UnGala FAQs
Scroll farther below to find answers to Event FAQs like:
Where can I park? Where should I enter?
Is this event ADA accessible? Is a quiet space available for sensory breaks?
Is this a formal event? What is the schedule for the evening?
What food and drinks will be provided? What art activities will be provided?
What if I’m not very artistic?
Will there be an auction or a raffle?
Scroll farther below to find answers to Dada Costume FAQs like:
What is Dadaism? What is a Dada costume party? What makes a costume Dada?
Must I wear a costume? Should I arrive in costume?
How can I make a costume or mask during The UnGala?
What will Space 4 Art provide at the make-your-own costume/mask station?
What are some examples of Dada costumes?
What kind of costume and mask contests might there be?
Event FAQs
Where can I park?
The Alcazar Parking Lot and the Organ Pavillion Parking Lot are the closest lots to the Mingei International Museum. Both also have ADA parking spots. If arriving via Uber/Lyft, have the driver navigate to the Alcazar Parking Lot to access the entrance to our event, which is off the Alcazar Garden.
Where should I enter?
Enter the Mingei International Museum through the Alcazar Garden entrance at the back, not the front/main entrance off the street.
Is this event ADA accessible?
Yes. Wheelchair users can enter the building through the Alcazar Garden entrance. Elevators are available to access the Exhibitions Level and Lower Level. The nearest ADA parking spots are available in the Alcazar Parking Lot or the Organ Pavilion Parking Lot.
Is a quiet space available for sensory breaks?
Yes, event or venue staff can show you to a quiet space if you need a sensory break during the UnGala.
Is this a formal event?
No tuxes or gowns are needed, unless it’s part of your nonsensical Dada costume! Come dressed in what you love (or in costume) to socialize, make non-messy art, and dance the night away.
What is the schedule for the evening?
5-7 PM Food & drinks, guided art activities
5:30 & 6 PM Exhibit tours and continued art activities
7-9 PM Music & dance, cocktails, costume fun
Should I arrive in costume?
You may arrive in full costume, partial costume, or no costume at all. At any time throughout the evening, you may change into costume or create one at our make-your-own costume and mask station. The Dada contests won’t begin until after 7 PM. (See Dada Costume FAQs farther below for more information.)
What food and drinks will be provided?
Our friends at Alchemy | Choose Thy Poison will offer delicious, hearty meat and vegan bites from 5-7 PM, and an open bar from 5-9 PM, including specialized cocktails, beer, wine, and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages.
What art activities will be provided?
From 5–7 PM, guests can explore three hands-on art stations: one collaborative group project and two Dada-inspired creation stations. All activities are easy, low-mess, and artist-led—no experience necessary! Plus, some artists will offer mini-tours of a museum exhibit, sharing their personal insights and reactions along the way.
After the UnGala, the collaborative piece will be completed and auctioned off at our December 13 Open Studios event. Any individual art created during the evening is yours to take home!
What if I’m not very artistic?
That’s ok! The beauty of Dadaism is that it rejects traditional art and embraces unpredictability as well as the silly, absurd, and unconventional. So anything you create will be an exercise in freedom and expression.
Will there be an auction or a raffle?
No, but we will share a donation QR code with all attendees. A few weeks after the event, once the collaborative art project has been fully assembled, we will offer it for a silent auction item during our December 13 Open Studios, to be held at Space 4 Art’s facility at 340 16th St.
Are there more sponsorship opportunities?
Yes, please view our UnGala Sponsorships page for all the details!
Dada Costume FAQs
What is Dadaism?
Dadaism, or Dada, is an avant-garde art movement that began around 1916 in Zurich, Switzerland, during the chaos of World War I. It was a radical anti-establishment movement that rejected traditional art, logic, reason, and the values of a capitalist, war-driven society. Dadaists aimed to shock, provoke, and disrupt conventional norms of culture and art.
Although Dada was relatively short-lived (roughly 1916–1924), it had a profound impact on later art movements like Surrealism, Fluxus, Pop Art, and Conceptual Art. Its emphasis on chance, rebellion, and anti-authority continues to influence contemporary art and culture.
