On April 20th, the Public Art Fund held their annual fundraiser and raised more than $1.6 million dollars. The funds raised from the evening will benefit the incredible work PAF is doing; bringing contemporary art to a broad audience by mounting ambitious free exhibitions that offer the public powerful experiences with art and the urban environment.
The fête, which took place at Metropolitan West, treated guests to festive cocktails and a 450-person seated dinner, which was followed by cakes with the number 40 to celebrate PAF’s 40 years of funding public art in NYC.
After desserts, the after-party kicked off with music by iconic DJ and personal favorite, Lady Bunny. The evening also included a special 40th Anniversary Public Art Fund film and four new artist projects: Jesse Hamerman’s whimsical plaster workshop invited guests to create casts and take home a one-of-a kind sculpture: a mold of their own finger, Oliver Herring’s interactive installation invited guests to transform live models into large-scale tin foil sculptures.
Then there was Anna K.E’s, scissors in your arsenal, a large-scale photo-based installation featuring wigs, masks and more, creating an interactive photo-op for the evening. Our personal favorite, however, was B. Wurtz’s prized-based game with Pistachio Toss, where players were able to try their luck at winning a B. Wurtz sculpture.
Guests included the who’s who in the art world and beyond. Public Art Fund Chair Jill Kraus, Art Basel’s Noah Horowitz, Fashion designers Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers, actor Tony Hale, Jenna Lyons, Lucas Cooper, Lucy Mitchell Innes and Frieze’s Abby Bangser.
Learn more about the Public Art Fund.
Images //Max Lakner/BFA.com
