PAST FUNDRAISER

The Third Annual Stand With Us Benefête

Join us for a little of THIS AND THAT in support of Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York! Mix and match in your favorite plaids and polka dots, sweats and tuxedos, stilettos and sneakers. Anything goes at this and that.

As one of New York’s oldest artist-run nonprofit spaces supporting lens-based art, Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York—founded in 1884—knows a thing or two about timeless art. So does Raekwon The Chef, of Wu-Tang Clan, who was among the artists and performers who celebrated with Baxter St at the organization’s third annual STAND WITH US benefête on Thursday night. “The Baxter Street audience gave me a sense of knowing I’m still here,” Raekwon said after a surprise performance alongside Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots and the Menahan Street Band. “Knowing that nothing has changed when it came to me being a talent that was lost and found.” VANITY FAIR

“We’re different for a reason,” said Baxter St president Michi Jigarjian. “We make that conscious decision to have a fundraiser that looks like us. It’s not a sitdown dinner, it’s a party and it’s a time for everybody — our artists, writers, curators, our supporters and our friends — all in the same room and it’s just an extension of who we are.”  The first event was held in 2018 when artists in the Baxter St community were creating works in response to the political climate. Baxter St, which is one of New York City’s oldest institutions having been founded in 1884 by Alfred Stieglitz, is a nonprofit that features artists and allows them space to create with the help of monthly stipends and a residency at the 126 Baxter Street gallery. The organization raises funds through grants and the Stand With Us fund-raiser. WWD

Baxter St at CCNY held its third annual STAND WITH US event. Special guests and honorees—like Zoë Buckman, Antwaun Sargent, Ivan Forde, Baxter St President Michi Jigarjian, Mark Ronson, Honey Davenport of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, José Parlá, Tyler Mitchell, Derrick Adams, Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian, Sarah Arison, Casey Freemont, Isolde Brielmaier, Shari Loeffler, Helen Tommer, and Jasmine Wahi—spent the night sipping cocktails and dancing to music. Special that night, as well, was Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan joining Black Thought and the Menahan Street Band for a surprise performance. WHITEWALL

It’s the day after the preview benefit for the Art Show, the unofficial kickoff for Armory week—a series of high-profile, annual art fairs that seize Manhattan the first week of March—but selling art couldn’t be farther from Michi Jigarjian’s mind. The president of Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York (colloquially, Baxter St at CCNY, formerly, “the Camera Club”), Jigarjian describes the institution she’s helmed since 2011 under no uncertain terms. “We act as an incubator for lens-based artists,” she says. “Our mission is to support artists to make the work that matters most to them outside of the commercial realm. And we believe that we’re able to make a more diverse, inclusive visual culture because of that.”
CULTURED

In receiving the awards, Zoe took a moment to thank her mother, noting that “she was a writer, socialist, and feminist who believed that everyone was important and everyone deserves to have a voice. She fundamentally did not believe in hierarchy which meant going anywhere with her took a very long time, because she spoke to everyone and welcomed everyone, so I really want to thank her.” Additionally, Ivan noted that he felt very supported throughout the entire process, especially with putting his installation together. Following the speeches, Menahan Street Band featuring Black Thought from The Roots gave a live performance on the center stage, closing the gala. THE KNOCKTURNAL