In short, Dadaism was less a style and more a spirit— one of protest, unpredictability, and subversion.
What is a Dada costume party?
A Dada costume party is a playful, whimsical event inspired by the Dada art movement of the early 20th century. The goal at these parties is not to dress beautifully or logically, but to embrace the weird, random, and nonsensical in a fun and creative way. Click below for costume and mask inspiration:
Photo examples of Dada costumes
More examples of Dada costumes
How Dadaists Inspired Generations of Halloween Costumes
What makes a costume Dada?
1. Nonsense Over Style:
Costumes are meant to be irrational or surreal— not polished or elegant. Think socks on your hands, newspaper hats, a mustache on your knee, or a lobster on your head.
2. Mismatched & DIY:
Forget store-bought perfection. Dada fashion is about found objects, clashing patterns, and handmade weirdness. Combine household items, scraps, old costumes, or trash into something totally original.
3. Humor & Satire:
Dadaists loved poking fun at seriousness, politics, and traditional culture. Costumes might reference pop culture absurdly, mock formality, or mash up unrelated ideas (like a Victorian pirate-robot-chef).
4. Embrace the Unexpected:
It's not about looking “good.” It’s about breaking the rules of what a costume should be.
Must I wear a costume?
Of course not! After all, Dada rejected conformity. But we sure hope you’ll embrace the absurd and try creating a costume or mask while you’re with us.
Should I arrive in costume?
You may arrive in full costume, partial costume, or no costume at all. At any time throughout the evening, you may change into costume or create one at our make-your-own costume and mask station. The Dada contests won’t begin until after 7 PM.
How can I make a costume or mask during the UnGala?
Bring a few unwanted, nonbreakable trinkets, doodads, baubles, or bits to trade at our make-your-own costume/mask station. You won’t get these items back.Then choose items donated by others to assemble your own creative, nonsensical costume or mask.
Remember, with Dada, anything goes and nothing needs to make sense! Some examples of what to bring to assemble or trade:
Clothing, outwear, shoes, socks, nylons (mismatched, stained, or torn is ok)
Accessories like jewelry, belts, wigs, neckties, bows, gloves, hats, scarves
Blankets, sheets, fabrics (stained or tattered is ok– we can cut around it!)
Small household items like pots, lids, ladles, lamp shades, pillows, artificial plants, defunct charging cords, broken umbrellas
Old toys, game pieces, rubber bugs, sports balls, hula hoops, stuffed animals
Unwanted random materials like rope, twine, string, pool noodles, cardboard, nets, tin foil, waxed paper, plastic cling wrap, cheesecloth, pipe cleaners, ribbon, yarn, magazines, newspaper, egg cartons, bubble wrap, zip ties, straws, buttons, toilet paper/paper towel tubes
Paper plates, cups, plastic utensils, bibs
Bags of any size and any material— plastic, fabric, leather, paper
The more ridiculous, the better!
What will Space 4 Art provide at the costume station?
In addition to a “starter pile” of trinkets, doodads, baubles, and bits of our own, we’ll provide costume and mask construction supplies like:
Scissors
Glue & tape
Fishing line & twine
Safety pins & clothes pins
Sharpies & markers
Paper & fabric scraps
Baubles & pipe cleaners
Jumbo popsicle sticks
What are some examples of Dada Costumes?
Click any links below and have fun going down the rabbit hole of Dada costume exploration!
Photo examples of Dada costumes
More examples of Dada costumes
How Dadaists Inspired Generations of Halloween Costumes
What kind of costume and mask contests might there be?
Imagine categories like “Most absurd use of a necktie” or “Most surprising use of jewelry.” Or “Best made-from-scratch mask” or “Best group/couple costume.” The sky is the limit! For our most spirited Dadaists in the crowd, maybe there will even be an impromptu Dada poetry recital or dance-off.
Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor:
Thank you for believing in our mission and supporting our goals!
