Ed Sappin | Philanthropy & Community

Giving & Volunteering

The Brilliance of Michael Kenna

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This is the first of a series profiling some of my favorite artists, living or past.

Michael Kenna is a rare modern photographer – his work is both lauded by the art world and has crossed over into the mainstream market. You can walk into some of the most rarefied galleries in the US or abroad and see his original prints, or go on to Overstock and buy a framed poster. What is the appeal?

Kenna creates ethereal, beautiful landscapes with high contrast, and small format. His works jewel boxes, taking us along for a trip to see the world around us anew.

Ed Sappin - Japanese art

Winter Sun, Kami Oumu, Hokkaido, Japan. 2004

Born in Lancashire, England and currently residing in Seattle, Washington, Kenna is best known for his works of Asia, specifically Japan. He is also an accomplished commercial photographer who has worked with some of the world’s leading brands. On the more serious front, Kenna has also turned his lens to subjects including concentration camps and the changing landscape of the Middle East. His image below of the railway lines at Birkenau is haunting and beautiful, a counterpoint to the horrors that took place in this slice of the Polish countryside.

Ed Sappin -Railway Lines

Railway Lines and Entry Building, Birkenau, Poland, 1992

Kenna is represented by a who’s who of galleries around the world and is often the subject of individual and part of group exhibitions. Next time you have an opportunity to see his work in a city near you, I highly recommend it.

Traveling Exhibits at the ICP Museum

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The International Center for Photography, which I’ve written about before, showcases exhibitions that travel to and from venues worldwide. Because of this “traveling exhibition” feature, ICP’s exhibits are worldly and intermittent; since the photographs featured tour the world, they are viewed by people of all ages, ethnicities and nationalities. This makes it all the more impactful to get a glimpse as New York takes its turn.

At the ICP there is currently a traveling exhibition called The Mexican Suitcase, a collection gives the public a chance to experience rare images recovered from negatives from the Spanish Civil War. In 2007, three boxes of 4,500 35mm negatives considered lost since 1939 arrived at the ICP. The photographs were taken by three photographers, Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and Chim (David Seymour.) These men — who lived in Paris and worked in Spain — laid the foundation for modern war photography.

Their coverage of the Spanish Civil War is considered uniquely innovative and passionate — The New York Times has a great review of the exhibit for those that want to know a bit more. The article describes the lives and struggles of the artists and the story the exhibit tells of their lives and works. Described are the three boxes, “timeworn but intact,” a tattered telegram, notebooks, and many images of everyday Spanish life during the war. Here’s an excerpt:

This total immersion, made possible by increasingly hand-held cameras, generated huge numbers of images. And that’s what you get in this show: hundreds and hundreds of tiny pictures lined up edge to edge on contact sheets to create a display of a kind that museumgoers rarely encounter but that photographers see all the time: squint-inducing, unedited, in progress.

Another traveling exhibit, which unfortunately ended on July 31, is Capa in Color, a glimpse at the famous photojournalist’s colored photography, most of which captured life postwar. The exhibit showcased over 100 contemporary color prints that demonstrate how Capa adapted to color photography and a new postwar sensibility.

Seeing as the traveling exhibits inherently change up, it’s worth checking in every so often to see what’s featured. Some exhibits are only briefly showcased, while others, like the Mexican Suitcase, span four months or more. If you’re a photography enthusiast like me, there’s a good chance you’ll be delighted. After all, photography is an artform that documents a singular moment. It makes sense that exhibits would be transient, too.

Great Philanthropic Events in New York This Summer

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There’s something to love about every season in the city, but summer is perhaps the best for events: it gets dark later, you can transition from day to night without a coat, and you’re finally free to take a vacation or two.

For the philanthropy-minded individual, summer events are an opportunity to enjoy summer days and nights in ways that also benefit important causes. If you want to enjoy yourself while contributing to a worthy organization, there are plenty of events that fit the bill.

