Photo Flash: ARTrageous Kicks Off at Harmony Club

A kick-off party for ARTrageous was held at the Harmonie Club on Monday hosted by Stewart F. Lane & Bonnie Comley, and Linda Argila with special guest speaker, Robert Wilson. ARTraegous is a unique fundraising event benefiting foster children through art. Kids residing in foster care and a kids committee collaborate with a dynamic group of artists to help create artwork for auction. The artwork created, along with donated works of art and luxury items will be sold in a silent and live auction at the ARTrageous Gala Dinner and Art Auction.

Money raised through ARTrageous benefits Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families (EGSCF). For more than 85 years, this non-profit organization has been serving and protecting children residing in foster care in New York City. Over the past decade ARTrageous has been a huge success, raising more than $15 million! Today EGSCF is one of the top Foster Care Agencies in New York City. There are more than 16,000 children and teens residing in foster care in New York City.

Robert Wilson gave an inspiring speech about adopting an unwanted "delinquent" child and collaborating with him on a play. Wilson's career spans theater, opera, dance, light and set design. His work, Einstein on the Beach, with music by Philip Glass is playing at the Luminato Festival in Toronto and will be at BAM in the fall.

Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley are this year's ARTrageous
Gala's honorees. Lane and Comley have participated in the event for the last 12 years. The Tony Award winning couple are currently producing A Streetcar Named Desire, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, War Horse and Priscilal Queen on the Desert on Broadway and Top Hat in London's West End.

Guests attending the kick-off party included: Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones, Leah Lane, Alex Washer, Elizabeth Fekkai, Debra Wasser, Lee Fryd, Ellen Krass, Sara Herbert Galloway, G. Chris Andersen, Kathy Ferguson, Olga & Vladimir Balaeskoul, Jill Braufman and Daniel Nir, Judy & Rod Gilbert among others.

For more information on ARTrageous see: www.artrageousevent.com