Soapbox 2018

Make art. Do more.

Our signature gala, SOAPBOX, annually brings together over 300 of NYC’s most influential artists and activists for a powerful evening of reflection and celebration. Drawing inspiration from our celebrated guests of honor, SOAPBOX is designed to galvanize and energize our many communities. Now in its fifth year, SOAPBOX raises vital funds that make it possible for us to continue supporting artists creating change in their own local communities.

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018

• Dinner from 6:30-8:30PM
• Dance Party from 8-10PM

Affirmation Arts

523 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018

Hôpital Albert Schweitzer requests the pleasure of your company for an exhibit of Haitian Art for sale presented by Myriam Nader Art Gallery, NY. Cocktails & Hors D’Oeuvres 7 pm to 10 pm on November 30, 2017, at Affirmation Arts 523 West 37th Street, New York 10018. Dress code: Downtown Chic. Tickets: $125 in advance $150 at the door.

Honoring photography’s visionary leaders and supporting a creative home for future generations of image makers! Our thanks to those who joined us at the 2017 CPW Award & Benefit Auction to celebrate CPW’s 40th Anniversary and remarkable Vision Honoree Dr. Deborah Willis.

Gothamitis is an exclusive annual conversation hosted by New York Restoration Project to advance thinking about the built environment and society.

The 2017 Thesis Reception being held at Affirmation Arts Tuesday April 18th from 6-8pm. Check out the exhibition design done in SketchUp by the Senior class. Also, please like and share the event page at SVAID Thesis 2017 Reception / Exhibition to show your support for the class of 2017! We can't wait to see you there!

Cocktails: 6:30 PM
Program & Auction: 7:30pm
Location: Affirmation Arts
523 West 37th Street New York City

Upstander Award
Howard Greenberg
Howard Greenberg Gallery

Honoring
Colin Finlay
PROOF founder & award winning photographer

Join us at the benefit to mix and mingle, bid on excellent art, all in the knowledge that you are supporting artists. CPW’s annual benefit brings together a wide gamut of the arts community, including collectors – both seasoned and aspiring, patrons, artists, and all around fans of CPW! This year we will celebrate Vision Award Honoree Nathan Lyons and Affinity Award Honoree Bill Mindlin. Art work for sale includes over 50 lots, featuring Berenice Abbott, Ted Croner, Danny Lyon, Vivian Maier, Mary Ellen Mark, Jeffrey Milstein, Gordon Parks, Matthew Pillsbury, Manjari Sharma, Joseph Sudek, Deborah Turbeville, Weegee, and more.

The proceeds from the event directly impact the lives of artists and sustain a place where great photography is made, discovered, and encouraged. 

Purchase ticket (starting at $125)

Join Haiti Cultural Exchange for the kick-off of our Second Biennial Selebrasyon! featuring a DJ, live music, family arts activities, and a pop-up art exhibit of works on paper.

DATE/TIME: Sunday, May 1st | 2-8pm
LOCATION: Affirmation Arts Gallery | MAP
523 West 37^th Street | New York, NY 10018
ADMISSION: $25 in Advance | $30 at Door
$15 for Students/Seniors (Tickets Available Only at the Door. Must Have Valid ID.)
Children Under 12 FREE
Click here to purchase tickets!

Monday May 9th, 2016, 6:45 to 8:45pm

This evening, May 5th, at Affirmation Arts Don’t miss the PAL Poetry Jam 6pm – 7:30pm where we’ll celebrate the young poets who won this year’s poetry writing contest.

Silent auction to benefit the Camera Club of New York.

October 22nd, 6-8 pm.

Preview the auction at http://paddle8.com/auction/ccny/

DATE  Monday, October 19th 2015
TIME  6:30pm – 9:30pm
WHERE  Affirmation Arts (523 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018)

Visit the JHP website to buy tickets prior to the event or purchase at the door:

http://jhproject.org/benefit/

Join us on Thursday October 8th, 2015 at Affirmation Arts in New York City as we gather to celebrate the 2015 Vision Award Honoree, Vince Aletti and secure CPW’s future!

America's Arts and Music Crossroads Center presents Citizen Heroes - Mindfulness and the Arts!

The Center for Arts Education’s Arts Jam 2015 is a benefit to raise funds in support of arts in education for all New York City public school students.