The best way to find a philanthropic event is to subscribe to the causes and organizations you care about most and tune in to see when their fundraisers are. But for a taste of the diverse offering in New York alone, I found a few that look pretty great this summer:

Broadway in Bryant Park

Thursdays, July – August

For a sample of Broadway’s huge array of shows and talent, Broadway in Bryant Park is a recurring summer event in Midtown Manhattan right behind the New York Public Library. It’s free for guests to enjoy lunch-hour snippets from selected shows, but also benefits New York-Presbyterian for Kids and TKTS Discount Ticketing Booth.

TKTS is an affordable ticketing organization that helps sustain and share the arts and develop the audiences of the future.

Summer Camp on Fire Island

August 6, 2016

Pool parties are always a summer highlight, though for many New Yorkers they are few and far between. This annual pool party at Fire Island is presented by the Hetrick-Martin Institute, “the nation’s oldest and largest non-profit, multi-service agency dedicated to serving LGBTQ youth.”

The money raised will help ensure that youth members can return to school in September with all the supplies, clothes, and meals they need to get by.

The River Project 30th Anniversary Benefit

August 1, 2016

The River Project is a marine science field station that protects and teaches the wonders of the Hudson River ecosystem. The perfect summer event will commemorate its 30th anniversary: a river cruise and dinner party to on the Hudson River. Ticket funds will help the organization continue its important research.

Located at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park, you can also visit the River Project for interactive exhibits that show the public the wonders of the waterfront, both above and beneath.

Pushing the Boundaries of Photography: The New ICP Museum

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On Thursday, June 22, the relocated International Center of Photography opened at its new home in New York City at 250 Bowery. As a photographer, the opening of this museum has been on my radar for a while now, and from what I’ve heard it does not disappoint. That is, unless you’re expecting traditional photography. The first exhibit is decidedly much edgier than that.

Called “Public, Private, Secret,” the New York Times says that this exhibit shows how the ICP has been renovated for the so-called “selfie age.”  In its ultra-modern 11,000 square foot space, with an all-glass street-level facade (erasing any inside privacy) it would seem that the architecture matches the artwork in this respect.

Organized by Charlotte Cotton, the museum’s first curator in residence, “Public, Private, Secret” explores the way that public image collides with self identity. This, I think, is very fitting in an age where everyone with a smartphone has become a photographer and social branding expert in their own right. Rather than treating the everyday selfie as art, the work showcased is elevated and conceptual: cameras capture museumgoers and turn their images into a pixelated display, art is created out of found footage from social media, to name just two examples.

The ICP’s Bowery debut comes after a move from Midtown Manhattan, its home for many years. The museum has an interesting history: it was originally founded in 1974 by photographer Cornell Capa, who was concerned with upkeeping the legacy of what he called “concerned photography” — photography with a humanitarian impulse bent on having social impact on the world. Capa started ICP after leading the legendary Magnum Photos. Since ICP’s founding, it’s become one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated solely to photography and the visual arts.

The concerned photographer expresses “genuine human feeling predominates over commercial cynicism or disinterested formalism.” This opening exhibit is a portrayal of human feelings as they exist in a digital era, where the line between public and private is as thin as you want it to be, and sometimes erased altogether.  

But what I find especially great about ICP is that it’s more than just a museum. I took my first formal photography courses there when the museum was based on the Upper East Side. Throughout its history, ICP has engaged the surrounding community, including schools and public programs, and photography is brought to the forefront instead of treated as an afterthought as you sometimes see in art museums. I can’t wait to visit ICP in its new home, as it continues to break boundaries and impact visitors through careful curation, outreach, and innovation.

Good for the Heart, Good for the Community

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Back in the dark ages, I rowed for part of my freshman year at Penn. The school had just won the national championship for heavyweight eights the prior year (the most prestigious race) and I walked on without knowing too much. Almost all of the other team members had been recruited from prestigious prep schools around the US, but I somehow was good enough to be invited to winter training in Florida. I generally do not look second guess past decisions, but my 18 year old self decided to leave the team just before the main spring rowing season to try rugby. I went to a few rugby practices, didn’t like it and decided to just run and play basketball rather than go back to rowing.

