Samaira Wilson attended the Free Arts NYC Gala at WSA in New York City. Her diary below gives insight into the event, its star studded attendees, and the importance of its mission. Gala photography taken by Grace Isabella Antino, and all after party photos taken by Samaira Wilson.
The 26th edition of the Free Arts NYC Gala commenced on Wednesday evening, March 11th, at the WSA building on Water Street. Founded in 1997 by Liz Hopfan, Free Arts NYC supports disadvantaged youth across all five boroughs through educational arts programs and mentoring.
Free Arts NYC runs two main programs: The Free Arts Day Program, which matches children with a volunteer mentor for one afternoon focused on art-making activities and personal conversation, encouraging experimentation in a supportive setting; and the Teen Arts Program, which provides young people ages 13 to 21 seeking academic or professional opportunities in the arts with ongoing mentorship, portfolio-building support, artist studio visits, and paid internships, all designed to help them understand different paths in the art field and foster a sense of belonging.
This year’s honorees of the Free Arts Gala included artists Katherine Bradford and Sasha Gordon, as well as Jody Quon, Creative Director of New York Magazine, who was recognized as the inaugural Creative Champion. These three women, from three different generations, with three distinct creative journeys, were celebrated and revered by donors, fellow artists, writers, designers, collectors, and cultural leaders.
The night began with the melodies of saxophone, bass, and drums emanating from the Michael Foster Trio. Hors d’oeuvres, trays of wine and dirty martinis circulated as people arrived. Upon entry, guests encountered The Sketch Project, spearheaded by Gea Cohen-Paci. This was a first-of-its-kind auction of original sketches and works on paper by 75 artists and cultural voices shaping New York’s creative landscape. The project originated from a simple prompt: to create an original sketch–archival or new–that reflects a personal vision of the city, either a drawing, painting, page of notes or lyrics, or a work in progress. The resulting collection offered windows into each artist’s sensibilities, inclinations, and strategies, revealing connections to their larger bodies of work or secret practices. Contributors included Rama Duwaji, Futura, Roz Chast, Roxane Gay, Tschabalala Self, KAWS, Will Cotton, and Marilyn Minter, among others. Devin B. Johnson shared a bit of his process: “I used ash, charcoal, and spray paint. The ash is from my ashtray. I had two iron pieces that formed gates. By laying the metal pieces on the paper, I was able to pull the iron and rust from them and sprinkle them on. With the ash, it functioned as a watercolor. I put it out in the sun and let it evaporate to see where it falls.”
Floating through the space were smiling Free Arts NYC students, who proudly displayed their own work in the Workshop series. Earlier in February, the honorees hosted an Exquisite Corpse Workshop with the students, fostering intergenerational collaboration and ideation. Side by side, with art materials spread among them, they worked in an exquisite corpse format. Every artist tackled a different section of the head, midsection, or legs, passing the drawing back and forth to build something new together. Notably, the corpse created by Isabella Villalon-Meyers, River Bartosik-Murray, and Jody Quon was featured on the back of the J.Crew Free Arts NYC shirt gifted in the evening’s swag bag.
Speaking of swag, after migrating to the seated dinner, each place setting came with a Muji notebook screen-printed with a sketch by Katherine Bradford. Coloured pencils tucked into custom sleeves were paired with each notebook, and each guest’s name was elegantly scribbled atop. The setting tables were dressed with blossoming florals by Fleurotica and layered with Korean mulberry paper tablecloths. As courses came out, conversation buzzed. Hopfan walked around to remind everyone to draw on the paper tablecloth, turning every guest into a collaborator in the evening’s unfolding group sketch. The menu included fresh burrata, roasted squash, steak frites, branzino, black truffle pasta, and buttermilk panna cotta with berries.
I sat with Amanda Ba to my left, Caleb Quintana to my right, and Devin B. Johnson and Denzil Wilson across the table.
The next table over was Alastair McKimm, Rosie Perez, Futura, RoseLee Goldberg, and other formidable donors. Futura ended up drawing up a storm and tearing it off to memorialise the moment. As it was totally off the cuff, the crowd were very moved, it could’ve been framed right there and then.
