The Kitchen to Honor John Cale and Lawrence Weiner at Spring 2017 Gala

The Kitchen's Spring 2017 Gala celebrates John Cale and Lawrence Weiner, two pivotal artists whose careers have spanned over five decades.

Lauded as punk's godfather, Cale's ambition to bring the sensibilities of Avant Garde to rock redefined the nature of the Punk rock period. A founding member of the Velvet Underground, Cale has collaborated with artists ranging from Andy Warhol and Patti Smith to LCD Sound System.

A central figure in the foundation of the conceptual art movement of the 1960's, Lawrence Weiner is among the trailblazers of his generation to represent art as a language. His text-based installations and radical definitions of art have consistently challenged general assumptions about the nature of the art object and its form of display. The artists appeared at The Kitchen during the 1970's and 1980's.

The evening features performances by rock musician and songwriter Joan As Police Woman, rising world music act Yemen Blues with Ravid Kahalani, and renowned proto-punk singer songwriter Jonathan Richman. The after-party will feature a DJ set by Kindness.

Also being presented at the event for the first time will be The Kitchen Emerging Artist Award, inaugurated by Laurie Anderson and sponsored by Philippe Starck. Jurors for the award include artists Kevin Beasley, Simone Leigh, Ralph Lemon, and Marina Rosenfeld, with Anderson and Kitchen curators. The Awardee, chosen from the fields of visual art, music, theater, performance, or dance, will receive $20,000 and a program or exhibition at The Kitchen.

The Gala will take place on Monday, April 17 at The Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom (311 West 34th Street) and begin at 6:00 PM with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres featuring a tequila tasting by Casa Dragones Tequila Blanco. Dinner and performances will start at 7:30 PM, and the after-party with concerts hosted by Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and James Murphy at 9.00pm. Special guests to be announced.

Individual tickets, starting at $550; tables, starting at $5,500; after-party tickets at $100; for additional information regarding ticket availability contact Caitlin Gleason at The Kitchen at 212-255-5793 x 13 or via email at caitlin@thekitchen.org.

The Honorary Chairs for The Kitchen's Spring Gala 2017 include Kathryn Bigelow, Willem Dafoe, Peter Gordon, Alanna Heiss, Betsey Johnson and Michael Zilkha. Gala Co-Chairs include Melanie Shorin, Greg S. Feldman, Christina Topsoe, James Murphy and Melissa Schiff Soros. After-Party hosted by Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and James Murphy.

The Spring Gala 2017 Benefit Committee includes 303 Gallery, Marla Mayer and Chris Ahearn, Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros, Laurie Anderson, Augusto Arbizo, Roland Agustine, Kyra and David Barry, Kevin Beasley, Dara Birnbaum, Marianne Boesky Gallery, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Judith L. Church, Jane and James Cohan, Nina Del Rio and AaRon Cohen, Paula Cooper, Katie Cusack, Polly Motley and Molly Davis, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Bryce Dessner, Arthur Fleischer Jr, Charlotte Feng Ford, Sandy Tait and Hal Foster, David Friend/Vanity Fair, Liam Gillick, Marian Goodman Gallery, Julie Graham, Agnes Gund, Wade Guyton, Douglas Hand, Hilary and Peter Hatch, Maria Hassabi, Hauser &Wirth, LAura Hoffmann, Lisa Ivorian-Jones, Joan Jonas, Cristina Enriquez-Bocobo and Michael Kantrow, Chum Langhorne, Mia Jung and Scott M. Lawin, Louise Lawler, Ralph Lemon, Barbara London, Barbara Sukowa and Robert Longo, Kristen Lorello, Lawrence Luhring, Sarah Michelson, Nico Muhly, Jenni Muldaur, Oliver Newton, Sukey and Mike Novogratz, Annie Ohayon, Dr.Catherine Orentreich, Viktoria Modesta and Benjamin Palmer, Brian Phillips, Shaun Caley Regen, Garland Hunter and Matthew Ritchie, Cecile Barendsma and Tracey Ryans, Aki Sasamoto, Carlota Schoolman, Cindy Sherman, Xaviera Simmons, Robert Soros, Lynne Tillman, Sam Tsao, Mila and Tomm Tuttle, Sofia and James von Moltke, Dr. Illya Szilak and Chris Vroom, Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner, John Emr and Scott Wasserman, Ann Goldstein and Christopher Williams, Suzy Coue-Wilson and Edward Wilson, Debra Singer and Jay Worthington, Anicka Yi, Lori Zippay.

ABOUT THE HONOREES:

John Cale was born in Garnant, Wales in 1942. A pioneering figure in music, producing and scoring for over four decades, Cale has produced for numerous artists, composed multiple film and video scores, whilst always curtailing on his own musical releases. Throughout his career he has forged collaborative relationships with singers, directors and artists including Lou Reed, Paul Revere, Barbara Streisand, Patti Smith, Andy Warhol, LCD Sound System and the Stooges, among many others. Notably, Cale was a founding member of the Velvet Underground, having started the band with members Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison. Having left the band and gone to forge a solo career, Cale expanded his portfolio to writing musical scores for movies and producing for various successful artists. The classical elements used in Cale's music can be attributed to the interest he forged in Avant Garde musicians during his time as a music student in Goldsmiths College, London. These exact elements he used to bring the sensibilities of Avant Garde to rock in the prime of the punk era.

A daring artist, his un-conventionalism is displayed through the array of musical styles he has been known to use, spanning from classical to elegant pop, hard rock to minimalism, sparse instrumentalism to the use of full orchestras. Cale's work, both experimental and accessible, drawing from both the rock and the classical world, have solidified his position amongst the musical greats of our generation and generations to come.

Lawrence Weiner was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1942. Having occupied a variety of jobs post-graduation, Weiner began to debut public exhibits at the age of 19. It was from then on that Weiner was regarded as a founding figure of Postminimalism's Conceptual Art. His first noted work, centered on antiestablishment creativity, set the stage for his career in radicalism. Weiner began creating gestures described in simple statements, thus using text-based installations as radical definitions of art. Weiner is known for his contemporary approach in creating interactive exhibitive environments, always using language as a primary vehicle for his work. He gained major recognition throughout the 60's and 70's for his investigation into forms of display and distribution, challenging assumptions about the nature of the art object.

A central figure in the foundation of the conceptual art movement of the 1960's, Weiner gained recognition throughout the 60's and 70's for his investigation into forms of display and distribution, challenging assumptions about the nature of the art object. Solo exhibitions of Weiner's have been displayed around the world, including the Tate Modern Museum in London and the Deutshe Guggenheim in Berlin. In addition to his conceptual art contribution, Weiner has also published numerous books as well as producing various films and videos. To this day, a primary motivating factor behind Weiner's work is the desire to make it accessible, thus he is closely involved in manifestations whereby art is in language form, as is his belief that language reaches a broader audience. Among his many honors were fellowships from both the National Endowment for the Arts (1976, 1983) and a Guggenheim Fellowship (1994).

The Kitchen is one of New York City's most forward-looking nonprofit spaces, showing innovative work by emerging and established artists across disciplines. Our programs range from dance, music, performance, and theater to video, film, and art, in addition to literary events, artists' talks, and lecture series. Since its inception in 1971, The Kitchen has been a powerful force in shaping the cultural landscape of this country, and has helped launch the careers of many artists who have gone on to worldwide prominence.