Affirmation Arts is pleased to host the the annual fundraising gala for Nanubhai Education Foundation. The Annual Gala is the Nanubhai Education Foundation’s primary fundraiser. Held at beautiful and unique venues throughout New York City, the gala is a star-studded night where we celebrate our accomplishments, raise funds to support the continued success of our programs, and enjoy a great party!

This evening will feature a five hour open bar compliments of Diageo and Wine 34, delicious appetizers & desserts, Manhattan’s best Bhangra music mixed by DJ REKHA, a live performance by rock quartet Deadbeat Darling, and celebrity guests including Manish Dayal, star of 'The Hundred Foot Journey'.

All proceeds raised are used to support programming in rural India.

For tickets, please visit their website.

Event: 6:00PM; Auction: 7:50PM

Josephine Herrick Project is proud to present its Annual Benefit Party and Photography Auction being held on November 6th at Affirmation Arts New York.

Master of Ceremonies for the evening is Fox Business Network editor and on-air personality Elizabeth MacDonald. The honorees for the evening are Dr. Steven Flanagan, Chair of Rusk Rehabilitation NYU Langone Hospital and photographer Nina Berman.

This year’s meaningful event will feature a photography auction of more than 35 prints donated by well-known photographers including Man Ray, Douglas Kirkland, Michael Grecco and more. Proceeds from the Benefit Party and Photography Auction will support Josephine Herrick Project programs. 

The Camera Club of New York (CCNY) will hold its 9th Annual Silent Photo Benefit Auction on Thursday, October 2, 6–8pm at Affirmation Arts, 523 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018. Tickets are $40 with online pre-registration, and $50 at the door.

Since 2006, CCNY’s Silent Photo Benefit Auction has built a reputation among serious collectors and photo enthusiasts for its wide range of work, focusing both on outstanding established and emerging photographers.

This year’s auction will include sections curated by Elisabeth Biondi, independent curator and former visuals editor for the New Yorker; Matthew Leifheit, a photographer, writer, publisher of MATTE, and photo editor of Vice; Saul Robbins, photographer and educator; and Allen Frame, photographer, educator, and President of the Board of CCNY.

A set of limited edition prints for CCNY by Zoë Buckman, Pradeep Dalal, Pierre Le Hors, Pixy Yijun Liao, Vanessa Marsh, Robert Marshall, and Jonno Rattman will also be launched at the auction this year.

The UNAIDS Campaign teaser event will be held on Thursday and Friday, September 25-26, 2014 at Affirmation Arts in the lead up to the Campaign’s global launch end of the year 2014. Doors are open on Thursday 6 PM-10 PM, and on Friday 10 AM-5 PM.

This interactive event will combine art, music, and educational opportunities about HIV and AIDS and will engage a young and vibrant audience to encourage their support to the battle of HIV.

Renown artists Scott Campbell, Futura, André Saraiva, Aerosyn-Lex and more contribute dedicated artworks which will be exhibited during the event.

Illuminati AMS and SNDCLSH: DJ Lupe Fiasco and DJ Sky Gellatly will provide the right music program.

On May 29 from 6 PM-7 PM, please join 30 Police Athletic League (PAL) children as they gather to showcase their spoken word pieces to friends, family and PAL staff at PAL’s Annual Poetry Jam.

The young poets created their works at PAL ARTS After School Program, and the anthology of the winners’ work is titled “Dreams”. These young winners had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with professional poet, Mahogany Browne, who coached them on performing the spoken word.

To celebrate the Police Athletic League’s Centennial on May 29, 2014, the Empire State Building will be lit green and white.

Arts Jam 2014 is an evening in celebration of the impact of music, theater, dance, visual and digital arts on a child’s educational success. Proceeds from the evening will go to support The Center for Arts Education, one of the leading arts education providers and advocates in New York City, and America’s Arts and Music Crossroads Center, which delivers creativity and career programs for underserved and homeless youth in the Pittsburgh region.

This special event will feature a cocktail reception, along with a live jazz performance and jam session. Available for auction will be 20 photographs from an array of acclaimed photographers, chosen specially for this event by Bruce Silverstein of Bruce Silverstein Gallery.

The honoree for the evening is Ramon Gonzalez, principal of Middle School 223 in the South Bronx, and a White House Champion of Change.

In accordance with the belief that arts should be accessible to all, tickets are only $100 per person. Click here to purchase.

