The Downtown Dinner 2011
Whoopi Goldberg presented LMCC’s Liberty Award to Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO of American Express / photo: Clint Spaulding of Patrick McMullan
Kenneth I. Chenault and his wife / photo: Clint Spaulding of Patrick McMullan
Actor Bill Irwin emceed the evening / photo: Clint Spaulding of Patrick McMullan
LMCC Board Chair Cherrie Nanninga with Linda Shelton of the Joyce Theater, who was also honored at this year’s Downtown Dinner / photo: Alexander Porter
Writer Emily Rubin was the first recipient of the Sarah Verdone Writing Award; LMCC Vice Chair Timur Galen presented the award / photo: Clint Spaulding of Patrick McMullan
From left to right: Sam Miller, LMCC President; Cherrie Nanninga, LMCC Board Chair; Timur Galen, LMCC Vice Chair / photo: Clint Spaulding of Patrick McMullan
Joshua Bell, Simon Mulligan, and Branford Marsalis performed during the evening (left to right) / photo: Clint Spaulding of Patrick McMullan
LMCC featured a silent auction / photo: Alexander Porter
A view of the room / photo: Alexander Porter
The Downtown Dinner 2011 – Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC)’s annual benefit celebrating the vibrancy of arts and culture Downtown – took place on Wednesday, April 27, at Cipriani Wall Street, where more than 700 corporate, civic, and cultural leaders gathered to show their support for LMCC.
Each year at the Dinner, LMCC presents its Liberty Award to recognize extraordinary leaders for their contributions to Downtown. This year, we were thrilled to celebrate Kenneth I. Chenault and American Express for all they have done to make Lower Manhattan a thriving center of art, business, and tourism. We were also delighted to honor The Joyce Theater, a longtime ally of LMCC that shares our purpose of supporting artists and promoting the arts. Linda Shelton, The Joyce’s Executive Director, accepted the award.
Additionally, Tom Otterness and Laurie Anderson presented President’s Awards to LMCC alumni artists Yoko Inoue and Koosil-ja. Writer Emily Rubin received the first annual Sarah Verdone Writing Award, a new annual award for a female writer from LMCC’s programs established in memory of Sarah Verdone.
The participation of numerous other members of the New York community helped make The Downtown Dinner 2011 truly memorable. We’d like to thank our presenters and performers: Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Irwin, Robert De Niro, Bill T. Jones, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Bell, Monica Bill Barnes, and Commissioner Kate D. Levin, as well as Michael Krondl for his stunning installation that transformed Cipriani and the artists who donated 54 works for the silent auction.
The Downtown Dinner not only gives us the opportunity to recognize those who promote and support culture in Lower Manhattan, it is also LMCC’s most significant fundraising tool. We are pleased to announce that LMCC succeeded in raising over $1 million for our renowned arts programs and services, which annually support thousands of artists and arts groups and engage more than 100,000 audience members. We are grateful to all of our supporters for making The Downtown Dinner 2011 such a financial success.
Thank you again for supporting LMCC and our work to enhance the quality of life for those who live, work, and visit Downtown.
