Kipton Cronkite Announces KiptonART Rising Finalists at Saks Fifth Avenue

KiptonART holds it’s 2nd annual KiptonART Rising Finalists Party showcasing the top 19 artists for the KiptonART Rising program.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 6, 2009 -– This past Monday evening, KiptonART held its 2nd annual KiptonART Rising Finalists Party showcasing the top 19 artists for the KiptonART Rising 2010 program. Among the first to arrive were Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia where they had a special tour of the exhibition with KiptonART Founder, Kipton Cronkite. Hosts for the evening, HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Gillian Hearst Simonds and Catherine Forbes (fitted with jewels by Asprey), caught up with friends who came out to support the artists and initiatives of the KiptonART Foundation. Guests enjoyed a special musical performance by Orba Squara, cocktails by Bombay Sapphire gin and at the end of the evening participated in the awards ceremony. Longchamp CEO, Marti Carroll, presented each of the 6 winners with crystal statues to recognize their achievements and the entire evening was filmed for a potential docu-series on KiptonART and the work behind helping emerging artists. Winning artists Kiritin Beyer, Julie Combal, Bon Duke, Emily Korman, Avery McCarthy and Matthew Satz had an opportunity to speak with curators Stephen Frailey, Alexander Glauber and Rachel Smith, Marlborough Gallery’s Marcia Levine, art patrons Becca Cason Thrash, CeCe Cord and Baroness Monica von Zadora-Gerlof. KiptonART Rising is a yearly award given to six artists whose works are passionate, memorable and innovative while still remaining relevant to the aesthetics of our community today.

Noteworthy guests: Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia, Becca Cason Thrash, Cece Cord, Baroness Monica von Zadora-Gerlof, Andrew Lauren, Ally Hilfiger, interior designer Thom Filicia, Olivier Cassegrain, Dabney Mercer, Peter Davis, Anisha Lakhani, Tatiana Boncompagni, Kimberly Guilfoyle Villency, Vogue’s Genevieve Bahrenburg, Bettina Prentice, Chessy Wilson, Jackie Astier and Marlborough Gallery’s Marcia Levine.

The KiptonART Foundation facilitates the appreciation and endowment of the visual arts and music through the support of emerging talent and educational programs for children. The Foundation's main operation is to promote artist-in-residency programs for struggling artists by providing stipends for them to create and sustain their work. "For many artists, it's a virtual dead zone out there right now," says Cronkite. "Before we decided to branch out into the charity arena, we always endeavored to help the artist, first and foremost. However, at a time when artists are not only struggling with general exposure, but also unable to buy supplies, pay for production fees, and carry overhead in an expensive city, we're starting to welcome the support of the public, private donors, and influential philanthropists." Donations can be made at: www.kiptonartfoundation.org.

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