New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame benefit celebrates renowned artists
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Benefit on Tuesday at 583 Park Ave. celebrated four remarkable artists by inducting them into the NYFA Hall of Fame: James Casebere (Fellow in Sculpture ’89, Photography ’85, ’94), Anna Deavere Smith (Fiscally Sponsored Artist ’16), Faith Ringgold (Fellow in Painting ’88) and Zhou Long (Fellow in Music Composition ’00).
More than 300 guests gathered to honor the new NYFA Hall of Fame inductees and NYFA’s persistent work to support artists at critical stages of their creative careers. The evening’s atmosphere was celebratory and cheerful, interspersed with speeches by NYFA affiliated artists who shared their own NYFA stories.
As Carmelita Tropicana, a three-time NYFA fellow, enthusiastically remarked, “I can’t say how grateful I am to NYFA. It was the first organization that gave me my first grant and NYFA supported me for the three decades that I’ve been performing.”