NYFA Inducts Coco Fusco, James Welling, The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) into its Hall of Fame at Annual Spring Benefit

NYFA’s annual Hall of Fame Benefit celebrated the profound impact of the arts and a series of milestones: the event’s 15th anniversary, 40 years of partnership with NYSCA, and the 65th anniversary of NYSCA.

On Thursday, April 23, NYFA’s annual Hall of Fame Benefit brought close to 250 artists and arts supporters together at Capitale in Manhattan in celebration of the arts, inducting Coco Fusco, Interdisciplinary Artist | Fellow in Nonfiction ‘91, ‘14; James Welling, Visual Artist | Fellow in Photography ‘86; The New York State Council on the Arts (Represented by Erika Mallin, Executive Director) into its Hall of Fame. Read more about NYFA’s 2026 honorees here.

Established in 2011 as NYFA’s most significant fundraiser, the benefit featured a banquet dinner, an awards ceremony, and an art auction to support NYFA’s programs for artists and arts workers. The celebration is a tribute to the spirit of creativity and dedication that embodies NYFA’s mission, and this year’s event was particularly meaningful as it recognized 15 years of the event, 40 years of partnership with NYSCA, and NYSCA’s 65th anniversary.

Among those in attendance were David Zwirner, Gallerist; Veronique Ansorge, Senior Director, David Zwirner; Bridget Donlon (Emerging Leaders ‘13), Director of Special Projects, NYSCA; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director, The Public Theater, and NYSCA Council Chair; Eric Latzky, Writer, Essayist, and NYSCA Council Member; Alton Murray, Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs; Eto Otitigbe, Polymedia Artist; Jane Weinstock, Film Director and Writer; and Hakim Bishara, Editor in Chief, Hyperallergic.

Those attending from the NYFA community included Michael Royce, NYFA CEO; Sarah Young O’Donnell, NYFA Board Chair; J. Wesley McDade, NYFA Vice Board Chair; Christopher Rudd and Lesley-Anne Gliedman, Event Co-Chairs and NYFA Board Members; Marc J. Jason, Immediate Past NYFA Board Chair; Alexandra Chasin, NYFA Board Secretary; NYFA Board Members Leslie Boyce, Nick Donias, Christopher Donini, Angela Henry, Eunbi Kim, Seth Levin, Ricardo Maldonado, Laura Montross, Jack Rosenberg, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, Justin Tobin, Carmelita Tropicana, and Nina Yankowitz; NYFA Advisory Council Members Diana Al-Hadid, Liz Christensen, Isabel Sandoval, and Jonathan Schwartz (Advisory Council Chair); and NYFA Artist Advisory Committee Member Marylyn Dintenfass (2023 NYFA Hall of Fame Inductee).

Also attending were NYFA Affiliated Artists including Amy Brener, James Casbere (2016 NYFA Hall of Fame Inductee), Allison Jae Evans, sTo Len, Jaye Moon (2025 NYFA Hall of Fame Inductee), Lina Puerta, Michelle Segre, and Don Voisine.

The event kicked off with a lively cocktail reception where guests enjoyed and bid on more than 80 artworks by NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellows, NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring program participants, Fiscal Sponsorship project directors, and dedicated members of NYFA’s creative community.

The program then transitioned into the main dining room, where soaring ceilings and ornate lighting framed the gathering. Guests settled in alongside artists and supporters, with each table centered around a featured artwork also available for auction. These pieces carried a special layer of significance as each was created by a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Craft/Sculpture, many specifically for the event. Works were contributed by Amy Brener, Raul De Lara, DeWitt Godfrey, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Stephanie H. Shih, and others.

NYFA CEO Michael Royce welcomed attendees, saying “This year is a very special one for us. Yes, tonight is our 15th Hall of Fame and it is also the 65th anniversary of NYSCA, The New York State Council on the Arts. And what makes this evening so very special in honoring NYSCA tonight is that way back in 1971 it was NYSCA that founded NYFA. Moreover it is the 40th year of NYSCA partnering with NYFA to provide annual fellowships, generously funded by NYSCA, to artists in all disciplines throughout the State of New York.”

Royce also highlighted the scope of NYFA: “To date, we have distributed more than $84M to over 13,000 artists throughout the country and US territories; $30M in emergency funding since 2020; we fiscally sponsor over 350 artists projects, nationwide, and every year we serve over 1M creatives with online opportunities. NYFA also has a long history of providing professional development training, serving over 7,000 artists and cultural workers each year.”

Throughout the evening, benefit Co-Chairs Christopher Rudd and Lesley-Anne Gliedman introduced the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees, beginning with James Welling.

In a short video, Welling spoke about his lifelong pursuit of the arts. On working in and evolving his career through photography since the late 1970s: “I’ve pretty much done almost every type of photographic process. I rarely work on the same idea for more than a couple of years. I’m always exploring. I love discovering new things about photography.”

He received a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Photography in 1986, after working for a few years making paintings. “That validation of my photographic work turned me back to photography. The NYFA grant allowed me to buy a new camera, to begin to think about projects that I would work on for the next five years. The NYFA grant just gave me the chance to catch my breath and think about the new work, which really changed my life,” said Welling.

In live remarks, Welling underscored what it meant to receive a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship: “When I got the NYFA grant it was really important because I was able to make photographs full time.”

Coco Fusco was the next honoree to be inducted into NYFA’s Hall of Fame. In a video, Fusco spoke on her artistic process: “I start from ideas and expand from there and try to find different art forms that can carry those ideas to fruition and also make them impact people in different ways.”

Upon being inducted into NYFA’s Hall of Fame, Fusco spoke about NYFA’s support saying: “The grant for nonfiction writing I got in 1991 was one of the first awards I’d ever received and at the time I didn’t have a job so the funds went to covering my rent and to me the award was the vote of confidence that made me feel like I was being recognized as the member of the community.”

Next up, and closing out the awards portion of the evening was Patron of the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts.

In a video highlighting NYSCA, Erika Mallin spoke about NYSCA’s founding and what it is today: “The New York State Council on the Arts was created in 1960 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Many many decades later, we are the backbone of New York State’s creative economy, serving over 3,000 artists and arts organizations in every corner of our great state.”

She continued: “Now, as we enter our 65th year we have been reflecting a lot on the founding mission, which was quite simple but quite radical then and possibly now. Which was to support artists, but to also support access to the arts. Because this was essential to a democratic society.”

Regarding its longstanding partnership with NYFA, Mallin said: “In the ’70s, what was bubbling up was the real need to support artists directly. And this bloomed into NYSCA creating and founding NYFA. This program actually still continues—the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program…and it’s been wildly successful.” Since its inception, 5,611 artists across New York State have received unrestricted cash grants through the program.

Mallin spoke of the importance of supporting individual artists and organizations: “When we support the arts, we don’t just support entertainment, we power economies.”

At Capitale, Mallin noted that NYSCA had not been inducted into a Hall of Fame previously. She spoke about how communities power the arts: “I think it’s the people you hang out with, like NYFA, it’s the people who support you and have your back that make this whole thing work, this whole art ecosystem.”

Following the award ceremony, guests heard from David Blasher, who participated in the NYSCA/NYFA Community Arts Leaders program in 2023 and 2024. 

He spoke about his experience in the program and leading with courage and heart: “There were so many times across this program where I got to meet with leadership across the state where we shared our woes, our challenges, our joy, and our camaraderie.” He added: “Remember don’t worry alone, be connected, and support the arts because our souls depend on it.”

The event closed with dessert and animated conversations between benefit guests while successful bidders collected their auction items.