Friday Fête: Outsider Art Fair, the YoungArts’s Backyard Ball, and More

On Saturday, January 13, the National YoungArts Foundation appointed Sarah Arison as the Chair of the Board of Trustees during the organization’s annual fundraiser, the Backyard Ball in Miami. The night also honored playwright and YoungArts master teacher Tarell Alvin McCraney with the 2018 Arison Alumni Award for his commitment to the arts.

On Tuesday night, “ONE YEAR OF RESISTANCE” opened at The Untitled Space in New York. On view through February 4, the group exhibition featuring over 80 contemporary artists, curated gallery director and artist by Indira Cesarine. With a portion of its proceeds benefitting ACLU Foundation, the show is an anniversary exhibition to last year’s “UPRISE / ANGRY WOMEN” which opened during the week of the presidential inauguration.

On Wednesday in Brooklyn, Mickalene Thomas hosted a studio visit, complemented with drinks and conversation. The night celebrated a first look at Thomas’ upcoming exhibition “Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas,” set to open next month at the Seattle Art Museum.

Also on Wednesday, but in Windsor, Florida, the art world celebrated the opening of Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry’s exhibition “Making Meaning” at The Gallery at Windsor. The show launches a new three-year curatorial partnership between The Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. On view through April 27, Perry’s exhibition explores themes of Britishness, identity, craftsmanship, and more.

Yesterday evening at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) celebrated a book launch. Paula Wallace, president and founder of SCAD, and Caroline Baumann, director of the Cooper Hewitt, welcomed guests to get the first look at SCAD: The Architecture of a University—a 360-page volume published by Assouline, featuring more than 200 archival photographs and editorial notes from Wallace, interior designer and SCAD alumnus Chuck Chewning, editor-in-chief of Galerie and honorary dean of the SCAD School of Building Arts Margaret Russell.

Also last night, the 26^th edition of the Outsider Art Fair took place at The Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. Over 2,500 guests attended—a record for the fair—including Maurizio Cattelan, Hugo Guinness, Peter McGough, Brian Donnelly (KAWS), Josh Smith; Marty and Rebecca Eisenberg, Adam Lindemann, Massimiliano Gioni, and others.

And on Saturday, we’ll be supporting the Women’s March activations happening in all major cities—but in Los Angeles in particular at The Standard, Downtown LA. The hotel’s recent “Ring Your Rep” installations (wherein installed phone booths directly connect to United States Congress) are complemented by a lipstick pop-up by Lipstick Lobby (with proceeds going to ACLU and Planned Parenthood), and EVERYBODY.WORLD, which will offering materials and assistance for protest signs. Female DJs will be playing tunes, with cocktail sales benefitting ACLU.