MAD ABOUT ART: Fountain Gallery to Auction 100 Works, 11/21

MAD ABOUT ART, Fountain Gallery's Annual Art Auction and Benefit, will take place on Thursday, November 21, 2013, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at Cedar Lake, located at 547 West 26th Street in Manhattan. This year's event is "A Black and White Affair," featuring striking black and white décor; the 500 guests expected to attend are requested to wear black and white cocktail attire. One hundred original artworks will be presented at auction to benefit the member-artists of Fountain Gallery, New York City's premier venue representing artists living with mental illness. Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega is the special musical guest.

MAD ABOUT ART will honor two recipients of the Esther Montanez Award: Bart McDade - Vice President, Director of Operations, NY, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank; and Faith Ringgold - artist, author and activist. The Esther Montanez Award was established to honor the memory of Fountain Gallery's founding director, Esther Montanez, who was a tireless advocate for people with mental illness throughout her many years of service as Director of Special Projects for Fountain House, Fountain Gallery's parent organization, until her death in 2006. The Award is presented in recognition of outstanding service to Fountain Gallery.

Honoree Faith Ringgold has donated an art piece to the auction, as have artist William Wegman (a past Fountain Gallery honoree), artist M.J. Levy Dickson, and actor and artist Federico Castelluccio, who played the role of Furio Giunta in the HBO series "The Sopranos." The auction is curated by Sasha Nicholas, an independent curator and art historian who serves on the Fountain Gallery Advisory Board. Among the art mediums represented in the auction are: acrylic, oil and watercolor painting; collage and mixed media; woodcut; and digital photography.

Event Chairs are: John P. Casaly, Rick Froio, Carmel and Brett Fromson, Dario Gristina, Leslie Harwood, Rich Hiler, Louis J. Mantia, Bonnie and Frank Pratt, Jerry Schumm, Gabriel Stefania. Ms. Harwood and Messrs. Froio, Gristina and Schumm are past Fountain Gallery honorees.

Individual ticket price is $250. Sponsorship levels range from $500 to $25,000. For tickets and information, contact Robyn Marks at 212.582.0341, ext. 1288, or rmarks@fountainhouse.org.