Watching visionaries swiftly connect their mind to their hand will never get old. Among the attendees were Tony Oursler, Inka Essenhigh, Tschabalala Self, Gina Beavers, Shantell Martin, Carla Shen, Matthew Brown, Keir Novesky, Eric Mack, Whitney Mallett, Becky Akinyode, Jacques Agbobly, Justin Moran, Oscar Yi Hou, Amanda Ba, Larry Oseimensah, Kenny Rivero, Marlene Zwirner, Hannah La Follette Ryan, Na Kim, Pam Glick, Eric Haze, Gina Nanni, Miki Hagasa, Jo Messer, Dong Ping-Wong, and Adam Eli.
Mid-dinner, Liz Hopfan went on stage to present the honourees with books created during the February workshop with Free Arts teens. The pages held photographs and sketches made by the students and artists, capturing their ephemeral moment of creative exchange. Hopfan shared, “A sketch is a funny thing. We tend to think of it as lesser, the attempt before the real thing. But a sketch is where we are all most honestly ourselves. It’s a colour test, a first instinct, a page that was never meant to be seen. This is where Free Arts lives, too.”
Sasha Gordon went on to speak about her formative beginnings as she entered the contemporary art world and the quiet courage it takes to begin. She reflected on how art spaces can become places where young people learn to trust their instincts and move freely through uncertainty. She mused about how working alongside Free Arts students during their joint workshop brought her back to the boundless energy within those early moments of discovery, when creativity feels like a refuge as they figure out what their voices are.
Jody Quon spoke gently about curiosity, the power of asking questions, following your intuition, and allowing imagination to go beyond your wildest dreams. She shared a childhood memory of her godparents gifting her a subscription to a French fashion magazine that arrived each month to her in Montreal, carrying the distant glamour of Parisian style. Fascinated, she wrote a letter to Giorgio Armani declaring that she hoped to work for him someday. With the encouragement of her family, she believed in the dream enough to send it into the world. Advocating for young artists to follow their vision wherever it takes you, she recognized how this small instance changed the direction of her life, leading her into fashion which later turned into photo editing, and lead to collaborations that wouldn’t be possible without that formative moment.
As Quon reflected she concluded that, “Free arts is about planting seeds. Seeds of curiosity, courage, and creativity, seeds that will grow in ways we cannot yet predict. But will absolutely, undeniably make this world more beautiful. We are not just investing in children’s art, we are investing in the next generation of thinkers, makers, leaders, and dreamers. We are handing them the mantle, and through Free Arts, we are making sure they are ready to carry it with pride.”
Later in the evening, Katherine Bradford introduced a short film by filmmaker Chiara Clemente documenting the workshop. The film captured moments of conversation, laughter, and concentrated drawing. Bradford, now 84, reflected fondly on the rare beauty of creative dialogue that spans time. As the evening drew to a close, Sotheby’s auctioneer Christy Combs led a spirited paddle raise while guests lingered over dinner and cocktails.
The after-party carried the celebration into the night as Lovie spun records for the entire floor to bust a move and bask in the essence of the night. Guests gathered over french fries and pizza while artist Adam Dressner worked on a series of live portraits, adding another dimension to the night’s growing archive.
The after party committee and VIP guests were comprised of Gabrielle Richardson, Maria Vogel, Jacques Agbobly, Jed Moch, Caio Twombly, Tommaso Suckert, Whitney Mallett, Salome Asega, Justin Moran, Hannah Root, Kathleen Sorbara, Alex Tieghi-Walker, Carmen Rosy-Hall, Frank Lebon, and Mackenzie Thomas.
Free Arts NYC brings together donors, committees, and established artists to steward the delicate process of nurturing a younger generation. Making art is a vulnerable act; you have to reach into your innermost layer, questioning who and what you are, in search of ways to act out a role in our present-day reality. While gatekeeping thrives elsewhere, Free Arts NYC has cultivated a community rooted in inclusion, ushering the youth inside.
The proceeds from The Sketch Project will support Free Arts’ mentorship, arts education, and internship programs, serving more than 1,000 young people each year. The organisation’s scholarships are intentionally flexible; students can use them for whatever they need most, from art supplies and books to MetroCards and everyday costs of being a student.
Free Arts NYC reminds us that sometimes the impact of a scholarship is simple: it allows a student to keep going. By the end of the evening, the room hummed with a sense of unlimited possibility, a reminder that creativity, when nurtured, can ripple outward in profound ways.
