Fall Benefits

inside Haunch of Venison for The Drawing Center's Annual Auction 2012.

This past Monday night, the Drawing Center held its Ninth Annual Fall Benefit Auction at Haunch of Venison on 550 West 21 Street. The Drawing Center is the only non-profit organization in the United States that focuses solely on the exhibition of historical and contemporary drawings.

Outside Haunch of Venison

Alexander Gilkes leads the auction

Each year this auction provides critical support for their programs and exhibitions. Chaired by Stacey Goergen, Merrill Mahan, Rhiannon Kubicka and Candace Worth, the evening drew more than 400 including established and emerging artists, art patrons, and collectors, corporate executives and New York philanthropists.

Stacey Goergen, Brett Littman, and Brooke Shields

Merrill Mahan, Rhiannon Kubicka, Brett Littman, Candace Worth, and Stacey Goergen

Tina Lutz and Rhiannon Kubicka

Candice Mabey, Barbara Bulletti Newman, and Francine Wolterbeek

David Mann and Fritz Karch

Will Cotton, Rose Dergan, Michele Oka Doner, and Inka Essenhigh

Frederick Doner and Joost Elffers

Maggie Betts

Claudia Overstrom

Natalie Frank

Nancy Poses

Jay Lehman and Sally Morgan Lehman

Alexander Gilkes, Bevin Butler, and Alex Adler

Sol Kjok and Hilde Marstrander

Stacey Goergen, Suzanne Cochran, and Pam Goergen

Candace Worth, Pat Steir, and Brett Littman

Anne Cook, Jane Dresner Sadaka, and Lynn Halbfinger

Halla Schlub and James Salomon

Joyce Krawiecki and Nicole Gallo

Courtney Coleman and Bill Brockschmidt

Blair Voltz Clarke and Stacey Goergen

Cameron Shay

Emilio Steinberger, Emma Hall, Mililani Trent, and Aaron Baldinger

Waqas Wajahat and Elizabeth Scwartz

Iris Marden and Thomas von Lintel

Anika Taylor and Philae Knight

Ellie Rines, Alex Glauber, and Begum Yasar

Shannon and Brett Wheeler

Lang Pew and Warrie Price

Kate Shepard and David Humphrey

Nina Katchadourian and Deanna Lee

Kara Vander Weg and Candace Worth

Annalise Goldberg and Inka Essenhigh

Last Friday night, South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) held a gala event at Pier 60. SAYA is a youth in action organization with a mission to create opportunities for South Asian youth to realize their fullest potential. to learn more, visit: www.saya.org [1].

Asmita Bhatia, Naresh Nagia, Greta Nagia, Ameet Goyal, and Alka Goyal

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Nuchi Currier, and Bill Currier

Madyha Farooqui, Madhuri Parson, and Aliya Khan

Jaishri Kapur and Neelum Amin

Nushima Khokhar, Maheen Khokhar, Niti Walia, Santha Reddy, and Pratibha Reddy

Rasika Reddy, Girish Reddy, Rita Singh, Manoj Singh, and Devin Sharman

Usha Saxena and Aparna Tambar

Simi Ahuja and Shilpa Sanger

Linda Holiday, Angeli Gian, Ali Naqvi, and Adam Sharaff

Neelum Amin, Rasika Reddy, Gavin Berger, and Preethi Krishna

Neelum Amin and Aasiya Arif

Sri Reddy and Vani Birnbaum

Asmita Bhatia, Victor Menezes, Tara Menezes, Dyvia Rajaraman, and Hans Taparia

Varun Narendra, Dharanjit Kumar, Sudhanshu Narendra, and Divya Narendra

Jay, Rasika, and Sri Reddy

Anu Singh and Angeli Gian

Neelum Amin, Mona Sinha, and Gavin Berger

Rajan Singh, Salman Amin, Ravi Sinha, and Mkrini Vasam

Nadine Ali and Irum Hasan

Vaihari Patel and Jyoti Menon

S. Menon, Rachna Meitra, Kirin Mahendro, Nita Raj, and Rita Singh

Nicola Lewis, A.J. Storinge, Sangha de Nardis, and Mainardo de Nardis

The Junior Council of the American Museum of Natural History kicked off its 2012-2013 season on Thursday, September 27, with a private screening of Flying Monsters and a cocktail reception. Flying Monsters follows Sir David Attenborough as he sets out to uncover the truth about the enigmatic pterosaurs–a group of reptiles who ruled the skies about 220 million years ago and, after insects, were the first animals to fly. The audience will be immersed in the awe-inspiring world of the pterosaur and experience the enormous challenges these creatures faced to survive, let alone flourish, in prehistoric skies.

Co-chairs were Christy Corgan, Sarah J. Crews, Doug and Eva Heyman, Holly and Martin Okner, Zachary and Lori Pomerantz, Robin and Brad Roberts, Gaelin Rosenwaks, Heather and Ross Schulman, Iain and Zoe Wilson.

Junior Council members enjoy cocktails in the Hall of Mexico and Central America

Founded in 1994, the Junior Council supports the Museum’s mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate–through scientific research and education–knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe. Each year, Junior Council Members participate in specially arranged events that offer them an intimate view inside the Museum’s collections, activities, and exhibitions. Junior Council Members go behind the scenes at one of the world’s preeminent museums, meet some of the nation’s most distinguished and engaging scientists, and preview the latest exhibitions.

