Heartfelt Thanks from Lotus House for a Spectacular Heart Happening!
With nearly 1,000 of our dearest family and friends in attendance, Friday night's Heart Happening was a record breaking, spectacular, heart throb of love for Lotus House, raising over $400,000 in much needed funds to support the shelter and other initiatives of the Sundari Foundation serving women and children in need.
Our live auction of donated art works raised a record breaking $147,675, thanks to the Sotheby's enthusiastic auctioneer, Gabriela Palmieri who flew in from NYC for the evenings festivities, the amazing artists and donors who offered their works to for sale, and some very generous (and very, very lucky) bidders!
This year's silent auction, which featured many of Miami's favorites, also sold a record breaking number of beautiful artworks, netting another $49,500 for Lotus House.
From the rave reviews, we know that our guests were tickled pink by everything from champagne bubbly to chocolate chili, cream puffs, candy and cupcakes. But in addition to dining on scrumptious delicacies and desserts, what made this year especially sweet was that virtually the entire cost of Heart Happening was donated by our in-kind sponsors!!! Thanks to the many restaurants, caterers, hotels, businesses and friends of Lotus House, the cost of this event was a record breaking low ~ meaning every dollar donated can go as far as possible to help the women and children we serve. Please let all of our in-kind donors know how much you appreciated their participation by giving them your patronage throughout the year!
More than good food and cheer, Heart Happening was about art and community coming together for purpose. We asked our participating artists to explore the questions each of us must ask ourselves for an end to homelessness ~ What do we see and hear with our hearts? How we act from our hearts? The answers, from all we experienced together that night ~ we see each other, we hear the stories of our shared humanity, we act from compassion born of understanding. Our heartfelt thanks go out to those whose enormous warmth, creativity and generosity of spirit made this event possible - the artists,Gema Alava, Baby B Strings, Natasha Duwin, David Ellis, Ben Fain, Frank Van Duerm, Steve Johnson, Trajal Harrell , Helado Negro - Roberto Lange, Ruben Millares, The Minsky Sisters, Miami Poetry Collective , Peggy Nolan and Harumi Abe, Primary Flight, Anthony Spinello, Marina Rosenfeld, Jason Schmidt, Lee Walton, TM Sisters, and Samuel Lopez De Victoria, Agustina Woodgate, Antonia Wright, Wet Heat Project, and Jen Zakrzewski - for bringing us together for an end to homelessness.
And last but not least, our deepest gratitude to our sponsors, hosts, family and friends for making Friday night's fundraiser an unforgettable and heart warming Heart Happening! Your love and support throughout the year in so many ways makes Lotus House a "home" for those in need! We wish you love and peace for the coming holidays and thank you again for making all that we do possible.
Sponsors and Hosts of Heart Happening included:
Audre Carlin, David Zwirner Gallery LLC, Art Miami LLC, Irma and Norman Braman, Podhurst Orseck P.A., Evelyn and Bruce Greer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Pat and Larry Stewart, Sol Taplin Charitable Foundation, Richard B. Bermont, Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod, Diane Walder M.D., Angela W. Whitman, Carol and Vincent Damian/Alice Davis Trust, J.J. Segal Foundation, Debi and Jeff Wechsler, Miami Dolphins Foundation, Evelyn Aimis/Pinki and Allan Wesler, The Shops at Midtown Miami, Carlos A. Gimenez - Miami Dade County Commissioner, Brenda and Jerry Bengis, Melie Viera, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, William J. and Tina Rosenberg Foundation, Terri and Michael Josephs.
Live Auction artists and donors included:
Chul-Hyun Ahn, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Carlos Betancourt, Jessica Backhaus, Olafur Eliasson, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Lotus Endowment Fund, Inc., Martin Z. Margulies Collection, Constance Collins Margulies, Jane Manus, Mary Ellen Mark, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Lehmann Maupin Gallery, Nancy Rubins, Gagosian Gallery, Will Ryman, Patricia Schnall Gutierrez, Cancio Contemporary, Shinique Smith.
Silent Auction donors included:
Christopher Albert, Britany Ali, Anthony Ardavin, Francie Bishop Good, Henning Bohl, Rosario Bond, Frank Born, Duane Brant, Pip Brant, Jeff Brouws, Olaf Breuning, Bill Burke, Randy Burman, Adriana Carvalho, Perez Casanova, Cocotos, Alfonso Corona, Xavier Cortada, Ann Curry, Matu Croney, Rolando Dal Pezzo, N.Dash, Dinorah De Jesus Rodriguez, Teresa Diehl, Danya Dridi, Natasha Duwin, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Ekatrina, Eurydice, Susan Feliciano, Priscilla Ferguson, J. Kevin Foltz, Luis Garcia - Nerey, Jaime Gil, Steve Giovinco, Ivania Guerrero, Bruce Gundersen, DonnaHaynes, Tracie Heller, John Henry, Alex Heria, Brenda Ann Kenneally, Jon Kessler, Kathy Kissik, Erika King, Vanessa Kocking, Mary Larsen, David Leroi, Jules Lusson, Pepe Mar, Ena Marrero, Andres Martinez, Lee Materazzi, Emmy Mathis, MeganMcLarney, Luisa Mesa, Ruben Millares, Billy Mode, Vanessa Monokian, Hugo Moro, Ivan Navarro, Rick Newton, Jackie Nickerson, Peggy Nolan, Thomas Nolan, CraigNorton, Michele Oka Doner, Gloria O'Connell, Tere Pastoriza, Christina Pettersson, Rossella Ramanzini, AngelikaRinnhofer, Mike Rivamonte, Teri Romkey, Edward Rossel de Jongh, Sara Rytteke, Beatricia Sagar, Tina Salvesen, Damian Sarno Lissette Schaeffler, Janet Slom, Alette Simmons-Jimenez, Courtney Smith, Magnus Sodamin, Ken Solomon, Maxine Spector, Chris Stain, Nina Surel, Lisa Switalski, Cricket Taplin, TMNK, Mette Tommerup, Charles Trainor Jr., Spencer Tunick, Serge Toussaint, Jose Valdivia, Hank Willis Thomas, Robert Wilson, Sommer Wood, Gabrielle Wood, David Zalben, Denise De La Rue, Helen Levitt, Richard Misrach, Brian Alfred, Don Christensen, Jeff Gabel, Larry Gianettino, Gabi Hamm, Leila A. Leder Kremer, Jose Lerma, Gae Savannah, Stephen Shore, Merrill Wagner, Lee Walton, Su-en Wong, Fred Wilson, Carl Fisher, Cecelia Arboleda, Vernon Urdarianu, Christopher Stetser, Casey M. Kaplan, Inc., Curator's Voice Art Projects, Robert Mann Gallery, Metro Pictures, Howard Greenberg Gallery, Jim Kempner Fine Art, Jack Shainman Gallery, Marlborough Gallery, Martin Z. Margulies Collection, Josee Bienvenu Gallery
photos by Jacob Katel
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