YoungArts Honors Actor Robert Redford, 1/14

On Saturday, January 14, 2012 YoungArts honored actor, director, activist and founder of Sundance Institute+ Film Festival Robert Redford with the Arison Award; visual artist and 1986 YoungArts winner Doug Aitken with the Alumni Award; and arts administrator Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, with the YoungArts Leadership Award, at the historic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts and the J.W. Marriott Marquis Hotel at An Affair of the Arts Performance and Gala. The event raised nearly $1,000,000 to support student artists on both a regional and national level, with gala leadership graciously provided by Honorary Gala Chairs Micky and Madeleine Arison, and J.W. “Bill” and Donna Marriott, Jr. SunTrust was the event’s presenting sponsor with additional support by MIAMI Magazine, GREY GOOSE® Vodka and The Collection.

The gala brought together more than 800 guests, including prominent artists, community leaders, philanthropists and celebrities to celebrate the 2012 national YoungArts winners and the organization’s legacy of supporting artists at critical junctures in their lives. Notable guests included Robert and Bylle Redford; Debi Mazar; Jacques d’Amboise; Bill T. Jones; Bruce Weber and Nan Bush; Lin Arison; Sarah Arison; J.W. “Bill” and Donna Marriott, Jr.; Rocco and Debby Landesman; Michael M. Kaiser; Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón; Jorge Luis and Marile Lopez; Angelica Maria, Angelica Vale and Otto Padrón; Shelly Berg; Facundo and Elizabeth Bacardi; Alberto and Maria Carvalho; Nicole Henry; and, Doug Aitken and Gemma Ponsa Salvador, among others.

YoungArts, the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) recognizes and supports America’s most talented 17-18 year olds in the visual, literary and performing arts. The organization’s mission is to identify emerging artists and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development, and to raise the appreciation for, and support of, the arts in American society.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos