YoungArts Backyard Ball 2018 from World Red Eye Films on Vimeo.

Miami Beach, FL – January 13, 2018 – The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) hosted its annual fundraiser in Miami, the Backyard Ball performance and gala, to help support the artistic development of the nation’s most promising young artists. In addition to recognizing the talent of this year’s 757 YoungArts winners, the event honored playwright, Academy Award winner and YoungArts master teacher Tarell Alvin McCraney (1999 Winner in Theater) with the Arison Alumni Award for his vital contributions and commitment to the arts. The Backyard Ball was presented for the fourth consecutive year by Italian luxury brand Max Mara, and was hosted by gala chairs Dr. Kira and Mr. Neil Flanzraich, along with the Gala Leaders Committee members Sarah Arison and Thomas Wilhelm, Darlene and Jorge Pérez, Ellie and Bruce Taub, Judy and Charles Temel, and Maurice Zarmati. Highlights of the celebratory evening included all-star YoungArts alumni performances with artistic direction by Grammy Award-winning recording artist Grace Weber (2006 Winner in Voice & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) and works on view by 2017 Max Mara Young Visionary Award recipient Torrance Hall (2017 Winner in Photography). Emceed by WPLG-Local 10 news anchor and reporter Louis Aguirre, the event included remarks by YoungArts President and CEO Carolina García Jayaram, newly appointed board chair Sarah Arison, and immediate past board chair Richard Kohan, underscoring the importance of supporting young artists ad all critical junctures in their careers. Additional support for the YoungArts Backyard Ball was provided by EventStar Structures, Bacardi, the Miami Herald and MIAMI Magazine. The event concluded with dessert and dancing under the stars on the YoungArts Plaza to music by DJ Arthur Baker. Notable attendees included Klaus Biesenbach, Todd Bishop, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, Jeffrey Davis and Michael Miller, Diana and Joseph DiMenna, Annette Felder, James Ferraro and Lauren Fitzpatrick, Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Marvin Ross Friedman and Adrienne Bon Haes, Matt Haggman and Danet Linares, Alex Hurst, Alan and Diane Lieberman, George Lindemann, Bob Lynch, Max Mara US Director of Retail Maria Giulia Maramotti, Ariel and Jeremy Milgroom, Oti and Remi Roberts, Victoria Rogers, Ellen Salpeter, Dennis and Debra Scholl, and artists and musicians Derrick Adams, Gerald Clayton, Naomi Fisher, José Parlá, and Betty Wright, to name a few.