February 2006 Art Auction and Mardi Gras Gala

From the Art of New York was conceived while the legendary city of New Orleans was still under water. As we watched Hurricane Katrina devastate the Gulf Coast, we were not only heartbroken, we were angry. We watched as an elderly woman and toddler were airlifted from their home and thought, "That could be my grandmother; that could be my niece."

People were touched and they reached out to fellow New Yorkers. On September 1st, 2005, Stephanie Simon, a journalist with NY1, sent out an email to a few friends. The subject line read: An Idea. She simply asked if they would want to help organize some kind of art event to benefit the Gulf Coast. The response was immediate and resounding. Yes.

What began as a short email grew into From the Art of New York, a week-long exhibit and auction to benefit Gulf Coast artists and rebuilding. No matter the hard times that befell it before the levees were breached, New Orleans is as uniquely vibrant, and magical as New York. With their multicultural rhythms and stylish swagger, the Big Apple and the Big Easy celebrate the power and importance of art in all its many forms and the power of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable cataclysm. The artwork of these two wonderful cities side by side, I hope it reminds you how the arts bring us together... uplift us and help us heal... on so many levels. That's what From the Art of New York is all about. And the hope is, like any good story, that it resonates, moves you and makes a difference.