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Creative Art-Inspired Themes For Your Next Event

Photo Jul 27 2024, 2 25 06 PM

A creative event theme brings life to birthdays, corporate galas, weddings, or any event you can imagine. An inventive theme enhances aesthetics and sets the tone. The Orlando Museum of Art, with rotating exhibitions and a stunning collection, provides a perfect backdrop for your special day. Here are creative theme ideas to inspire and elevate your event into a masterpiece.

1. Pop Art Party!

An event theme inspired by Warhol, Kerring, and Lichtenstein, themed around irony, color, and oversized embellishments, comes to life! Transform rooms with primary colors: drape tables and hang halftone patterns. Offer guests photo ops with speech bubbles and a pop-art booth. Include a screen-printing station and a DJ spinning old-school jams. Guests can dress as comic book characters or digital pop culture figures. A tour of OMA’s modern galleries completes the experience!

2. Black & White Ball with Elements of Surrealism

Throw a black-and-white masquerade ball inspired by Magritte, Dalí, and Duchamp! Picture black-and-white entertainment and attire alongside floating elements (bowler hats, mustaches, and melting clocks). Distort perspective in fun ways using gallery lighting. Create the illusion that drinks float by utilizing clear tubing and clear cups. Hire illusionists and mind readers to entertain. 

3. Masters & Mimosas Brunch

Host a Monet, Van Gogh, or O’Keeffe-themed brunch celebrating the Masters. Florals as centerpieces can be akin to the color palettes of still lifes. Consider adding a guided painting experience on-site and serving appropriate bites and mimosas. The OMA Rotunda, or near a masterpiece on exhibition, can elevate the experience. 

4. Modern Minimalist Mixer

This event theme is inspired by Ellsworth Kelly and Agnes Martin! Use neutral tones with clean lines and minimal distraction. Make the centerpieces sculptural, and have guests wear monochrome or minimalist silhouettes. Art-making activities related to mindfulness and sound installations encourage a relaxed, reflective setting.

5. Florida Flora & Fauna

OMA’s collection is informed by Florida, so why not host an event celebrating local aesthetics! Use tropical florals, palm leaves, and even natural elements to create a lush event from art. Live painting, a botanical cocktail bar or educational programming surrounding local art works best. Great for baby showers, fundraiser galas, and eco-conscious organizations.

6. Cubist Cocktail Hour

Picasso and Braque are your muses for this event theme! This avant-garde event style utilizes fragmented patterns and geometric shapes to create an edgy experience! Think asymmetrical tablings, angular glassware, and interactive wall art installations within the party space. Use jazz ensemble music to provide entertainment alongside projection art.

7. Studio 54: Art Meets Disco

Let your guests embrace the wonder of the art world’s rebellious 1970s disco! Metallics, disco balls, neon lightning and art projections rotating on the walls should provide the ambiance. Encourage over-the-top glam attire and host it in OMA’s spacious Grand Gallery with a live DJ and themed cocktails. An over-the-top glam wardrobe is encouraged. 

8. Matisse Garden Party

The colors are bright, and the organic shapes are stylish for this nature gathering. Perfect for spring and summertime, Matisse was also known for his cutouts, so the theme works well in OMA’s Sculpture Plaza. Include picnic-style seating, pastel linens, and cutout crafts for children and adults.

9. Portraits & Prosecco

An elegant affair awaits with this theme for a gallery opening or intimate celebration with friends. Include a portrait photo opportunity, cocktails inspired by famous art, and live figure drawing to engage guests all night long. An OMA gallery of classical works as a backdrop sets the scene. Attire is black-tie or creatively chic.

10. Abstract Expressionist Gala

This theme is all about energy and movement. Great for large events or a fundraising gala, the brushstroke motifs, colorful decorations, props, and projected visuals should be used to inspire movement and creativity. Guests will arrive in their most expressive garb. Accessible and interactive performance installations are welcome. Gallery docent tours or live painting demonstrations are the key happenings of the event.

11. Bauhaus Bash

Design-centric and highly graphic, this theme relies on primary colors, grid patterns, and a mixed material aesthetic. Use three-dimensional materials to create large-scale site-specific installations. Create design-heavy interactive installations and minimalist floral arrangements. This theme is excellent for weddings or creative industry networking nights.

