Great wine, delicious food, and exceptional company were on the menu at “A Visit to Damian Farrell’s Wine Cellar”, an event to honor late long-time MAF board member Damian Farrell and raise funds for the MAF Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Grants. Damian chaired the grant program from 2012 until his passing last year.
The event, which was held April 6, 2024 at Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club (where Damian and his wife Katherine were longtime members) featured several South African Wines paired with a five-course dinner prepared by the club’s chef and staff. A silent auction during the event included wine from Damian’s cellar, and one of Damian’s original hand sketches (two additional sketches by Damian were auctioned off live). In total, the event raised over $14,000. An intimate group of 74 people attended, including AIA Michigan architects, MAF board members, longtime friends of Damian and Katherine, and many family members.
“The fundraiser was the first of several annual events we intend to hold to support MAF’s Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Grant,” said event host Gregory Aerts, AIA. “Advancing awareness of how architecture enriches life was Damian’s personal and professional passion. He was very proud of the impact the grants were able to have on communities and organizations who sought to connect people with architecture.”
A menu highlight was tasting notes for each of the meal’s wines, featuring anecdotes about Damian, and celebratory drink toasts including ‘Chin Chin’, a less formal way of saying ‘Cheers’ in South Africa, and in a variety of languages including Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans.
MAF’s Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Grants provide financial assistance to organizations and individuals that organize, sponsor and promote events, lectures, publications, and experiences that increase awareness of architecture. As program chair, Damian was responsible for thousands of grant dollars being awarded to support these groups. Through his leadership, he expanded the program’s reach to benefit even more architecture-based programs that served Michigan residents of all ages. After his passing, the grant was renamed to honor Damian and his commitment to the program. (read the article, originally published April 2023 on the MAF website, here).
Damian was also Principal and Owner of Ann Arbor-based Damian Farrell Design Group and served on the AIA Michigan Board of Directors as the 2023 Director of the AIA Huron Valley chapter.
Greg added, “During the event, I commented that Damian would have been thrilled with the event and the beautiful wines, because as he always said, “Life is too short to drink the house wine!”
