Americans for the Arts; and education

The dinner scene at AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS 2009 National Arts Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street.

This past Monday night, Americans for the Arts, the leading nonprofit for advancing the arts in America, hosted their annual National Arts Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street. Robert Redford, Salman Rushdie, Ed Rusha, philanthropist Sidney Harman, Anne Finucane and Bank of America were honored for their contributions to the arts.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi presented Redford with his award. Lisa Phillips of the New Museum of contemporary Art presented Ed Rusha with his Artistic Excellence Award. Paul Auster presented Salman Rushdie with the Kitty Carlisle Hart Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts. Elliot Gerson of the Aspen Institute presented the Frederick R. Weisman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts to Sidney Harman, and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns presented the Corporate Citizenship in the Arts Award to Anne Finucane, accepting on behalf of Bank of America.

In the crowd: Dennis Hopper, Kerry Washington, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Jeff and Justine Koons, Eli Broad, Todd Eberle, Emily Rafferty, Larry Gagosian, Vera Wang, Simon de Pury, Siri Hustvedt, Rep. Jane Harman (D-California), wife of the honoree, Thelma Golden, Chuck Close, Tiny Lutz Morris, Marcia Mishaan, Maureen Orth, Mike Barnicle, Adam Weinberg, James Frey, Margo Lion and Kate Levin.

Anne Finucane and Ken Burns

Diane Brace and Lori Robishaw

Ed Ruscha and Lisa Phillips

Alexandra and Nancy Pelosi

Siri Hustedt and Paul Auster

Robert Redford and Nancy Pelosi

Amy Redford, Sibylle Szaggars‐Redford, Robert Redford, and Kerry Washington

Elliot Gerson and Dr. Sidney Harman

Caroline Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi

Kerry Washington and Salman Rushdie

Jane Harman and Dr. Sidney Harman

Steve and Liora Spiess

Isabella and Ted Daleson

Kulpat Yantrasat

Dana and Ed Ruscha with Maria Bell

Sheila Johnson

Larry Gagosian, James Frey, and Salman Rushdie

Tony Shafrazi, Bill Bell, Dennis Hopper, and Eli Broad

Ken Burns and Anne Finucane

Kerry Washington and Thelma Golden

Paul Auster and Salman Rushdie

Chuck Close and Suzanne Scott

Mark Levine and John Keppler

Photographs by PatrickMcMullan.com [1]

A Place At the Table, the 2nd Annual Benefit for the Ali Forney Center was held at the Chelsea Art Museum.

Rufus Wainwright

Ariel Marks and Isaiah Bartlett

Paul Mooney

Linda Morand and David Frank Ray

Alexi Melvin and Kelley Melvin

Camille Parson and Alan Linn

Carl Siciliano and Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Akiva Rubin, Katie Barnett, and Zack Klim

Brad Rolston, Mark Bradley, and Jonathan Mallow

Chris Carter and Joe Jervis

Andrew D'Ambrosi and Seth Johnson

Dan Fearris and Ken Hunt

Carrie Cash, Teresa Nasty, and Candi Shell

Michael Patitti, Matthew Maddox, Tim Rathschmidt, Jason North, and Cory Ingram

Dan Choi and Christine Quinn

Doug Wingo and Tim Legg

Glennda Testone and Jama Shelton

Chuck Graver, Marco Lemus, and Brian Meehan

Jim Miller, Mark McVeigh, and Russell Loring

Kendall Farrell and Finn Brigham

Nicky Balestrieri and Adam Shapiro

RJ Supa and Sophia Frantino

Keith Champagne, Paul Gruber, and Kyle Merker

Tim Rathschmidt, Joey Fernandez, and Randolph Frazier

Michael Filerman and Neil Koenigsberg

Penny Arcade

Ruben Jimenez and Christine Rodriguez

Photographs by PatrickMcMullan.com [2]

Out in L.A. ... Lulu de Kwiatkowski, Oliver M. Furth, Julie Jaffe and Cooper Ray hosted a reception for interior designer Richard Mishaan at the Williams-Sonoma Home store in Los Angeles for the West Coast launch of Mishaan’s book Modern Luxury.

Among the guests: Cornelia Frame, Maxandra Short, Amanda Masters, Brooke Davenport, Julia Sorkin, Trisha Cardoso, Kimberly Bini, Eve Gerber, Ana Berman, Christina Juarez, George Kotsiopoulos, Ross Klein, Shell and Craig Cardon along with top LA designers, Lizzie Dinkel, David Phoenix and Nathan Turner.

Ana Berman

Christina Juarez and Richard Mishaan

Cooper Ray and Allison Blumenfield

Elizabeth Dinkle and Eve Gerber

Kimberly Bini

Brooke Davenport,Trisha Cardoso, and Julia Sorkin

Julia Jaffe and George Kotsiopoulos

Oliver Furth, Lulu de Kwiatkowski, Richard Mishaan, Julie Jaffe & Cooper Ray

Richard Mishaan and Ross Klein

Mary Luby, Cornelia Frame, and Lulu de Kwiatkowski

Maxandria Short and Shell Cardon

GQ and Alfani Red hosted a party for Ne-Yo's Compound Foundation which helps out kids in the welfare system. Angie Martinez was hostess. Ne-Yo performed at the Stephan Weiss Studio.

Peter Hunsinger, Ne-Yo, Tiki Barber, and Brian Coats

Shanina Shaik, Ne-Yo, and Damaris Lewis

Vivica A. Fox

Brendan Monaghan and Rohit Pursram

Jessica White

Jadyn Maria

Shanina Shaik and Damaris Lewis

Lisa Tucker

Michelle Edgar

Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels and Ne-Yo

Amanda Reska and Sarah Calimidi

Edward Washington and Jacquel Clemons (Compound Foundation Honorees)

DJ Miss Saigon

Jacquel Clemons and friends

Lisa Fields and Darryl Brantley

Marc Bouwer and Lydia Hearst

Adrienne Bailon and Angie Martinez

Photographs by PatrickMcMullan.com [3]

The Institute of International Education held its 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and honored ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson, Maestro Lorin Maazel and the Founders of the Iran Opportunities Fund.

Robert L. Parker Jr., Risa Parker, Tom Russo, Rex Tillerson, and friends

Kaveh, Lila, Mina, Behdad, Hossein, and Nazgol Alizadeh

Tom Russo, Amy Brandt, Rex Tillerson, Denise Benmosche, and Mark Angelson

IIE is involved in many different aspects of international educational exchange, from administering the flagship Fulbright program for the U.S. Department of State, to rescuing scholars in danger, to working with corporations and foundations to support global leadership by investing in human capital.