NEW YORK — The word “luminaries” might be one of the most used and abused cliches in society reportage, but it is apropos when describing the guest list at last night’s National Arts Awards event hosted by Americans for the Arts at Cipriani 42nd Street. Bebe Neuwirth, Herbie Hancock, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Renee Fleming, Richard Serra, Marty Margulies, Julie Mehretu, Jeffrey Deitch, Larry Gagosian, and John Baldessari turned out to honor this year’s awardees. Baryshnikov presented the Arts Education award to philanthropist Lin Arison. Art patron and MoMA PS1 chairwoman Agnes Gund bestowed a lifetime achievement award on pop artist James Rosenquist. Serra presented the Eli and Edythe Broad Awards for Philanthropy in the Arts to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Actress and singer Neuwirth honored baritone Brian Stokes Mitchell with an award for outstanding contributions to the arts.
The Bell Family Foundation Young Artist Award — and the unofficial ladies choice award — went to adult contemporary crooner, actor, and late-night funnyman Josh Gorban, who recently launched the Find Your Light Foundation, a charity that raises funds for quality arts education. Groban — who attended the free Los Angeles Country High School for the Arts — spoke passionately about the importance of affordable arts education for young people. “Between my parents and the teachers that I had at LACHSA, I was one of the lucky ones. I got the chance to be exposed to it at a young age. So many kids that I’ve run into don’t get that chance,” Groban said. “So building my own foundation… has really been about raising awareness, because not everybody can go to a school like LACHSA, and with the arts programs being cut at such a drastic rate, especially across California, I felt that it was important to give back to those kids.”
Groban is also an art collector. “I’ve got a Basquiat… print! I’m going to work my way up to an original at some point. I’ve got a couple of pieces by David Mach. I’ve got a piece by Jerome Witkin, who’s one of my favorite painters,” he said. Emerging artists take heed – Josh Groban wants to buy your art. “Living in New York, it’s always wonderful to be introduced to new and up-and-coming artists. I’ve got a lot of empty wall space, and mostly I’d love to fill it with up-and-coming artists. So I’m always on the lookout.”
Over Prosecco and mini polentas with a bacalao topping, I asked a more established collector, Marty Margulies, about the cooperate citizenship award, which he presented to Christiane Fischer, president and chief officer of AXA Art Insurance Cooperation. “They reach out to young people and young artists,” he said, “and you need that. Because sooner or later, the older generation no longer is there.” Margulies expressed his admiration for the night’s lifetime achievement honoree, James Rosenquist (“I’m a fan, of both his work and him.”) and chatted about some recent art purchases. “I recently acquired an Anselm Kiefer and I have a good number of young photographers that I collect.”
The wellspring of boyish charisma that is Josh Groban aside, the event drew a mature, distinguished crowd. Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, was described to me as a gentleman with grey hair. “In this crowd, you’re going to have to be more specific,” I said. Americans for the Arts, Lynch explained, focuses on both public sector and private sector advocacy for the arts, “which means educating decision makers at foundations and corporations about the transformative value of the arts. What we are trying to do is get more people to think about the arts as something to invest in.”
I asked Lynch about the future of arts spending given the possibility of a Romney presidency. “Mitt Romney has stated that he wants to eliminate the NEA. But positions change,” he said. “He was a fairly good governor for the arts, and we feel that with additional and better information than he has, if he were elected or not elected, we would change his opinion. One of the things he says is we can’t afford to support the NEA. We have to balance the budget. Well, in fact, the data that we produce independently with the Georgia Institute of Technology shows that the tiny bit of federal money invested — $145 million— is part of what generates $22 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. It’s actually a fairly conservative model. We want the time to help educate him.”
Click on the slideshow to see images from the Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards.