Summer Series 2019 in Review: Sarah Arison in conversation with Anne Pasternak

Born and raised in Miami, Sarah Arison is President of the Arison Arts Foundation, a private grant-making organization that supports emerging artists and the institutions that foster them. She was immersed in the arts from a young age by her grandparents, visionary philanthropists Ted and Lin Arison, who founded Arison Arts Foundation, the National YoungArts Foundation, and the New World Symphony, among their many philanthropic endeavors.

Arison is active across a broad cross-section of national arts organizations. She is Chair of the Board of the National YoungArts Foundation, where she has developed strategic partnerships with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sotheby’s, Sundance Film Festival and more to provide aspiring talent with presentation and mentorship opportunities. Arison is Vice-Chair of the board of MoMA PS1; a trustee of MoMA and member of the Committee on Education; a trustee of American Ballet Theatre and Chair of the Education Committee; a trustee of Lincoln Center; a trustee of the Brooklyn Museum and Chair of the Education Committee; a trustee of New World Symphony; a member of the Board of Directors of Americans for the Arts; and a trustee of the Americas Foundation of the Serpentine Galleries.

Arison has also ventured into film producing, supporting projects that shed light on lesser known aspects of the arts. In 2015, she produced her first feature film, “Desert Dancer”, starring Freida Pinto. She later went on to co-produce “The First Monday in May”, a documentary film chronicling the creation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute blockbuster exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass. She recently co-produced “The Price of Everything” which was acquired by HBO at the Sundance Film Festival.

Arison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and French with a minor in Art History from Emory University.

Since 2015, Anne Pasternak has served as the Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum. For more than thirty years, she has devoted her career to engaging broad audiences with the limitless power of art to move, motivate, and inspire. A staunch advocate for the civic and democratic roles our cultural and educational institutions can play, Anne is committed to projects that demonstrate the crucial links between art and social justice. During her time here, Anne has focused on strengthening the Museum as a global center for the visual arts that is courageous, pioneering, and inclusive. Through her leadership, Anne has expanded exhibitions, educational offerings and public programs. Previously, Anne served as the President and Artistic Director of Creative Time. She collaborated with hundreds of artists commissioning and presenting works as well as Tribute in Light, the twin beacons of light that illuminate the former World Trade Center site, on the anniversary of 9/11.