At 6 PM on Monday, May 5, 2025, guests will begin arriving at the first-floor Agnes Varis Art Center at UrbanGlass in Downtown Brooklyn. This nonprofit arts center sits at the epicenter of a major arts hub of New York, with gleaming new high-rise residential buildings springing up in all directions as the neighborhood attracts legions of new residents drawn by all the buzz, but UrbanGlass has been at this location since the early 1990s as an outpost for glass art in the cultural capital of the U.S.
The honorees of this year's gala, include Layo Bright, an artist taking glass in new directions through her soaring recent successes in museum, art fair, and gallery exhibitions. Bright is a former artist-in-residence at UrbanGlass, and continues to make much of her work in glass in the art nonprofit's third-floor studios.
Suzanne Perrault and David Rago, partners in Rago Auctions and in life, will be honored and celebrated for having done so much to strengthen and build the secondary market for glass art through their expanding network of auction houses, including at their nearby gallery in Manhattan's art neighborhood of Chelsea.
A lavish dinner celebrating the honorees will commence at 7 pm, and include a live auction where items and experiences will go up for bid with the theatrical flair of Master of Ceremonies Nicholas D. Lowry, who is president of Swann Auction Galleries in Manhattan.
Art and design pieces, as well as experiences have been generously donated by:
James Akers, Maria Aroche, Michael Ayoub, John Brekke, Danielle Brensinger, Layo Bright, Jane Bruce, Molly Burke, Marcy Chevali, William Couig, Amber Cowan, Robert DuGrenier & Alex Sorenson, Han Duong, Ali Feeney, Shane Fero, William Harris, Kriegel Family, Andi Kovel, Alexander Kveton, Kelsie McNair, Veronica Mijelshon, Jessi Moore, Olivia Moss, Corey Pemberton, Goldie Poblador, Rachel Rader, Erica Rosenfeld, Eric Rubinstein, Ghislaine Sabiti, Michiko Sakano, Kiki Smith, Andy Stenerson, River Valadez, Meg Wachs, Carol Yorke.
The evening will conclude with a very special Afterparty with theme of horse racing, as the Kentucky Derby will have just taken place. Artist Ali Feeneywill lead a lavish performance in the UrbanGlass hotshop, and guests are encouraged to wear their finest millinery to join in the festivities.
Tickets to this very special event are available for purchase online, or by calling Alejandra Garcia at 718 625 3685, ext 240.
IF YOU GO:
Monday, May 5, 2025
6 pm–9 pm (with AfterParty to follow)
UrbanGlass Spring Gala + Auction
647 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, New York 11217
Gala Website