Friday, December 29, 2023. As I write this on Thursday evening, for this kid who grew up in the snowy winters of New England, I must admit I miss the snow — at least for sentiment’s sake. New York used to get it when I was living here in the years after college. There were snowstorms that turned Park Avenue into a sledding and skiing slope. Briefly, yes; but blizzards and snowstorms provided it all on the freezing cold day after.
This week has been an especially quiet time in the city. Although downtown always has the lure for the crowds among the younger sets (and the older) and the well-fixed. Fashion models, Rock stars; Movie stars too. There are a lot of residents who never go north (and those of us who never go south).
Back in the late 1960s when I was first out of college, living in New York, the downtown section of Manhattan island for more than century had an extensive of neighborhoods of mainly immigrant families, along with many small industries (the garment industry, for example). Not slums but low rent neighborhoods like Little Italy, and south of Houston which runs east-west.
By the ‘70s as young artists were moving to New York and renting these large now empty spaces, and settling south of Houston (pronounced how-ston) which is where the name SoHo came by 1970. Beyond that was Wall Street as well as the City Hall.
But historically that part of the island of New York — first settled by the Dutch and then the British — was the entire center of the city now known as Downtown. The original area extended as far north as what is now called Canal Street, which was then a swamp.
The New Amsterdam settlement of the Dutch scattered the natives who previously occupied the lands for centuries — until the Euros showed up in the 17th century and wanted some space to call their own. So they took it from the natives; sometimes for a little wampum, but mainly by First occupying and developing it. The city was originally called New Amsterdam on the island of Manhattan.
It was actually a business development project financed by a group of Dutch investors who were visionaries. The rest of the island of Manhattan was inhabited by settlers and was otherwise entirely wild. In the mid-19th century as it was growing, someone had the bright idea of taking some of that empty, wild land and creating a park.
In 1859, they had chosen a plot (more than 800 acres) on the center of the island. And as the Central Park developed and grew, so did Manhattan. Within a few decades it all just grew — like Topsy — and has kept on growing (and re-growing) ever since. That’s the New York way if you live here, full of opportunity of all kinds for all kinds.
One of the great things about the city and life here is the charitable element. NYSD readers see references to it all the time in the Party Pictures we publish to keep the charities’ work in the pubic eye.
An extraordinary charitable accomplishment is the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s annual Top Dog Gala. This year the honoree was philanthropist Emilia Saint-Amand Krimendahl for her longstanding commitment to AMC and service on the Board of Trustees.
It was a black tie affair and brought out hundreds of animal lovers who share their lives with their pets. The evening raised more than $2 million to support their non-profit mission. The evening was was co-chaired by Nancy Kissinger, Elaine Langone, Elizabeth Monaco McCarthy, Marianne Mebane, and Annette de la Renta. The Gala also honored Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Caring Canines and K-9 Yoda, the hero U.S. Border Patrol dog who was present for his award.
“We are so proud to honor Emilia Saint-Amand Krimendahl as our 2023 Top Dog Honoree,” said Helen M. Irving, RN, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center. “We are thankful for Emilia’s tremendous support over the years, which will ensure AMC’s legacy and help thousands of pets and their families for years to come.
Nearly 400 guests were in attendance, including: Stephen and Christine Schwarzman, Donna and William Acquavella, Elaine and Kenneth Langone, and Jenny Paulson.
Catching up as the season moves to the finish. Earlier in the month, the Museum of the City of New York had an In-Person Celebration honoring Director/Choreographer Susan Stroman with its 2023 Louis Auchincloss Prize for her contributions to Culture and the performing arts landscape in New York and beyond.
Broadway was dark that night but the stars were shining bright. There was an awards presentation by Coran Cahan, CEO of The Millbrook Community Partnership; a special video message from the iconic Mel Brooks, and performances by Broadway notables, including Karen Ziemba (“I Got Rhythm” from Crazy For You); Debra Monke (“Everybody’s Girl” from Steel Pier); Vanessa Williams (“Bill” from Showboat); Brad Oscar (“Haben Sie Gehort Das Deutsches Band” from The Producers); Josh Breckinridge (“Go Back Home” from The Scottsboro Boys); Robyn Hurder (“Let Me Be Your Star” from Smash); and Anna Uzele (“New York, New York” from New York, New York — a song which Stroman herself dedicated to the Museum of the City of New York).
Other notable attendees included Stefanie Hill Wilchfort, the Ronay Menschel Director and President of Museum of the City of New York; Elizabeth Graziolo, trustee and chairman, Louis Auchincloss Prize; Bill Vrattos, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the City of New York; members of the Auchincloss family including the late Louis Auchincloss’ sons, Andrew, John, and Blake; and more.
