The 21st Annual ARTWALK NY Honors Alec Baldwin & Richard Gere
The Coalition for the Homeless has been working tirelessly for over three decades to provide aid to homeless and at-risk New Yorkers. More than 3,500 men, women and children receive assistance each day through the Coalition’s direct initiatives, which include providing housing, emergency food & clothing, crisis services, job training and special programs for kids such as Camp Homeward Bound.
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015, the Coalition for the Homeless hosted their 21st annual ARTWALK NY, bringing together more than 800 Coalition supporters, artists, collectors, art-lovers and celebrities in the Flatiron’s Metropolitan Pavilion for an evening of festivities including a live and silent auction of over 100 pieces of donated contemporary art.
For the sixth consecutive year, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of ARTWALK NY. Artists Patricia Cronin and Deborah Kass were honored for their contribution to contemporary art, and Richard Gere and Alec and Hilaria Baldwin were honored for their continuous philanthropic support of the Coalition over the years.
To the delight of the partygoers, the evening’s program started off with a bang when Alec Baldwin jumped onstage to offer up Richard Gere as the first “item” for sale starting at a mere $50,000. Later, when the real live auction began, Sotheby’s Aileen Agopian auctioned off a stunningly curated selection of art pieces donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Jenny Holzer, Deb Kass, Glenn Ligon, Ed Ruscha, Patricia Cronin and Andy Warhol.
The evening, generously sponsored by Tiffany & Co., began with hors d’oeuvres by Pinch Food Design and libations graciously provided by VDKA 6100 Peroni, Slope Cellars and Grace Hightower and Coffees of Rwanda. Several of New York’s best restaurants, including Michael’s, The National, Palma, The Odeon, Tijuana Picnic and David Burke Kitchen provided tasting stations.
Throughout the night, guests bid on and purchased works from established and emerging artists while grooving to tunes spun by DJ May Kwok.
Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team and title sponsor Tiffany & Co., Empire Entertainment served as executive producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, production and logistics to décor and restaurant coordination.
To learn more about the Coalition for the Homeless or to get involved and donate, visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org
Guests received their first taste of technological innovation at registration, where they were welcomed by name on a reactive LED screen installation covering the full width of the entry wall. A large lunch café was created with a décor scheme that incorporated custom-built, ceiling-high steel LED frames draped with foliage to create smaller, intimate restaurant-style spaces that displayed both technology and nature.
A series of breakout sessions presented content targeted to attendees’ varied interests, while imagery displayed throughout the venue showcased real-life applications of how products designed to empower developers help to unleash the power of data and reimagine possibilities that will improve our world.
Every element of Microsoft Connect(); from registration, breakfast and keynote, to lunch and evening cocktails, were custom-designed to communicate exacting brand messaging and to deliver a high-touch guest experience to this important audience. The keynote and breakout sessions were livestreamed through an onsite studio built for this purpose and content was watched online by millions around the world.
Empire is proud to collaborate with Microsoft on this annual, top-tier business communication event.
To view excerpts of Connect(); 2017, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/connectevent
