On Wednesday, September 21st, 240 guests from arts, entertainment, politics and NYC society circles attended the Back to School ArtsConnection Gala at IAC, 555 West 18th Street in New York City. Over $530,000 was raised that evening.Â
The evening included passed hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, seated dinner, an award presentation, and live music performances by West Village String Quartet during cocktail hour and Ruben Gonzalez & Handmade during dinner.
The ArtsConnection Gala was styled by acclaimed event designer and ArtsConnection Board Member David Monn and was produced by Bee Season Productions.
Gala Highlights
The 2022 Gala was hosted by stage and screen star Seth Gilliam (The Walking Dead, The Wire) and honored the esteemed champion of the arts, artists, and arts-in-education, Ted Berger, presented by Laurie Cumbo, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.
Mr. Berger is an inaugural board member of ArtsConnection, has served on numerous non-profit boards, and has helped to create many national and local initiatives serving artists and arts-in-education.
Commissioner Laurie Cumbo gave heartfelt remarks honoring Ted Berger. She spoke about how she went to the New York Foundation for the Arts as a graduate student, with a thesis and a dream, but without a 501(c)(3) to seek a fiscal sponsor to begin, she was concerned about what would eventually become MOCADA. They turned her down, but she persisted, and they told her to go see Ted, the Executive Director. He took a chance on her and her idea.
The 2022 Arts Innovator Awards was presented to Clayton Calvert and Parker Calvert, and Josh Campbell; and Linda LeRoy Janklow, ArtsConnection Founding Chair, will present The Janklow Awards to Madonna Sang Lee, Arts Liaison and English as a New Language Teacher, PS382, Bronx, and to Amparo Chigui Santiago, ArtsConnection Teaching Artist. An award was also presented to host, Seth Gilliam.Â
Notable Guests
Notable guests at this year’s ArtsConnection Gala in NYC included Seth Gilliam (host), Commissioner of NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs Laurie Cumbo, Tom Murro, and Miss New York Taryn Delanie Smith.Â
2022 Gala Co-Chairs
Erica Friedman and Dr. Josh Friedman, Linda LeRoy Janklow, Lynne Katzmann and Edward Goodell, Caroline Soyoung Kim, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis, Josephine Magliocco, Debra Harounian Peltz, Guy Stanley Philoche, Lisa and Richard Plepler, Iris and Gary Posternack, Tracey and Robert Pruzan, Tibisay Salerno and Charlie LeHuray-Jones, Amy Sung and Jeff Buick and our Corporate Sponsors: Centerview Partners LLP, Citi, JP Morgan Chase, Soroban Capital Partners LP, and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
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