'Gen Art Resurrection' in Two Day's Time

Rihanna and alum Zac Posen, above, are supporters of Gen Art as is Lost Art's Jordan Betten whose work is featured below. Photos by Miles Ladin and from Lost Art, respectively.

HEAD’S UP: Welcome to the debut of Bits & Pieces. The capsule-length roundup of events various and sundry is to be published at least once a month, usually on Monday or Tuesday.

IN the Bible book of James, the writer asserts that “you have not because you ask not.”

Gen Art cannot be accused of such as lapse. At the moment, Gen Art is insolvent (and in Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection) – another victim of The Great Recession – and is doing a number of things in its power to reverse the situation.

One prong in its re-solvency initiative is Thursday’s aptly named Gen Art Resurrection Benefit at Good Units (Hudson Hotel). Another is the 19 Nov. sale of its assets at public auction. Gen Art is hoping for a benevolent benefactor who will want to re-launch it, for it is not going down without a fight! Interested parties are directed to reach out to the bankruptcy trustee through Michelle Gershfeld; 914-332-8000/mgershfeld@kittaylaw.com.

Meanwhile, seemingly all hands are on deck for the Gen Art Resurrection Benefit. The Gen Art Foundation will hand over all funds raised from the event to award winners from the 15th Anniversary Gen Art Film Festival, as well as some designers involved in Gen Art’s Shop events that were cancelled.

Haven’t heard of Gen Art or the Gen Art Foundation? Not too surprising. They are New York-based institutions-in-the-making born in the early ‘90s. Gen Art is the fundraising portion of the enterprise, whereas the Gen Art Foundation holds it down in the area of support (including awarding grants and giving cash awards) and education programming. The underlying mission of both is to showcase the best emerging talent in film, fashion, music and art in major U.S. cities. Emerging photography and fashion designer talent will be on show at the benefit.

While there may be less familiarity with Gen Art/Gen Art Foundation, Oscar nominees Edward Norton and William H. Macy are household names by now. No doubt, the names Zac Posen, Phillip Lim, Adrian Grenier, Peter Som, Rebecca Taylor, Zach Braff, Milly by Michele Smith ring a bell.

EN is on the host committee for the Gen Art Resurrection Benefit. Other committee colleagues are Paz de la Huerta of HBO’s new series “Boardwalk Empire.” Serving, too, are Kate Mara, Steven Cox & Daniel Silver (Duckie Brown, http://www.duckiebrown.com/), Wenlan Chia (Twinkle by Wenlan, http://www.twinklebywenlan.com/index.php) and Jordan Betten (Lost Art, http://www.lostartnyc.com/).

All of the above are Gen Art alums. Those turning out for the Gen Art Resurrection Benefit are also engaging in a bit of old-fashioned fund-raising. Indeed, the event is a modern-day barn raising.

Visit http://http://genartresurrectionbenefit.eventbrite.com/ for questions about the benefit; contact info@genart.org for questions about the benefit or Gen Art/Gen Art.

'The Christopher E. and Deborah J. Buck Award'
The window display, left, created by John Danzer for Munder Skiles, was the raison d'être for a garden party at Buck House this summer. Photo from Buck House.

LET graduating students in goodstanding with the School of Visual Arts MFA Designer as Author program (MFAD) who have ears hear this:

For your thesis you wish, as an example, to buy/own a house and furnish it with interesting knickknacks and treasures from the world over arranged just so and available for sell. The front window, just above the sidewalk, will function as a display case. One month it may feature a garden party theme; another, a lady’s budoir. Not only will you exhibit your wares in this space, you will invite other artists to showcase/sell theirs, too.

Such a uniquely viable idea as this, have you? But, alas, you don’t have the resources to realize it? Good news. You may qualify for The Christopher E. and Deborah J. Buck Award. This could mean up to 25K to fund your dream.

Deborah Buck is an MFAD faculty member and the proud owner of Buck House (http://www.buckhouse.biz/). BH is an Upper East Side/Carnegie Hill townhouse that the artist/designer has furnished with interesting knickknacks and treasures from the world over, including a 200-plus-year-old Persian water vessel that is an object of singular craftsmanship. They are arranged just so and available for sell, etc.

The affable and globetrotting DB, who lightened the doors of the White House this summer and who recently returned from an expedition in London with another treasure trove, has something uniquely viable in the exquisite Buck House. And she wants to help others make the world a better place through their own Buck House, specifically those of a mind to, in the words of MFAD, build "a better mousetrap.”

Visit http://design.sva.edu/site/home to learn more about both The Christopher E. and Deborah J. Buck Award and School of Visual Arts MFA Designer as Author program.

Dirt at SCF ‘21st Annual Celebrity Sports Auction’

LEARN to dance like a Rockette or visit the New York Giants Training Camp ... Hmmm ... Which has the most appeal?

Of course, it depends on one’s interests. Also, whether said one makes the winning bid for the prize in the Starlight Children's Foundation of NY NJ CT 21st Annual Celebrity Sports Auction. It goes down Monday (8 Nov.) at Madison Square Garden.

Hoopsters, there’s a basketball on the block autographed by Meadowlark Lemon and Magic Johnson. Up for grabs, too, for the football fan are skybox seats on 12 Dec. to the New York Jets vs. the Miami Dolphins game at the brand-spanking new Meadowlands Stadium. Go to the game decked out in a jersey autographed by himself, Mark Sanchez.

No organization would dare have a sports auction in The Big Apple and not offer something from the Bronx Bummers – even if they did fail to win the 2010 World Series – right? Right. Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson run a clinic for kids. Meanwhile, you gotta love Yankees coasters with dirt from Yankees Stadium.

There are scores of items. Besides sports-themed lots are trips, dinners, photos, Hollywood memorabilia, electronics, jewelry and so on (http://library.constantcontact.com/doc208/1102950807849/doc/Pxa8VJ9lFyCgLVD2.pdf).

All auction proceeds benefit the SCF. (http://www.starlight-newyork.org/).

Visit https://www2418.ssldomain.com/starlight-newyork/help/index.php/event to purchase tickets and www.starlight-newyork.org to learn more about the auction and the Starlight Children’s Foundationi of NY NJ CT.