The Great Neck Arts Center’s annual benefit gala has served an important function for the non-profit organization since Regina Gil founded it nearly two decades ago.
“The funds that are raised here support the arts center, school for the arts and the scholarship program and the outreach program where we send our teachers into public schools around the region,” said Gil, who serves as the Great Neck Arts Center’s Executive Director. “We’re basically helping about 15,000 kids every year.”
With it’s 18th annual gala held on Sunday at the New York Institute of Technology’s de Seversky Mansion, however, the Great Neck Arts center also widened the scope of the evening’s other important function.
“We’re an arts center,” Gil said. “So every year, in addition to honoring someone in the business community or the political arena or the educational arena, we also honor an artist of some sort.”
And that’s where the change in this year’s festivities came in.
Aside from honoring recently deceased longtime Village of Saddle Rock Mayor Leonard Samansky, the Great Neck Arts Center bestowed its “Woman of the Year Award” to Yorkshire, England native Terri Carr Muran, its “Rising Star Award” to Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of singer Billy Joel and super model Christie Brinkley, along with its “Artist of Distinction” honor to New York City resident Bill Plympton.
It was the first time the award gala took on a focus outside of Great Neck, Gil said.
“We’re not just about Great Neck,” she said. “We are located in Great Neck, but at this point now we are international.”
The gala’s festivities kicked off with a cocktail reception, silent auction and raffle with items donated from members of the Great Neck business community.
“Every penny goes back to our scholarship fund,” Gil said.
The Great Neck Arts Center used the occasion to celebrate the life and work of Samansky who died in July.
“Leonard Samansky was a personal friend and a tremendous booster for the Great Neck Arts Center,” Gil said. “He was one of the first people that stepped up when I said that I think that this would be a good thing to do.”
Samansky was a longtime member of the Great Neck Arts Center Board of Directors. He provided an indelible level of dedication and influence on the inception and growth of the arts center, which will be impossible to replace, Gill said.
“I was pretty new at maneuvering in politics,” she recalled of the creation of the arts center in 1995. “He was just terrific in teaching me how things get done and what I should know about speaking to, for example, the county executive or an assemblyman or mayor. He was just a great mentor and advisor. He’ll be missed.”
During a special presentation, Samansky was posthumously awarded with the arts center’s “Inspiration Award.” With several members of the Samansky family present, the arts center also unveiled a film to celebrate the former mayor’s life and work. The arts center also established the J. Leonard Samansky Performing Arts Scholarship in his honor.
“People can give to the scholarship fund and every year we are going to bestow a full scholarship on a talented designated student,” Gil said.
It was also important for the arts center to honor Carr Muran.
A veteran performer, Carr Muran co-founded York Design, a marketing and public relations firm and has been influential to the arts center through her work as a consultant with the New York Institute of Technology.
“They became host and sponsors (of the gala) and she was on our advisory board,” Gil said of Carr Muran, who is an advisory board member to the Gold Coast International Film Festival. “She’s just been pivotal in helping us move forward with that. In return, I said ‘I know you’re a new friend, but you’re an amazing friend.’ We’re honoring her this year by putting her face out there for recognition.”
The same can be said for Plympton, who was honored for his extensive work as an animated filmmaker.
“This year, for the first time, we’re honoring somebody who’s been nominated three times for an Academy Award for his short animation films,” Gil said. “He’s like a Pixar-type. One of those amazing, original, talented artists.”
Joel accepted her award via video due to a scheduling conflict. Eileen and Alan Sarroff were also honored due to their work as “pioneers” of the Gold Coast International Film Festival.
The evening also included musical performances by the Alessi Brothers, six-year-old violinist and actress Ursula Parker and Kate Steinberg.
“It’s kind of amazing,” Gil said. “We started with an amazing stroke of good luck in 1995. It’s like we’ve come to almost expect that we’ll be blessed with participation of some amazing performer or artist.”
For Gil, it was the gala served as the perfect way to honor and support Great Neck’s art scene.
“The arts community honestly is just the most generous community,” Gil said. “The always support one another and they support what we do here.”
Reach reporter John Santa by e-mail at jsanta@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203
