Engaging promotional stunt promises a unique event

Saratoga Arts has announced its next big fundraiser: The Foundation Experience. The community arts center has partnered with a multitude of businesses in downtown Saratoga to design an event that’s the first of its kind and is intentionally sparse on the details. Spencer Sherry, the new Community Relations and Grants Coordinator at Saratoga Arts, says he hopes the event will inspire a feeling of mystery in the community.

“We sent out over 300 physical VIP invitations stuffed in black envelopes with hand-stamped red wax seals,” said Sherry. “We want to give our supporters a totally unique experience, and to subvert people’s perception of what a traditional fundraising gala looks like. We’re asking the community to participate in something very different, and to relish the feeling of not knowing what to expect when they walk through our door. We didn’t even tell people we were associated with the invitation until well after it appeared in their mailbox.”

The recipients of those invitations were only provided a date and a password that accesses a website run by The Foundation (on which no information can be found). Saratoga Arts announced that they’ve found an old map of the city hidden in their building that they believe is connected to The Foundation, and has put it on display in their gallery. They’re asking that anyone who wishes to attend the event comes to see the map - it will lead adventurous patrons to the tickets. Fliers have also gone up all over the city with a QR code to the website and a riddle: the answer to which is presumably the password.

The event will take place on Thursday, October 12th at the Saratoga Arts building. Tickets can be bought on thefoundationexperience.org.

For inquiries or instructions on how to get the password, please email theartist@thefoundationexperience.org.