Sarah Arison

You grew up in a family whose members have been big patrons, supporters, and collectors of art for several generations; how did that help launch and influence your love of the art world and passion for supporting artists?While I didn't realize it at the time, every experience with my grandparents revolved around the arts. Whether we were going to the ballet, symphony, or museums, wherever we traveled the arts were always present. I think that was such a transformative way to grow up because it encouraged me to perceive the arts as an everyday part of life instead of a luxury. It also enabled me to be comfortable experiencing the arts when I was older and on my own after moving to NYC - there was no intimidation factor in going to the ballet or a museum - these places felt like home to me! 

Taking over an organization is a huge undertaking, and yet you have done so with both the Arison Arts Foundation and YoungArts with aplomb. Arison Arts Foundation is doing beautiful and important work, and Young Arts has grown into a tremendous success and powerhouse in the art world. What was your initial vision for each when you first took the reins, and how has that changed over the years?
Before I took over, Arison Arts Foundation (AAF) was largely focused on ensuring the continuity of two of the organizations that my grandparents founded--YoungArts and the New World Symphony--both headquartered in Miami. When I took over AAF and moved to NYC after college, my perspective of the arts ecosystem grew exponentially. I loved being in NYC and getting to know the many, many organizations across disciplines based there, and getting to know the incredible artists living and working there. I began to have a vision of the ecosystem of support that was needed in the arts. 

I believe deeply in collaboration and thought that AAF could be uniquely positioned to support emerging artists and the institutions that foster them, across the country, across disciplines, throughout their lives, and create a network of support by building relationships between many institutions. When I joined the board of YoungArts, it was solely focused on the critical juncture in a young artist's life from high school to college. I was really interested in expanding to invest in the lifelong creative freedom of artists across disciplines and serving them at the many other critical junctures in their lives. I was also interested in serving artists where they live and work, rather than just bringing everyone to Miami for programming. We now have a network of over 35 cultural partners that help us in serving artists across 10 disciplines throughout their lives across the country, and programming across the country as well, with plans to expand into many new cities in the near future. I could not be more excited for this growth! 

One thing YoungArts is known for is extending its reach and impact beyond “traditional” visual arts, and nurturing young creatives across different fields like music, dance, and film.
How did you branch out into these fields, and how has that been received?
I think the days of siloed disciplines and forcing artists to be defined by one art form are (happily) becoming a thing of the past! Visual artists want to try their hand at film, dancers want to try choreography, filmmakers want to try writing... I think artists from across disciplines being exposed to each other's work, and being given the space, time, and resources to experiment, create, and yes, sometimes fail, is key in the creation of new and exciting work! I'm seeing this more and more across institutions with artists given the freedom to explore, and I think the results are fantastic; it leads to a much more vibrant and engaging creative scene. 

YoungArts is also known for the amazing cross-pollination between artists and genres; what have been some of your favorite collaboration moments, and what would be a dream collaboration for you to see come to fruition?One of the MANY amazing things about YoungArts is that we ensure that, starting in high school, artists are able to meet and collaborate with artists from other disciplines. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard winners talk about how going through YoungArts week was the first time that their eyes were opened to the work of artists from other disciplines and how they immediately had the desire to collaborate! I would say my favorite collaboration moments have to come from our Miami and NYC galas. In Miami in January and in the Temple of Dendur in NYC in April, we have our annual galas. We always turn the program over to a past winner to direct; they're able to pull from past winners, from any year and any discipline, to put an original show together, and the result is spectacular. Tap dancers working with spoken-word winners, musicians working with visual artists... It's so fantastic to see a multigenerational, multidisciplinary performance that changes every year, and gives a winner a chance to try their hand at directing and producing a show!

What have been some of your “pinch me” moments over the years with YoungArts?
Getting to work with the extraordinary mentors never gets old! Working with Robert Redford, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Renée Fleming, Titus Kaphar, Doug Aitken (alum!), Josh Groban, Frank Gehry, James Rosenquist, Anna Deavere Smith… as I write out this list, thinking about the incredible artists who have taken the time to nurture the next generation of artists, I'm definitely pinching myself! 

