A Divinely Inspired Evening at the Rubin Museum
PC: Tanenbaum; Tanenbaum CEO, Rev. Mark Fowler with Peacemaker in Action Dr. Ephraim Isaac, George Negroponte, Tanenbaum Founder and President, Dr. Georgette Bennett, and Tanenbaum Board Chair, Justin Foa
Tanenbaum kicked off their 30th Anniversary year with a spectacular gathering at the Rubin Museum of Art on February 28th. Art enthusiasts joined distinguished guests and renowned artists for Divinely Inspired: Celebrating our Differences through Art. The auction featured work by artists of diverse cultures and faiths, who contributed their art to support and uplift Tanenbaum’s mission to promote justice and build respect for religious difference.
PC: Society & Diplomatic Review
Thirty years ago, the Tanenbaum | Center for Interreligious Understanding was founded by Dr. Georgette Bennett, to build on the legacy of her late husband, Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum, a pioneer in the field of interreligious relations. At the time of the loss, Dr. Bennett imagined how the legacy of Rabbi Tanenbaum’s work could continue reaching people directly where they were, to encourage behaviors of respect.
Tanenbaum pioneered approaches to changing the way people treat one another and to celebrating the richness of humanity’s religious diversity. Through the creation of innovative resources, experiential trainings, and comprehensive solutions that foster respect for religious and nonreligious beliefs and practices, Tanenbaum has become a globally recognized thought leader on building respect for difference.
Mark Fowler, Tanenbaum’s CEO says, “This event is evidence of how art brings us together to celebrate our different beliefs and cultures. Over forty works of art are available for bid, donated by artists from around the world.”
Featured artists and artwork include:
Sailor - Speed of Light, by James Rosenquist, one of the champions of the pop art movement alongside contemporaries Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, is up for bid. This work is a creative riff on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in which the artist and the viewer are considered active participants or passengers in the swirling universe of shared existence.
Sailor - Speed of Light, James Rosenquist
Lebanese artist Nabil Nahas draws inspiration from Islamic art and American abstract painting of the mid20th century and makes innovative use of organic materials including seashells and starfish in the piece offered in this auction - Untitled, 2005. His works have an all-over composition suggestive of biological growth and the patterning of nature.
Other eminent artists include:
Grimanesa Amoros, Stephen Antonakos, Leora Armstrong, John Battle, Richard Bram, Eugene Brodsky, Deborah Brown, Louisa Chase, Bill Claps, Paul Davis, Peter Dayton, Adriana Echavarria-Eisenhower, Barbara Friedman, Tria Giovan, Janet Goleas, Lorelei and Alex Gruss, Ariane Guilich, Melinda Hackett, Rose Hartman, Virva Hinnemo, Eric Holzman, Bryan Hunt, Nathan Slate Joseph, Sharon Khazzam, Laurie Lambrecht, Aristides Logothetis, Aphrodite Desiree Navab, George Negroponte, Alexandra Penney, Ellen Phalen, William Quigley, Kazimira Rachal, Erika Ranee , Donald Schreck, Pedro Silva and Stefan Martin, Bert Stern, Leslee Stradford, Miljan Sukovic, Joni Wehrli, Lucy Winton, and Nancy Wong.
The funds raised will support Tanenbaum’s work to provide training and educational resources for building respect for religious diversity.
Additional sponsors included, Tanenbaum Founder and President Dr. Georgette F. Bennett and Dr. Leonard S. Polonsky CBE; Foa & Son; Monika M. Machon and Richard Bram; Society and Diplomatic Review; Greenport Harbor Brewery; and Rose Hill Vineyards & Inn. George Negroponte, Toula Livanos, and Shelley & Donald Rubin graciously co-hosted and curated the spectacular evening.
Please look forward to many more exciting offerings in celebration of Tanenbaum’s 30th Anniversary as they continue to build a world where people of all faiths are respected and welcomed.
For more information contact, Dasha Tanner, Communications Manager at dtanner@tanenbaum.org or (323) 828 - 0386.