12. Renaissance Masquerade

This classic yet dramatic event theme encourages candlelit spaces, intricate details, and period chamber music to be heard throughout event areas. Guests can wear masks or bring old antique costumes from home that are themed around the period. Take it one step further with live sketching or dramatic reading performances to engage guests throughout the evening.

13. Graffiti Garden

Bring the youthful, edgy vibes of street art to life with an artsy theme that uses natural elements. Spray-paint murals can be the decor, urban-equipped table settings can match, and a live graffiti wall can be on-site. Consider a half-open venue to blend the city’s texture with nature. This theme is perfect for teenage birthdays or community-based efforts.

Group of women dressed in alternative punk-rock and formal attire.

14. Watercolor Wishes

Soft, dreamy, and pastel, this theme is best for showers, brunches, and more intimate receptions. Watercolor signage can guide the event, draped fabrics blur the boundaries of the venue, and floral arrangements that mimic watercolor petals can blossom throughout. Have guests make their own watercolor greeting cards as keepsakes.

15. Art Around the World

From Picasso to Van Gogh to Frida Kahlo, let this theme elevate your event to celebrate artists worldwide. Why not plan your party to highlight them all? Each table can honor a different artist or cultural style, like an African textile table or a kintsugi station. Try to incorporate many types of international cuisine, art, music, and activities.

16. Light & Shadow: A Night of Illumination

Ideal for a nighttime event, this theme can incorporate light as art itself. Use shadow puppetry, LED displays, and projection mapping to wow the crowd with impressive light and shadow installations. Guests can wear black and silver and participate in artwork stations that honor light as art.

17. DIY Maker’s Market

The perfect theme for a community event or fundraiser, local artists and creators can come together to assemble mini-booths or demonstrations. Sculpt this event so that art vending meets art making with live music and themed refreshments. This theme fosters creativity and fundraising while engaging guests in the arts.

18. Digital Dreams

Art meets tech in this event theme inspired by digital screens and online artists. You can include interactive art, AR or VR components, and immersive projection showcases. Adding technological elements to your event is ideal for tech-savvy events or youth programming.

19. Art & Activism

Host an event to generate dialogue and provide a platform for social change. An activist event theme involves locally based artists who advocate for change and use powerful artistic displays to focus on outreach and engagement. This event theme is ideal for nonprofit galas, speaker forums, or awareness days.

20. Fashion as Art

Fashion is wearable art, so why not create a fashion-centric event based on the textile world? Fashion shows and textile arts workshops highlight fashion as living art during your event, and style-centric decor adds to the experience. Use local designers or student fashion galleries to showcase the Orlando arts community.

Why Make Your Magical Celebration at OMA?

Your creative experience begins the moment guests enter the Orlando Museum of Art, a one-of-a-kind venue. Not only does OMA offer a variety of spaces like the Rotunda, Grand Gallery, Auditorium, and Outdoor Sculpture Plaza, but it also has the atmosphere and adaptable spaces to appeal to your creative vision.

  • Creative Atmosphere: Every room in OMA turns any party into something extraordinary.
  • Space Options: Adaptable for weddings, events, private parties, birthday parties, and even large fundraising galas.
  • Resourceful Staff: Experienced OMA staff work collaboratively with you to ensure your creative needs are met.
  • Creative Add-Ons: Art exhibitions, guided gallery tours, and themed special decorations provide more texture to your event within the museum.
  • Family-Friendly: Family and kid-friendly events such as birthday parties and kids parties are always welcome at OMA, where arts & crafts are already part of the fun!

Whether you’re seeking a decorated environment for a contemporary affair, a themed fantasy event, or an understated yet elegant fundraising gala, OMA offers just the ambiance you’re seeking with an artistic and upscale flavor.

Ready to start planning a visit to OMA and your next themed event? Schedule a consultation or explore our rental options and bring your creative vision to life at the Orlando Museum of Art.

Picture of OMA Staff
OMA Staff
Founded in 1924, and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) institution, the Orlando Museum of Art is Orlando’s flagship museum and a leading provider of visual art education and experiences in a four-county region. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in 1971, the Orlando Museum of Art (OM°A) is a regional asset and a catalyst for life-long learning in service to the central Florida community and visitors from around the globe.