Haute Event: Project Canvas Charity Celebrates with Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey

On Friday, May 11th, 2012  I attended an exclusive private event for Project Canvas at Opera Gallery in New Yorks Soho district. The shoe auction gala featured Project CANVAS shoes customized by renowned celebrities, artists and lifestyle brands.

Designs by Mariah Carey w/Crystal Icing, CeeLo w/Mikael Colombu, jeffstaple, Mr. Brainwash, Audemars Piguet, Kris Markovich, Lee Quinones, Swizz Beatz, Pepsi, Stevie Williams/DGK, Ellen DeGeneres, SpongeBob, Kevin Leong as well as select student designers from New Design High School were unveiled at the gala. In addition to the artists, event attendees also included designer/director Vashtie Kola, rapper BIG KRIT, BET Chairman Debra Lee, Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami, producer Brian Cox and others. Guests danced to the tunes of DJ MOS while drinking premium cocktails courtesy of Belvedere Vodka.

Some of the shoes arts on display were only available for bidding by the event attendees, including the Audemars Pieguet for Project Canvas shoe paired with their luxury Diver watch model which sold for $21,000 to its highest bidder Nick Cannon. The Mariah Carey w/Crystal Icing design was one of the highest stand alone shoes to be bid on, selling for $2,000 to BET Chairman Debra Lee.

Shoes by designers such as Swizz Beatz, Ceelo w/Mikael Columbu, Ellen DeGeneres and others will be available to the general public for a week long auction online. 100% of the proceeds raised will be donated to Urban Arts Partnership. Urban Arts Partnership is a non-profit organization that serves difficult-to-reach youth attending Title I schools in the New York City Department of Education public school system through art programs. See ProjectCanvasShoes.com for more info on the mission of the brand and to find out more about the auction.

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