Which artists do you collect personally, and what new and emerging artists are you excited about?
I would say that 90-95% of the work I own, I know the artist and have worked with them in some capacity... whether they're a YoungArts winner/mentor, have been in Greater New York at MoMA PS1... my collection is very autobiographical! I love living with art—I don't have anything in storage (my walls are getting very crowded!) and I would say some highlights are: Deborah Roberts, Hank Willis Thomas, Taryn Simon, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Sadie Benning, Jean Shin (YoungArts winner!), Jeppe Hein (when I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter I bought one of his balloons for her nursery—started her collection early!), José Parlá, Julia Chiang... the list goes on. I'm always excited to discover new artists; I just purchased some pieces from a young Brazilian artist named Aislan Pankararu whom I discovered at Salon 94--a gallery with one of my favorite programs. I love discovering new artists through YoungArts, MoMA PS1, galleries, biennials and fairs! 

Who would be your dream artists to collect?
There's a whole generation of legendary artists whom I love and would have loved to collect early: Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Rothko, Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns... There's a Hilma af Klint show coming up at MoMA in 2025 and I would have loved to collect her work early as well. 

You are also highly involved with an incredible array of arts and cultural boards, and now are about to begin serving as the President of the Board of MoMA (huge congratulations!). How do you choose what you want to be involved with, how do you find they complement each other, and what do you love about them and the impact they have on the arts?
It's all about the people! Before I get involved with an organization, I spend A LOT of time getting to know the board and staff: Do they have the same ethos as I do? The same artist-centric approach? Do I simply like spending time with them? The board and staff are the ones who will dictate the direction of the institution, so it is really important for me to feel that I'm aligned with them. When I first got involved with philanthropy, I felt like it was very proprietary, "these are our donors, our programs, our artists...", et cetera, and I never thought that was a particularly productive way to work. We operate in a field with very limited resources, and I truly believe that institutions and artists really benefit from collaborations. Rather than operating in silos, I've been working to create an ecosystem of support across all organizations to create a more sustainable future for institutions and artists.

You live between NYC, Miami, and Aspen; how do you find the art scenes – and collectors – differ among the three? 
NYC has everything — trying to experience all that NYC has to offer culturally is like drinking from a firehose! It's incredible though; there is truly something for everyone, and the institutions there are the best in the world. Miami is so interesting because of the huge South American, Latin American, and Caribbean influence present; the artists living and working there make it so unique and interesting. I also think Miami is in a time of real cultural growth; I think that you can have a real impact in Miami as it's not as saturated as NYC. With so many people moving to Miami over the past few years, I'm curious to see who engages with the cultural scene and their community and what impact that has. Aspen is so special — it's mind-blowing that in a small mountain town of 7,000 people, you have world-class cultural institutions (the Aspen Art Museum, Anderson Ranch, Aspen Music Festival) and some of the greatest collectors from across the country. What I love about Aspen is that these collectors from San Francisco, LA, Texas, Chicago, Miami, DC, and NYC all end up here and bring their love of the arts with them and are so dedicated to making this a vibrant community. I have seen some of the best artists and curators in the world do programming here, and then you get to enjoy a beautiful hike together! 

When you think about organizations in other parts of the world, are there any in particular that you would love to bring into collaboration with YoungArts and your other work?
I think that the work the Serpentine in London is doing is incredible and innovative--it's one of the places where I always discover new artists, and I love working with Hans Ulrich Obrist. During the pandemic, YoungArts did a virtual program with him and many of our winners that was wonderful. We also co-hosted a dinner with the Serpentine during Miami Basel one year which was a huge success--I look forward to working with them more in the future. Zeitz MOCAA in South Africa is doing great programming, and I've been getting more involved with Adrian Cheng's K11 Foundation in Hong Kong as well. I love finding organizations with a similar ethos, and creating an international community and opportunities for collaboration! 

@YoungArts

@SarahArison

FOR TICKETS OR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT INFO@ENTOURAGEC.COM