On Monday night in Manhattan, Bloomingdale’s 59th Street store mixed holiday sparkle with Broadway star power at the unveiling of their 2016 holiday windows. The event featured a performance by the cast of the musical Dear Evan Hansen in Beacon Court on 59th Street followed by the first glimpse of the holiday windows on the Lexington Avenue side of Bloomingdale’s.

The Crowd at Beacon Court Photo: Rhonda Erb

“Dear Evan Hansen” is a new, original musical, currently in previews on Broadway. Members of the cast, including Ben Platt, Laura Dreyfuss, Rachel Bay Jones and Jennifer Laura Thompson, performed songs from the play as well as holiday music. The spectators who came to see the show were each given a “necklace” of holiday lights as they entered Beacon Court, creating a sea of twinkling lights, in keeping with Bloomingdale’s holiday tag line, “Glow What Fun.”

“Sparkle” window Photo: Rhonda Erb Click images for full size views

After the performance the Lexington Avenue windows were revealed. Drawing inspiration from Bloomingdale’s holiday campaign theme, “light,” each of the windows was designed by an individual artist and features a one-of-a-kind chandelier that expresses his or her visual representation of the word “light.”

“Brilliant” window Photo: Rhonda Erb

The eight chandeliers were commissioned exclusively for Bloomingdale’s and will be auctioned off on CharityBuzz.com/BloomingdalesAuction to benefit The Child Mind Institute. The retailer has a long-standing partnership with the organization, whose mission is to improve the lives of children and families grappling with mental illness and learning disorders. 100% of the net proceeds from the auction will benefit the charity. The auction runs through December 20, 2016 and opening bids start at $2,000.00.

“Luminescence” window Photo: Rhonda Erb

Artists featured in the holiday windows and their works of “light” include: Brilliant by Susanne Bartsch, Luminescence by Sean Augustine March, Reflections by Inma Barrero, Aura by Erika deVries and Jonah Meyer, MoonGlow by Abby Modell, and Sparkle by Allison Eden. The works of two more artists are displayed in Bloomingdale’s 59th Street and 60th Street arcades: Mirrors by Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos (59th Street) and Let it Glow, Let it Glow, Let it Glow by George Kroenert (60th Street).

“Moon Glow” window Photo: Rhonda Erb

For the seventh year in a row, Bloomingdale’s will continue to provide additional support to The Child Mind Institute through the sale of their collectible Little Brown Bear by Gund. The bear is dressed in a gray hoodie that is printed with the phrase, “Free Bear Hugs.” It retails for $20.00 and $4.00 from each purchase will be donated to the charity.

– Rhonda Erb
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