When three years ago Mechanics’ Hall hit upon a unique format for an annual fundraiser — an “Evening of Wonder” with a variety of unexpected experiences — they set themselves up for the challenge of continuing to surprise their supporters year after year. I couldn’t imagine how last year’s highly interactive “Cabinet of Wonder” could be topped. But then, I totally didn’t expect to see the long-dead architects of Mechanics’ Hall — Thomas J. Sparrow and John Calvin Stevens — emcee the evening through MYStudio’s AI animation of historic photos.

The March 27 fundraiser for Mechanics’ Hall was a celebration of collaborative artistic expression, which has been a continuing value at the hall the Maine Charitable Mechanic Association built on Congress Street in Portland in the 1850s.

“Generations of creators, innovators and artists have breathed life into this space,” said Tom Haushalter, a writer and actor who serves on the Mechanics’ Hall board of directors.

During a cocktail reception in the library with culinary delights by David’s Restaurant, author Katherine Ferrier wrote bespoke poems on her typewriter and artist Josie Colt sketched pop-up portraits. Across the hall, guests found a visual arts exhibit by Portland artist Clif Travers, whose “Medicine Cabinets” were inspired by asking 100 people “What is one social ailment that could be easily remedied?”

The party continued in the ballroom with an improvisational Wurlitzer keyboard and violin duet by Sean Oshima and Maya French. A musical storyteller who goes by “ym” put the audience to work measuring “the space between sounds.” And a quartet of musicians and dancers from nonprofit Flamenco & Its Origins (FLOR) closed out the evening with showstopping rhythms that brought the audience to its feet.

Just when guests thought the wonders had ceased, hand-scooped ice cream cones appeared as if out of nowhere. While ice cream cones aren’t quite the “wonder” they were when they first appeared at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, they were a whimsical touch of the unexpected. And, then, if guests turned and looked back at the Hall as they left, they saw that sponsor LummanArt! had projected images from Mechanics’ Hall trade banners on the front of the building with text about celebrating 200 years of arts and crafts workers in Maine.

“Every minute of tonight has shown why we need to preserve the arts,” said Rachael Desmarais of Biddeford. “I think this place is magical.”

Thanks largely to the more than 20 corporate sponsors and large host committee, “Evening of Wonder” raised nearly $60,000 to support hundreds of arts programs throughout the year.

“Who would we be — this city, this community — without spaces like this?” asked board chair Bill Stauffer. “The anticipated book launch. The monthly artist open mic. A Community Plate potluck of stories. A gay opera. A student engineering competition. Quiet nights of reading in our library. And not just Mechanics’ Hall but Equality Community Center, Space Gallery, State Theatre, Indigo Arts… It’s up to us to support places like these.”

Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at amyparadysz@gmail.com.