On Monday April 3rd 2023, NYU Hosted their Annual Tisch Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. From NYU Alumnus, staff, teachers and students gathering to honor the Mother and Son Honorees: Alum and Guggenheim Fellow Hank Willis Thomas (‘98) and MacArthur Fellow and chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at Tisch Dr. Deborah Willis and celebrate the community and achievements of NYU after the last Gala in 2019.
Before the gala commenced, a red carpet filled with the most notable NYU Faculty, Alumnus and teachers took the carpet. We began with Andrew Tisch and Anne Rubinstein Tisch.
Dean Allyson Green shared the amazing achievements of NYU, including the recent opening of the African Grove Theater, the Iris Cantor Theater at the new John A.Paulson Center, the 40th anniversary of the Department of Photography & Imaging, and the new Martin Scorsese Institute of Global and Cinematic Arts. Allyson spoke with so much pride and jubilation in NYU and the people attending the event and the Honorees, and shared her thoughts on not only a part of the NYU community, but guiding and leading Tisch’s hopes and goals. Allyson Green is truly someone who is in love with NYU Tisch.
Former Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl shared his disdain for the lack of awareness of student debt! And from his perspective, events like this bring a sense of united awareness to attempt to financially support institutions and their students.
Tony Award Winning Director Michael Mayer shares his relationship to NYU and how necessary it is to value community and invest in those around you. We are nothing if we stand alone. And art can only thrive when we listen and celebrate one another.
As the gracious Allyson Green led the Martin Scorsese our way, we were able to hear his thoughts on NYU and art. For someone as infamous as Martin Scorsese, he still is grateful for his time at NYU, the people he met and the education he learned, noting how truly special this school was and is, even if it’s a little different than when he attended.
And he parts some inspiring words for film makers and artists. And his moment of silence spoke louder than any words. You are what makes art great. Without you, it’s just another passing thought. Your perspective and the way you see the world is not only different to the way he sees it, but is necessary for the entirety of art as we know it. Forever grateful for his thoughts and graciousness in sharing himself with us.
Delroy Lindo takes a moment to really honor his relationship with Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas. He remembers when they all met and how truly proud he is of them. And then he takes a moment to part with some wise words for current and future students.
Finally, we got one last interview with Hank Willis Thomas. He shares how deep his relationship to NYU was and how intimate it still is. Without NYU, he would not have the life he has today. And not because he wasn’t willing to work hard, but the people and the environment NYU fostered with him for him facilitated his artistic voice and individuality. It gave him relationships to last a lifetime and art that has changed lives.
What a wonderful way to begin a night of celebration! So many wonderful words and little moments of intimacy and graciousness shared amongst the bumbling excitement of the soon to be joyous celebration of truly amazing artists. If you want to hear more of the event, read it HERE.
