Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty and Edward Hopper House to Host Fundraiser to Benefit Local Arts Education
Glen Iris on the Hudson River
Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty will sponsor a benefit for Edward Hopper House’s Arts Education Program for Public School on Oct. 14 at the magnificent Glen Iris on the Hudson River estate to benefit the Edward Hopper House’s interdisciplinary Arts Education Program, which engages nearly 500 local students in grades K-12.
The program’s curriculum is focused on the recurrent themes and distinctive aesthetics of Edward Hopper’s work and its place in American art. Led by an artist-in-residence at the school, each program session includes a pre-lesson in the classroom, a visit to the Edward Hopper House and a post-lesson in the classroom to strengthen student understanding.
The Arts Education Program initially was funded in 2016 with proceeds from a fundraiser sponsored by Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty that benefited Nyack Public Schools, Nanuet School District, Clarkstown Schools, East Ramapo Schools and Sleepy Hollow School District.
Richard Ellis, owner of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty, said he believes in the importance of art education, “for both the emotional and educational information it can provide young adults, and for its influence on the way they appreciate not only art, but anything aesthetic for the rest of their lives.
“There have been too many budget cuts in our public schools that prohibit a student experiencing art education. As the culture of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty is built around the Sotheby’s Auction House, which showcases objects and art of exceptional quality and trends, leading this event is a natural fit for us.”
Participating schools have found the program to be a great success. Kelly Quartironi, a teacher at A. MacArthur Barr Middle School in Nanuet said, “This curriculum is so accessible and relevant. Looking at murals by Romare Beardon and paintings by Edward Hopper of community has given our students an opportunity to look at their own community through the artists’ lenses, and now they use the elements of art to reflect on their own lives.”
According to Nancy Bashian Bunin, Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty director of business development and a licensed real estate broker in New York and New Jersey, additional sponsorships this year are being provided by the Nyack Teachers Association and Festoon, with funds allocated to school partnerships already earmarked from Orange and Rockland. Bunin also serves Edward Hopper House as a trustee.
The event will feature Eric Shiner, Sotheby’s senior vice president of contemporary art and a leading scholar on Andy Warhol and Asian contemporary art, and Jason Duchin, co-executive director of DreamYard, a nationally recognized community arts organization that uses the arts, digital tools and social justice to transform students, schools and communities.
A live auction during the event will be conducted by Benjamin Levy, a special guest magician and mind reader, whose accomplishments include performing at the White House. Auction items will include admission to the Preview & Brunch at Sotheby’s Auction House for Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary and American Art sale; a tour of the Whitney Museum of American Art with Farris Wahbeh, director of research resources; tickets to a concert performance by legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli at Madison Square Garden; and dinner for six at the Edward Hopper House prepared by Tappan-based Mimi’s Plate, with a curator tour of Sean Scully’s solo exhibition.
The fundraiser venue, Glen Iris on the Hudson River, was the home of New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur S. Tompkins. The 8,200 square-foot, turn-of-the-century mansion overlooking the Hudson River in Upper Nyack is listed for sale by Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty for $3.39 million.