Art Night, an annual exhibition and fundraiser that’s raised nearly $2 million in support of WPA’s mission and the local arts community. The week-long Art Night Gallery was hosted both virtually and in person, with purchases made directly online to increase accessibility and open sales to our online network. 

Applying lessons learned over the years, Art Night 2023 built on old traditions and new for a hybrid and efficient solution that nurtured its online presence while uniting our community of loyal patrons on a small scale. As our sponsors have played a key part in the event’s success—accounting for 75% of historical sales—sponsor outreach included promoting the benefits of Devil status (VIP art access, for one) to long-time Angel sponsors, and encouraging continual fans of Art Night to pursue Cherub status and ensure attendance. Additionally, for the first time ever, we opened the option to donate at the time of event registration, adding an additional $1,000 to pre-sale numbers.

This year’s gallery featured 90 local artists and 200+ works across a variety of mediums, with a concentrated effort to feature the work of artists from Hickok Cole’s HQ neighborhood in Washington DC. Welcoming one of our largest crowds to date, Art Night 2023 raised $147,365 with 100% of the proceeds going back to the artists and WPA—our community.