Arts Advocate Dorothy Lichtenstein To Be Honored at Stars of Stony Brook Annual Gala April 11 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers
Since its inception in 2000, the Stony Brook Foundation Stars of Stony Brook Gala has raised nearly $50 million to support student scholarships and a featured academic program of excellence. This year’s Gala is celebrating the Stony Brook Southampton creative writing and film programs. Lichtenstein will join a distinguished roster of scholars, politicians, celebrities and luminaries who have been honored at the Gala including: Former Vice President Joseph Biden, Nobel laureate C.N.Yang, actors Julie Andrews, Alan Alda and Ed Harris, Renaissance Technologies founder, James Simons, CA Technologies founder Charles Wang, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond ’76, and world-renowned conservationists Richard Leakey and Patricia Wright. A Stony Brook Foundation Trustee since 2008, Lichtenstein has been a passionate advocate for the University’s arts programs at Stony Brook Southampton and at Stony Brook’s Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, the home and studio of artists Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Lichtenstein’s philanthropy is felt across the Stony Brook campus through her support of scholarships and in the University’s programs around the world. She has made significant investments in both the famed paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey’s research on human evolution at Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya and Indianapolis Prize-winning Patricia Wright’s conservation work at Centre ValBio in Madagascar. The depth of her support inspired SUNY to confer Ms. Lichtenstein with an Honorary Doctorate in 2014. Dorothy Lichtenstein is widely known for her position as president of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, established after her artist husband’s death in 1997 to facilitate access to the work of Roy Lichtenstein and the art and artists of his time. One of the most influential and innovative artists of the late twentieth century, Roy Lichtenstein originated the Pop Art movement that altered the history of modern art. Dorothy Lichtenstein also serves as a board member or trustee of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the Trisha Brown Dance Company, MASS MoCA, and The Parrish Art Museum.
“For well over a decade, Dorothy has helped foster the creativity of a new generation of fine artists, writers, filmmakers and cultural thinkers, ones who are going on from Stony Brook to make our world a fuller, more vibrant place,” said Richard Gelfond, ’76, chair of the Stony Brook Foundation. “Dorothy’s commitment to advancing the arts has touched nearly every corner of the University and, of course, much of the world.” Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. noted: “It’s a privilege to have the enduring passion, vision and support of Dorothy Lichtenstein. Not only for championing the arts here at Stony Brook, but also for partnering with us in other priority areas such as scholarships and the important work we’re doing in Madagascar and Kenya. Dorothy is the prime example of a strong and growing number of community leaders who are dedicated to Stony Brook University’s noble mission.” “Stony Brook University has long held a special place in my heart, especially the energy and imagination of the students as well as the teachers and administrators who create the framework for their dreams to become realities,” said Lichtenstein. “There is no more important work than training the next generation of creative artists. It’s a pleasure to be honored and a delight to see such a world-class incubator for all forms of art take hold and flourish at Stony Brook Southampton.” Led by Associate Provost Robert Reeves, the Stony Brook Southampton creative writing and film programs gather together graduate and undergraduate storytellers pursuing a broad variety of outlets, under the mentorship of a renowned faculty of working professionals. Creative writing students cultivate their craft by developing original work, while also acquiring the necessary skills to pursue and succeed in their vocation as independent, imaginative poets and authors. Students in the University’s graduate digital film program, the first in SUNY history, focus on screenwriting, writing for television, direction and producing, and gain real-world, hands-on experience with Christine Vachon and her award-winning independent production company Killer Films and other affiliate film production companies. The impact of Stony Brook Southampton programs is reflected in the accomplishments of its alumni in publishing, filmmaking, playwriting and academia, including New York Times best-selling author Helen Simonson ’08, James Hearst Poetry Prize-winner Jordan Franklin ’17, Stony Brook Assistant Professor in Writing and Rhetoric, poet Michelle Whittaker ’11, and Women in Film and Video: New England Grand Prize-winner Tracy M. King-Sanchez ’12. In addition to degree and certificate programs, Stony Brook Southampton also presents the celebrated Summer Writers Conference, publishes a renowned literary journal, TSR: The Southampton Review, and manages a wide range of innovative creative writing and film programs including: The Young Artists and Writers Project; The Children Lit Fellows program; The Audio Podcast Fellows program; Women in Film Writers Workshop; BookEnds post-MFA manuscript development; Writers Speak public lecture programs and the Artists-in-Residence program. Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Garry Trudeau has created a special image for the Gala program in honor of Dorothy Lichtenstein. Wasn't in the stars for you to attend? You can still give.
19th Annual Stars of Stony Brook Gala details |