The Louis Auchincloss Prize is presented to writers and artists whose work is inspired by and enhances the five boroughs of New York City. Disciplines include literature, architecture, art, music, playwriting, and photography.
The Prize honors Louis Auchincloss (1917–2010) for his many years of service to the Museum of the City of New York, as well as his literary contributions which established him as one of America’s leading 20th- and 21st-century novelists. Past Louis Auchincloss Prize honorees include Anna Devere Smith, Faith Ringgold, Robert Stern, Jason Robert Brown, Whoopi Goldberg, Gloria Steinem, Michiko Kakutani, Tony Kushner, Wynton Marsalis, Toshiko Mori, and Philip Glass.
Life imitating art. Fiori del Giardino, a new exhibition by photographer Paulette Tavormina, explores still life compositions, reflective of European old master paintings, as contemporary photographs.
Last Saturday in Chelsea at Winston Wächter Fine Art, Sotheby’s old master paintings specialist David Pollack and photo historian Gail Buckland, joined Paulette the gallery’s director, Madeline Cornell for a conversation on Modern Still Life Photography: A Tribute to the Old Masters.
“These photographs capture theatrically lit flora, fauna, and foods,” said Madeline as she opened the discussion. “Inspired by the Golden Age of still life paintings, Paulette often works against the clock with handpicked flowers and fruit from her garden to immortalize every intricate detail of a perfect moment in time.”
David Pollack offered, “The continuum of what we call ‘Old Masters’ really started in 1250 – 1280, but the proper genre of independent still life is relatively new and begins around 1600. The entire Italian renaissance had already taken place before artists really started to paint flowers and objects, so it was always considered, even in its own time, a modern invention. These were photographs of their time. The ability for artists to render a piece of cheese or a fire tulip with such exact detail is what has always entranced the viewer. That extends to Paulette’s work, which has such technical precision. I see it as a continuum of what has always been a modern and technically driven genre.”
Paulette also spoke of her still life origins, “I used to visit my dear friend Sarah McCarty, a painter, in Santa Fe New Mexico. She had an English garden with lemons and quince. In her studio I fell in love. From then on everywhere I went, in Europe or America, I would go to museums and seek out still life artwork. What I love about still life is their dramatic lighting, color palette, and unique compositions. I became infatuated.”
Guests included Benjamin Dollar, Han Feng, Sarah Frank, Michele Gerber Klein, Nelsa Gidney, Alicia Lubowski-Jahn, Fritz Michel, Rina Oh, Liz Anne Potamianos, Renee Price, and Barbara Tober.
And finally, music to our ears. Manhattan School of Music (MSM) hosted its MSM Precollege Gala at the world-renowned conservatory’s campus and neighboring St. James Chapel at Union Theological Seminary (UTS). The Gala benefited MSM’s Precollege Division and honored distinguished Precollege alumna Chloe Flower, a pianist, composer, producer, and passionate advocate for music education, with the inaugural Janet Daniels Schenck Award (named for MSM’s founder).
Hosted by CBS News Correspondent Elaine Quijano, the evening included a performance by the MSM Precollege Philharmonic Orchestra in the School’s exquisite principal performance space Neidorff-Karpati Hall and, later that evening, during the Gala dinner at UTS, special performances by Precollege students and honoree Chloe Flower.
Notable Attendees included: Elaine Quijano (Gala Host; CBS News Correspondent), James Gandre (President, Manhattan School of Music), Chloe Flower (Gala Honoree; pianist and composer), Noémi Neidorff (Philanthropist; MSM alumna; Secretary of MSM Board of Trustees; Trustee and Past Chair, Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Coco Han (Philanthropist; Board of Directors, Nassau County Arts Museum; Board of Directors, Columbia University Global Center; Founder, Goldstone Wealth Management Consultants), Sylvia Hemingway(Philanthropist; Board of Directors, Southampton Arts Center), Howard Tsao (Team Lead, Muse Games [independent gaming studio]), Yvonne Tsao (Board of Directors, MSM; CFO, Muse Games).
MSM celebrates its 105th birthday this year, and true to the institution’s origins as a music school for children, the Precollege Division is a professionally oriented Saturday music program dedicated to the musical and personal growth of talented young musicians ages 5 to 18.
Held on Saturdays throughout the academic year, the Precollege provides talented young musicians professionally oriented instruction and multiple performing opportunities in a supportive environment, preparing its graduates to go on to attend prestigious institutions of higher education, including world-class conservatories such as MSM.
