National YoungArts Foundation Announces Second Annual New York Gala, 4/20

On Thursday, April 20, the National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) will welcome 280 of New York City's top cultural and community leaders, philanthropists, celebrities and art aficionados to the second annual YoungArts New York Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing. Presented in collaboration with luxury brand Swarovski, with support from Max Mara, the event will be hosted by honorary co-chairs Debbie Allen, Agnes Gund and Sir Salman Rushdie, as well as gala co-chairs Sarah Arison and Thomas Wilhelm, and Gillian Hearst Simonds and Christian Simonds. The YoungArts New York Gala will be emceed by former Gossip Girl and The Knick actress Zuzanna Szadkowski (1997 Winner in Theater and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), and will feature an elegant reception and seated dinner by Restaurant Associates. Throughout the evening, a series of interdisciplinary performance vignettes will be directed by YoungArts alumni Jake Goldbas (2007 Winner in Jazz), featuring soul singer and songwriter Grace Weber (2006 Winner in Voice and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), jazz singer, songwriter and bassist Kate Davis (2009 Winner in Jazz and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), R&B/pop singer and songwriter and The Voice Season 8 Top 5 contestant India Carney (2011 Winner in Theater, Voice and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), modern dancer Javon Jones (2016 Winner in Dance and inaugural Max Mara Young Visionary Award recipient) alongside four recent YoungArts dance alumni, and more.

EXPECTED ATTENDEES:

Honorary gala co-chairs Debbie Allen, Agnes Gund and Sir Salman Rushdie; and gala co-chairs Sarah Arison & Thomas Wilhelm and Gillian Hearst Simonds & Christian Simonds; along with:

ARTISTS & CULTURAL LEADERS: Carolina García Jayaram, President & CEO, National YoungArts Foundation * Derrick Adams, Artist and YoungArts Master Teacher * Klaus Biesenbach, Director, MoMA PS1, and Chief Curator at Large, MoMA * Zoe Buckman, Artist * Fisher and Spencer Cherry, Artist * Talia Chetrit, Artist * Plácido Domingo, Opera Singer and YoungArts Master Teacher * Max Falkenstein, Partner, Gladstone Gallery * Dr. Kira Flanzraich, Chairman, MoCA North Miami * Mr. Neil Flanzraich, Executive Chairman, Cantex Pharmaceuticals * Jordan Flanzraich, CMBS and Real Estate Finance Analyst, Citi * Casey Fremont, Executive Director, Art Production Fund * Anna Furney, Partner, Venus Over Manhattan * Max Heiges, Artist * Olivia Marciano, Marciano Art Foundation * José Parlá, Artist and YoungArts Master Teacher * Georgiana Pickett, Executive Director, Baryshnikov Arts Center * Bettina Prentice, Founder & Owner, Prentice Cultural Communications * Chiara Repetto, Cofounder, Kaufmann Repetto * Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, MoMA * Thor Shannon, Gallery Assistant, Gavin Brown's enterprise * Gedi Sibony, Artist * Jamie Stevens, Curator, Artists Space * Max Teicher, Curator, Gagosian Gallery * David Totah, Gallerist * Marlies Verhoeven Reijtenbagh, Co-founder and CEO, The Cultivist * Dustin Yellin, Artist and YoungArts Master Teacher

FASHION & DESIGN LEADERS: Nadja Swarovski, Executive Board Member and Head of Corporate Communications and Design Services, Swarovski * Maria Giulia Maramotti, US Director of Retail, Max Mara * Lisa Benson, Senior Manager, IMG Models * Edward Chapman, CEO, Marchesa * Laura Gomez Eastwood, model * Khirma Eliazov, Designer * Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters, Co-founders,Creatures of the Wind * Zani Gugelmann, Jewelry Designer * Gabriela Hearst, Fashion Designer * Dalia Oberlander, Founder & CEO, Latest Revival * Katy Schell, Founder, READY-TO-WAG * Debi Wisch, Jewelry Designer

