Downtown was bustling with black-tie events last weekend, including two different masquerade galas Nov. 7.

Un Ballo in Maschero, a lavish fundraiser for Indianapolis Opera, was at the Marriott. At Conseco Fieldhouse, revelers celebrated its 10th anniversary and raised money to help at-risk youngsters through the Pacers Foundation and the Simon Youth Foundation.

About 350 people attended the Opera ball, which attracted guests in masks and full-length gowns. Honorary Indianapolis Opera Board of Directors member Patricia Curran chaired the event, and international opera star Angela M. Brown , a Hoosier, was honorary chairwoman. She did not attend.

Fewer disguised guests, but more Pacers, were among the 780 who gathered at the Conseco gala, The Masquerade, Blue and Gold Ball, where Sport Graphics owner Frank Hancock was honored for making a positive impact on Indianapolis. The event raised more than $700,000.

Carmel grad thinks big with art

Carmel High School graduate Daphane Park , a contemporary artist living in New York City, has been showing her work on the road.

First, she dropped in on New Orleans’ Voodoo Experience over Halloween weekend. The festival, which features music and art, exhibited a series of large-scale pieces installed in City Park.

Park took two installations: A 32-by-15-foot hammock called “Hammock Mother,” where up to 20 people can rest at a time; and a tent that Park calls a “Super Conductor,” where she lived and performed. Made of felt, silk, metals and more, the tent is crafted as a therapeutic space.

Afterward, Park packed the art into bags and traveled to the Creative Research Laboratory in Austin, Texas, where she installed the works last week after making a few changes.

While in Texas, Park realized that the hammock — which she made with the Zapara people in the Amazon rainforest — had been cut during the Voodoo event. But she exhibited it, saying that it reflects the struggles of the Zapara, who Park said are battling to maintain their territory.

Park is the daughter of Donna Park , Carmel, and Larry Park , Columbus. For information about her work, visit www.daphanepark.com.

Travel hotspots close to home

Participants in WFYI’s inaugural “Spirited Chase” road trip were ushered into their vehicles last weekend by travel expert Rudy Maxa , National Public Radio’s “Savvy Traveler” and the host of “Rudy Maxa’s World.”

* Maxa was on hand at WFYI’s headquarters — with WFYI President and CEO *Lloyd Wright and “Art of the Matter” co-host M. Travis DiNicola — Nov. 7 to help send participants off on a driving journey to six of Central Indiana’s notable spots.

The event, which drew more than 200 people, was a part of the 2009 Spirit&Place Festival, a communitywide exercise in promoting positive change, which concludes today.