Andrew Flug and Paulette Fox

Meriwether and Tanner Powell

Alex and Valerie Twerdahl with Museum Curator Mark Norell

Co-chairs Zachary and Lori Pomerantz

Natalie Barak and friend

Steering Committee member Joseph Cavanaugh and Kate Deming with Steering Committee member W. Jameson McFadden and Aimee Schreiner

Last week, on the occasion of the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations, Sting & Trudie Styler, founders of the Rainforest Fund, received the honorary "International Green Film Award" — a Green Oscar for the ongoing and tireless work of the Rainforest Fund — at Cinema for Peace New York 2012 held at The Harvard Club. State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, announced a donation to the Rainforest Fund of $3 milllion dollars to be distributed over the next three years.

Noella Coursaris Musunka, model/entrepreneur and founder of The Georges Malaika Foundation was host for the event. Keynote speaker for Cinema for Peace New York was Amy Goodman, host & executive producer of the award winning news show Democracy Now. Joe Berlinger presented the Green Oscar to Sting and Trudie Styler. Berlinger directed Styler in his film, Crude, which won a Cinema for Peace Award in 2010.

Jaka Bizilj, Amy Goodman, Sting, Jessye Norman, Trudie Styler, Thomas Kipp, Allan Buchman, and Noella Coursaris Musunka

Cheyenne Jackson

Eric Goode and Miye McCullough

Lynne Cherry and Olivia Bolar

Marie Wilson

Noella Coursaris Musunka

Stacey Tisdale, Mike Woods, and Wendy Diamond

Rachael Kun, Tim Morehouse, Noella Coursaris Musunka, and James Masters

Jessye Norman

Peter Thum

Allan Buchman

Amy Goodman

Faith Hope Consolo and Joseph Aquino

Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz

Jaka Bizilj

Joe Berlinger, Trudie Styler, Sting, and Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz

Joe Berlinger and Trudie Styler

Shonda Hornbeck and Lynne Cherry

Tim Morehouse and Rachael Kun

Ubah Hassan

Wendy Diamond and Roxanne Mankin Cason

Sting sings at Cinema For Peace New York

Also last week during the 67th United NationsGeneral Assembly session, a new U.N. initiative spearheaded by the global advocacy group Autism Speaks gained momentum with the backing of many in the developing world who want autism considered a major threat to global health.

At the Fifth Annual "World Focus on Autism" event, Bob and Suzanne Wright, co-founders of Autism Speaks, urged attendees to support the new resolution on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and developmental disabilities that was introduced by Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh. The resolution calls for greater participation of the U.N. in recognizing autism as a public health crisis and encourages member nations to tackle developmental disorders at the local, national and international levels.

From left to right, Mr. Bob Wright (co-founder of Autism Speaks), Ms. Katie Wright (daughter of co-founders of Autism Speaks), H.E. the first lady of the Maldives Madame Ilham Hussain, Mr. Mike Lake and Jaden Lake, Her Excellency the wife of the Vice President of Nigeria Mrs. Amina Namadi Sambo, H.E. the wife of the minister of foreign affairs of Turkey Mrs. Sare Davutoglu, H.E. the first lady of Panama Mrs. Marta Linares de Martinelli, H.E.the spouse of the foreign minister of Serbia Mrs. Natasa Jeremic, H.E Mrs. Ban Soon-taek (wife of UN Secretary-General), Ms. Saima Wazed Hossain (daughter of prime minister Bangladesh), H.E. the prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Her Excellency the first lady of Guyana Mrs. Deolatchmee Ramotar, Mrs. Suzanne Wright (co-founder Autism Speaks), Her Excellency the spouse of the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Mrs. Eloise Gonsalves, H.E. Dr. Liri Berisha spouse of prime minister of Albania, Her Excellency the first lady of Namibia Mrs. Penehupifo Pohamba, HE the first lady of Albania Mrs. Odeta Mishani (front row), and HE the spouse of the prime minister of Croatia Mrs. Sanja Music

The "World Focus on Autism," sponsored by Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism research and advocacy organization, brought together more than 15 heads of state and first spouses in an unprecedented show of support to raise awareness of autism around the world and encourage collaboration among nations to improve service provision and share best practices. The event was held at and co-sponsored by the Roosevelt House at Hunter College and the Hunter Autism Research, Practice, & Policy (HARPP) Center.

H.E. Mrs. Amina Namadi Sambo, spouse of the vice president of Nigeria, with Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks

Mike Lake, Member of Canadian Parliament and son Jaden Lake, who has autism

H.E. Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh

Professor Saima Wazed Hossain with H.E. Madame Ilham Hussein, first lady of the Maldives

H.E. Mrs. Irene deThalassinós, H.E. Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, H.E. Mrs. Odeta Nishani, H.E. Mrs. Marta Linares de Martinelli, Mrs. Suzanne Wright, H.E. Mrs. Penehupifo Pohamba, H.E. Mrs. Deolatchmee Ramotar, and H.E. Mrs. Eloise Gonsalves

Photographs by PatrickMcMullan.com [2]; R. Mickens (AMNH).