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an organization led by rabbis from all streams of Judaism, will honor four human rights leaders at its annual benefit on Tuesday, March 25 at Affirmation Arts in Manhattan. The event will spotlight individuals who exemplify T'ruah's mission of bringing a Jewish moral voice to the most pressing human rights issues of our time.

This year T’ruah will present the first Lifetime Achievement Award to Rabbi Arthur Waskow, a founding board member of T'ruah, and founder and director of The Shalom Center in Philadelphia, PA, for his decades-long commitment to modern liberation struggles, including racial justice, environmental concerns, feminism, and the freedom of Tibet. T'ruah's Rabbinical Human Rights Hero Awards will be presented to Rabbi Kliel Rose of Beth Shalom in Alberta, Canada and Rabbi Dara Frimmer of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, CA, who were both nominated for this honor by dedicated members of their respective communities for their tireless dedication to human rights.

The Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award will be presented to Martina E. Vanden-berg, president and founder of The Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Center, for her continuous and tireless fight against human trafficking.

Affirmation Arts is excited to announce that it will be hosting the annual gala benefiting the New York City Gay Men's Chorus and Youth Pride Chorus on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 from 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM. There will be a VIP Champagne Reception at 6:00 PM. The evening stars Carolee Carmello and features Ms. Ermine Muff and DJ Bill Coleman, as well as performances by both choruses.

Tickets: $175 General Admission | $750 Group of Five | $275 for VIP Admission | $1,250 VIP Group of Five. Admission includes Hors d'oeuvres, Open Bar and Performances. VIP admission also includes Champagne Reception, Meet & Greet with Ms. Carmello and Reserved Seating for the Main Performance.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.nycgmc.org or call 212-344-1777 x 1.

Peggy Hitchcock and Olivia Boyce-Abel are pleased to host an evening of music with Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary) to benefit Be Present, Inc., a national non-profit empowering diverse communities since 1988. The fundraiser is being held in the Affirmation Arts studio on December 7 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available at the door with different sponsorship levels of $100-$1000. Light refreshments will be served.

EXHIBITION HOURS: A four-channel video installation is open to the public from November 12-23, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM-6 PM

CLOSED SESSION EVENING PERFORMANCES: November 12-16 & November 19-23 from 6:30 PM-7 PM

RSVP REQUIRED: Click here. 20 participant capacity per performance. Each interactive, closed session performance is 1 hour. It is essential to book ahead.

Our Best Intentions invites audience members to take part in an intimate participatory performance combining elements from psychotherapy, theater and art. As individuals walk into a space divided into four domestic areas — a family lounge, a bedroom, a study, and a dining room – each participant selects a vest featuring an array of labels, such as "mother," "doubt," "addiction," "lover," and so forth. As the action moves through the demarcated space, the audience is both active and passive, taking turns to watch other rooms and participate within their own, adding to the climatic, often emotional rollercoaster ride of different scenes that will unfold in the space.

Affirmation Arts is pleased to host The Camera Club of New York on the occasion of their 2013 Photo Benefit Auction, featuring 80+ plus works by emerging and established photographers. Doors are open 6 PM-8 PM for the cocktail reception and silent auction. Tickets are $35 online, and $50 at the door, and all proceeds go towards CCNY programming, residencies and lecture series. All contributions are tax-deductible.

Affirmation Arts welcomes once more the NYC Police Athletic League for their annual Poetry Slam, featuring the poems of 30 young poets chosen at random from PAL centers across the five buroughs of New York City. This year's slam is titled "Sounds", and marks the fifth time Affirmation Arts has hosted this event in cooperation with the PAL Arts Conservatory Program.

The poets will recite their works on Thursday May 30, from 6 PM-7 PM.

Christie's Fine Art Storage Services and the Andy Warhol Museum, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, present "Andy Warhol's TV" as part of Armory Arts Week 2013. Shown for the first time in New York, the specially mounted exhibition features material from Andy Warhol's three cable television sereies from the 1980s. The episodes, which can be seen as a televisual companion to Interview magazine, feature rapidly interwoven interviews with the great, the good and anyone else Warhol happened to feature. An array of stars − from Grace Jones, Debbie Harry and Paloma Picasso to Cindy Sherman, Philip Glass and Keith Haring − all passed before Warhol’s camera. The exhibition, consisting of individual viewing stations, will be open from noon to 6 PM, Wednesday, March 6 through Saturday, March 9 at Affirmation Arts.