Now, 20+ years later, I am excited to have found a place in New York City where one can row on the water. Even better, the group sponsoring it has a great community program. So this Saturday I’ll be heading to the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River to take RowNewYork’s Learn to Row I program. It is required to move ahead in their sequence and I’ll be in Learn to Row II later in June.

What excites me at least as rowing myself is the youth programs RowNewYork sponsors targeting middle school and high school kids that ordinarily would not have access to a crew program. From the website: “RowNewYork’s core year-round program for youth combines rowing with comprehensive academic support, and prepares middle school and high school girls and boys for success both on and off the water.” More about the volunteer mission here. Whether you want to row yourself or just get involved with a great organization check out RowNewYork.

The Refugee Crisis as Seen from New York

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Ed Sappin, refugee article

Every week if not every day there is another story in the news on our global refugee crisis. A child dies trying to make it across the Aegean Sea to Greece. The EU negotiates with Turkey to repatriate illegal refugees while supposedly taking in an equal number of legitimate refugees. The Shengen agreement effectively goes up in flames as EU countries reinstitute border controls.

Meanwhile, we sit here in New York and worry about our ongoing presidential campaign, our rent or mortgages, if Mayor De Blasio can be effective, how the Mets and Yankees are going to do this year. Syria is far away and it is very easy to dismiss our current crisis (yes our) as Europe’s problem, or the Middle East’s problem.

I find this particularly hard to stomach. We have been and remain a country of immigrants, even if we are going through a period of income inequality and social unrest. Most of us are here because our ancestors were fleeing from something terrible: wars or political, economic or religious persecution. To be sure, not all Americans are here because they were leaving something bad behind. Many came to seek fortunes or change.

I do not expect us to open up our doors to massive waves of immigrants. But we need to do more to help others in need. Donating to charities is a great place to start and participating in a volunteer mission is even better. There are great organizations at work on both fronts, like Doctors without Borders, UNICEF, Save the Children and others. My personal recommendation is the International Rescue Committee.

Founded in 1933 with the help of Albert Einstein, IRC is notable for its focus on results – the most recent review of the charitys finances showed 93% of its donations going to actual programs and services. Currently led by David Milband, the former Secretary for Foreign Affairs on the UK, IRC is very active in the Syrian Crisis. It is providing resettlement support to the small number of Syrians being allowed into the US and healthcare and providing healthcare and other services in Syria, Iraq, Greece, Lebanon, and Jordan.

So take some time as we enjoy the blossoming of spring to remember that we are very fortunate to live in our beautiful city. Help those displaced by the Syrian crisis whether you donate your time or money and pay homage to the immigrants that have sought safety and a new life in this country for generations.

Spring is Here and the Art World is Blooming

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It is spring in New York and the museum and art worlds are busy with events, fundraisers and auctions. My wife Yanhua and I were fortunate to take part in The Rubin Museum’s annual spring series Brainwave. Emotion is the theme this year and we had an interesting afternoon with Bob Mankoff of the New Yorker and neuroscientist Scott Weems exploring laughter. What makes people laugh and how does the brain process it?

We also were able to attend several events around Asia Week New York at the Rubin and at Christie’s. The opening of the auction at Christie’s included a number of beautiful pieces. My favorite was the head of an unnamed bodhisattva from Indonesia (below),

Ed Sappin philanthropy

while my wife Yanhua preferred a statue of Guanyin, the Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattva. I guess we were both looking for guides on our path to enlightenment.

Ed Sappin philanthropy

I was sad to miss the Armory Show but one of my favorite events, the AIPAD show, is coming up in a few weeks. It is the pre-eminent photography show in New York and brings together some of the best galleries in the world. I am looking forward to seeing the new works from husband and wife duo Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison who are presented by the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago.

