Painters and Patrons Attended Artwalk NY’s Colorful Fundraiser

A few weeks shy of Miami’s Art Basel is Manhattan’s annual Artwalk NY fundraiser, which celebrated its 25th birthday last night at Spring Studios. Hosted by Italian fashion house Max Mara, the event raises funds for the Coalition for the Homeless, the longest-running direct service and advocacy organization supporting homeless (ranging from youth through to adulthood) in the United States.

Fashion, art, and philanthropic folk floated into the sixth-floor studios with Artwalk pamphlets in hand that featured a smiling Pink Panther—a work by the night's honoree artist Katherine Bernhardt—and detailed the offerings of the evening’s silent and live auctions. The event spanned three art-filled rooms, each bathed in magenta light, peacock and ostrich feathers (interchangeably cerulean and hot pink), and pastel orchids dotted the hors d’oeuvres stations. From sweet (red velvet pops by Cafeteria in Chelsea) to savory (Chai-smoked duck breast with cherry maple confiture by Jay’s in Brooklyn), Artwalk incorporated the high-end and hole-in-the-wall fixtures of New York’s culinary scene.

Deeper into the gallery spaces, a coterie of Max Mara–donning guests (Debi Mazar, Tali Lennox) perused the artworks and placed bids on their favorites of the evening. Artists from Ai Weiwei to Jenny Holzer contributed to the auctions, which were populated with pieces varying in size, medium, thematic content—and price.

Percolating throughout the evening was a unique sense of empathy as attendees reflected on the impetus of Coalition for the Homeless’s initiative. Around 62,000 New Yorkers (one-third of which are children, one-half of them under the age of 5) sleep in homeless shelters every night, with thousands more sleeping on city streets, where they are exposed to harsh elements and systemic violence and hate crimes. All of the proceeds from each piece purchased will directly benefit one of the coalition’s several missions.

“This is one of my favorite events in New York,” shared Maria Giulia Maramotti, Max Mara global brand ambassador and granddaughter of the label’s founder. “Max Mara has been partnering and patronizing art for the past 70 years, since we’ve existed, so it’s part of our DNA, and it’s been for a project that’s very meaningful for us.”

David Giffen, director of the Coalition for the Homeless, agreed: “The thing about the arts community is that they really embrace a sense of compassion and humanity that keeps us going. The fact is that so many artists themselves have experienced poverty and homelessness, so I think there is a real simpatico with the issue. We all appreciate beauty, and we appreciate compassion, and this is really where those two things come together. We love having Max Mara. They bring in the beauty and the ethos of the fashion community while keeping it focused on why we’re all here.”