PHILANTHROPISTS & BUSINESS LEADERS: Richard Kohan, Chair, AFO, LLC; YoungArts Chairman * Anne Huntington, Founder, AMH Industries and Director, Huntington Learning Center * Peter Kunhardt Jr., Executive Director, Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation and Gordon Parks Foundation * Martin Rozenblum, Founder, Visibility.org * Deborah & Brandon Shainfeld, Philanthropist & CEO, Be Well by Dr. Frank Lipman * Jamie Silverstein, Manager, Special Projects, Vox Media * Sandy and Tony Tamer, Founder and Co-CEO, H.I.G. Capital * Terry Zucker

WHERE:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing
1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028

WHEN:

Thursday, April 20, 2017
Media check-in: 6:00 PM
Red carpet arrivals: 6:15 PM
Program: 6:30 PM (cocktails), 7:15 PM (dinner)
***all media must be credentialed in advance

DRESS CODE:

Cocktail Attire.

MORE INFO:

http://www.youngarts.org/galas

About the National YoungArts Foundation
The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and nurture the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. Through a wide range of annual programs, regular performances, and partnerships with some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, YoungArts aspires to create a strong community of alumni and a platform for a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support.???

YoungArts' signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15 - 18 or in grades 10 - 12 from across the United States. Selected through a blind adjudication process, YoungArts Winners receive valuable support, including financial awards of up to $10,000, professional development and educational experiences working with renowned mentors-such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rebecca Walker, Plácido Domingo, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Wynton Marsalis, Salman Rushdie and Carrie Mae Weems-and performance and exhibition opportunities at some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The Museum of Modern Art (New York) and New World Center (Miami). Additionally, YoungArts Winners are eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic and artistic excellence.?

YoungArts Winners become part of a thousands-strong alumni network of artists, which offers them additional professional opportunities throughout their careers. YoungArts alumni who have gone on to become leading professionals in their fields include actresses Viola Davis, Anna Gunn, Zuzanna Szadkowski and Kerry Washington; Broadway stars Raúl Esparza, Billy Porter, Andrew Rannells and Tony Yazbeck; recording artists Josh Groban, Judith Hill and Chris Young; Metropolitan Opera star Eric Owens; musicians Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton, Jennifer Koh and Elizabeth Roe; choreographers Camille A. Brown and Desmond Richardson; visual artists Daniel Arsham and Hernan Bas; internationally acclaimed multimedia artist Doug Aitken; New York Times bestselling author Sam Lipsyte; and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Doug Blush.

For more information, visit?youngarts.org,?facebook.com/YoungArtsFoundation?or? twitter.com/YoungArts.
To watch a brief video about YoungArts, click here.

About Swarovski
Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity.

Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones as well as finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting. The Swarovski Crystal Business is run by the fifth generation of family members and has a global reach with approximately 2,800 stores in around 170 countries, more than 27,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.6 billion euros in 2016.

Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2016, the Group generated revenue of about 3.37 billion euros and employed more than 32,000 people.

A responsible relationship with people and the planet is an integral part of Swarovski's heritage. The global Swarovski Waterschool education program has reached 461,000 children on the world's greatest rivers, and the Swarovski Foundation, set up in 2013, works to support culture and creativity, promote wellbeing, and conserve natural resources to achieve positive social impact. www.swarovskigroup.com

About Max Mara
Max Mara, the premier collection within the Max Mara Fashion Group and is the epitome of Italian luxury and style. As a contemporary collection for the confident woman, consisting of opulent fabrications with couture details applied to ready-to-wear, Max Mara pieces embody femininity and craftsmanship. Symbolic for impeccable silhouettes with a timeless sensibility and constructed from the most luxurious fabrics, Max Mara is revered for the classification of the coat, sharp suiting and elegant accessories. Founded in 1951 by the late visionary, Achille Maramotti, Max Mara is now available in 2,462 locations in more than 100 countries. Max Mara Fashion Group counts 19 different collections. The company remains privately held.