On the volunteer front, I’ve been hard at work on a new civic venture to create family wage jobs for an underserved population in New York City. More to come on this in future blog posts.

Michael Dadap Performs Tonight!

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michael dadap Filipino guitarist, composer, and conductor

Michael Dadap – Filipino Guitarist, Composer, & Conductor.

If you find yourself looking for something to do tonight, Friday, November 13th, please consider a free performance by Filipino virtuoso guitarist, Michael Dadap. Event details are as follows:

November 13th,  2015
6:30pm – 8:30pm (Performance is in 2 parts: 6:30-7:15 & 7:45-8:30)

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021

*Free admission. First come, first served.

If you have had the pleasure of seeing Michael Dadap in a live setting, then you understand why I am sharing this event. Everyone should jump at the opportunity to see a musician of Dadap’s caliber play here in New York City – especially with free admission.

For those who are unfamiliar, Michael Dadap is quite the virtuoso on guitar. A few seconds into any performance and you will be mesmerized by the mastery of his craft. Dadap performs a collection of pieces, including original works and other arrangements by Filipino composers. Dadap is dedicated to his mission of promoting Filipino music and culture, and sharing an experience with his audiences.

Check out this live performance of Michael Dadap performing at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with Florante Aguilar.

For more information about tonight’s event, visit the Asia Society event page.

August Asia Society Events

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Asia Society logoSeveral Asia Society events will be hosted this August here in New York City. I highly recommend taking advantage of these great opportunities. Find more details at the Asia Society site.

August 11th, 2015
6:30pm – 8:40pm

Film: Korean Movie Night New York presents, Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island. The film will be shown at:

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at East 70 Street)
New York, NY

*Free admission. First-come, first-served. Line forms at 5:30 pm. Tickets are distributed at 6:00 pm. One ticket per person only.

Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island is a sequel to Detective K: Secret of the Virtuous Widow. The film is set in the 18th century and is an entertaining action-comedy that follows Detective Kim Min and his many adventures. In this sequel, Detective Min is investigating the influx of counterfeit silver threatening to destabilize the Joseon dynasty.

See the trailer below.

August 20th, 2015
6:30pm – 8:15pm

Film: People’s Park. Cinema on the Edge: the Best of the Beijing Independent Film Festival 2012-2014. Stay afterwards for a post-screening Q&A with director J.P. Sniadecki. The film will be shown at:

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY

*$8 members; $10 students/seniors; $12 nonmembers

Created by 2 young American directors, this documentary was shot in the People’s Park, Chengdu, Sichuan in one single 75 minute take. The film captures the fullness of Chinese urban leisure life, panning side to side and catching hundreds of urbanites out for fun, relaxation, socializing, and enjoying the simple things – eating, singing, practicing calligraphy, and simply living. What starts as watching transforms to dancing, as the film slowly gathers an ecstatic, trance-like groove, building to a rapturous climax, as people, movement, music, image, and sound mix together.

August 24th, 2015
6:30pm – 9:15pm

Film: The Dossier. Cinema on the Edge: the Best of the Beijing Independent Film Festival 2012-2014. Stay afterwards for a post-screening Q&A with director Zhu Rikun and Robert Barnett, Columbia University. The film will be shown at:

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY

*$8 members; $10 students/seniors; $12 nonmembers

In this documentary, Chinese filmmaker Zhu Rikun explores Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser. Woeser, now based in Beijing, has become one of the most eloquent voices on Tibet through her writing and online presence. Zhu’s sharply designed, formally innovative documentary unfolds completely in Woeser’s own voice: Zhu alternates formally photographed scenes of the writer reading excerpts from her secret government “dossier” (to which she has somehow gained access) with scenes of her speaking in her own soft but passionate voice. Woeser’s moving account of her political awakening and current activism makes for a powerful document of a Tibetan woman finding her voice and insisting on her freedom to use it.