The 18th annual ACRIA dinner held at the Urban Zen Center last Wednesday night was full of influential figures from an array of industries and trades. An awe-inspiring speech was made by four-time Grammy winner, Jessye Norman, leaving the crowd at a loss for words. The speech was in honor of Judith Peabody, who died in 2010 and was known for her extensive philanthropic work on behalf of AIDS patients. Included in the crowd was Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Uma Thurman, Darren Star, Sam Peabody and his daughter Elizabeth, and many other illustrious individuals. An impressive amount of money was raised by the auction for the effort in the fight against AIDS – all because of art!
Photographs by Lena Vassiliou