William John Kennedy: The Warhol Museum Edition, curated by The Andy Warhol Museum Deputy Director, Patrick Moore, and produced by Kiwi Arts Group (New Zealand), will also be on display.

The Police Athletic League's annual art exhibition will be held the night of February 19, 2013 at Affirmation Arts. The 10 works on display were conceived of and created by 100 collaborating artists ranging from Kindergarten to 5th grade, and encompass a variety of techniques and themes explored by the children at the PAL William J. Duncan Center in Manhattan: drawing, painting, sculpting with found objects, clay & papier-mâché, photography, and collage.

Honor Vitae and toilet.hackers present “Charity Meets Fashion”, a benefit & awareness event hosted by Sasha Cohen at Affirmation Arts. Featuring a fashion show by Giorgi Nazgaidze and photographs by Ika Perveli, the objective of this event is to raise funds to acquire a building in or around Tbilisi, Georgia. This building will house a school for Georgian children displaced by conflict.

The Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks and The Wild Center host their annual reception in New York City this year at Affirmation Arts. The 2012 reception marks the third time Affirmation Art has hosted this event, and we are proud to once again support this important cultural institution.

This year, Wings Spring Fling will take place in the gallery at Affirmation Arts, and, while happening concurrently with the Affirmation Arts exhibition Warhol: Confections & Confessions, the Wild Center will hold an Adirondak-themed silent auction of artwork, gift baskets, and books. 

Wings Spring Fling will tkae place from 6 PM-8 PM on April 26.

This year marks the fourth partnership between Affirmation Arts and the National YoungArts Foundation. On March 9 & 10 YoungArts will be conducting their annual master classes in the third floor studio at Affirmation Arts in conjunction with an exhibition of Gold and Silver finalist works. Featuring 17 works by 10 artists from the NYC region, this year's finalists will be receiving instruction from top names in their respective fields: voice, music, photography, visual arts, cinema, dance, performance, non-fiction writing, creative writing, and curating to name a few.

The Honorable Kate D. Levin, Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, presents the awards on March 9 from 6 PM-7 PM.

Groundswell Community Mural Project's 14th annual benefit art auction will be held this year at Affirmation Arts. This marks the third time Groundswell CMP has chosen to work with us to present this meaningful event. To make this event that much more spectacular, Groundswell will be providing cocktails, DJ and a raffle.

The benefit will take place on December 2, from 7pm-10pm with a VIP patron reception from 6pm-7pm.

Affirmation Arts is proud to welcome the Public-Private Alliance Foundation on the occasion of the "Partners Against Poverty" benefit. The benefit will take place on November 4, from 6pm-8pm.

Noted actor and director Tony Plana will host the event. Ian Williams, past president of the United Nations Correspondents Association, will discuss his book, Rum: The Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776. Other speakers included Lesly Kernisant, president of SImACT, Inc., Jocelyn McCalla, Office of Special Representative of Haiti to the UN, and David Stillman, PPAF's executive director.

Affirmation Arts' exhibition Saving Grace will be on display during the event.

Affirmation Arts is excited to announce it's partnership with the Haiti Cultural Exchange for Selebrasyon!, a celebration of Haitian arts and culture. The festivities will take place at Affirmation Arts, using the entire buiding to produce workshops, storytime for children, gallery tours for children and adults of the concurrent exhibition Saving Grace, music & dance performances, and film screenings.

Participating artists, curators, and organizations include Klode Garoute (Michele Michel), Shakespeare Guirand, Gracie Xavier, Gerald Alexis, Michele Marcelin, Jen Celestin, Cybil Charlier, Jessica St. Vil Ulysse & KaNU Dance Theater, Goussy Celestin, Lakou Brooklyn, Jean Tiga Baptiste, Nadia Dieudone & Feet of Rhythm, and Buyu Ambroise & the Blues in Red Band.

Selebrasyon! will run from 12pm-6pm on October 16.

Affirmation Arts is pleased to announce it will be hosting the Art for Art fundraiser presented by New York City Arts in Education Roundtable on June 28, 2010. This year marks the first instance of the fundraiser, featuring postcard-sized small works by artists chosen via an open call submission program. All works will be auctioned off for $25, with proceeds directly benefitting the NYCAIE mission.

The Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks and The Wild Center are pleased to present the launch of a new initiative, Wings, their junior advisory council. Founded in late 2009 by a group of like-minded young New Yorkers who were brought together by their love or the Adirondacks. Through social gatherings in New York City and the Adirondacks, they hope to heighten awareness of about the Museum among peers through education and philanthropy.

The launch party will be held on April 19, from 7 PM-10 PM.

For the second time, the National YoungArts Foundation pairs up with Affirmation Arts and 5 other West Side establishments to present the master classes and award ceremony surrounding YoungArts Week. This year, through workshops and master classes, YoungArts Week will extend its reach from Miami to New York CIty, bringing together some of the best and brightest in the visual arts, dance, performance, and theater.

On April 22 from 5 PM-6 PM, Stephanie Waters, Kirk Simon, and Karen Goodman present the Gold and Silver winners with their awards at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

For more information on how you can join in or participate in next year's gala or master classes please visit the YoungArts website.

Affirmation Arts is excited to annouce that it will be hosting Groundswell Community Mural Project's 13th annual benefit art auction. The benefit will take place on November 12th, from 7pm-10pm.

The Fashion Center Business Improvement District is proud to host the 5th annual Fashion District Arts Festival, a district-wide celebration of the artists, crafters, galleries and theaters that contribute to the creative energy of America's fashion capital.

On this occasion, Affirmation Arts will present an exhibition of photographic works by the artist William T. Hillman. Exhibition hours are 10am-6pm for the run of the Festival, with an opening reception on October 15 from 6pm-8pm.

This year, the National YoungArts Foundation teams up with Affirmation Arts and the Baryshnikov Arts Center to present IN THE STUDIO, a gala to benefit the next generation of American artists. This memorable event will take place over the course of three days, April 1-3, and include workshops, panel discussions, performances, a cabaret and an exhibition of current YoungArts finalists and winners.

For more information, please visit the YoungArts website.

Affirmation Arts is pleased to host Fundación Amistad on the occasion of the fundraiser towards the presentation of Chelsea Visits Havana at the 10th Biennial of Havana, from March 27 to April 30, 2009. Organized by FA board memeber Alberto Magnan and Dara Metz, this exhibition offers the Cuban arts community and general public a window into the current art scene in New York.

The fundraiser will run from 6:30pm-9pm on February 20, 2009.

"Before kids can go places, they need a place to go."

On November 14, Affirmation Arts hosts a gallery visit for children from the Police Athletic League Duncan Center's afterschool program. During this visit, children will explore the photographic exhibition, Hillman + Chavez.

Led by gallery director Marla Goldwasser, students will participate in an art lesson based on the New York City Department of Education Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts. After an introduction to the artwork and an interactive discussion, the children will create their own photographic works of art.

Affirmation Arts is excited to annouce that it will be hosting Groundswell Community Mural Project's 12th annual benefit art auction. This auction will feature 70 works of art - 10 for live auction and 60 for silent auction, and have music, a raffle, open bar and appetizers.

This year, the benefit will take place on October 29th, from 7pm-10pm with a 6pm-7pm VIP reception.

Affirmation Arts is happy to announce its participation in the 2008 fashion District Arts Festival. We will be presenting an exhibition of large-scale photographic work by the contemporary artists William T. Hillman and Lia Chavez. The exhibition, Hillman + Chavez runs September 18-October 24, 2008.

Affirmation Arts will be open 10am-6pm each day of the Festival, excepting Sunday, October 19.

New York's Police Athletic League invites all to join their annual Poet's Café, this year held at Affirmation Arts. It's purpose is to celebrate the finalists and grand prize winners of the Keepin' It Real city-wide poetry contest. The 25 finalists and winners were selected from a pool of 600, and the café itself is hosted by a group of celebrity slam poets from New York City.

Poet's Café will be held on May 14, from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM.

Affirmation Arts is proud to announce that New York's Police Athletic League will hold an exhibition for their annual art contest in our gallery on Febraury 20 from 6 PM-8 PM.

This art contest is timed to coincide with Brotherhood/Sisterhood Week (the 3rd week in February) begun in 1934 by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). It's goal is to address the question of how diverse peoples can live tolerantly and cooperatively with each other in multicultural societies. This year's theme is "We Are Family".