The Robert Giard Foundation To Honor Bob Morris During East End Summer Benefit

On Saturday, September 17th, The Robert Giard Foundation will support artists exploring the LGBTQ+ experience by hosting a benefit at the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation in Sagaponack. The Second East End Robert Giard Foundation Summer Benefit will toast to Bob Morris, an award winning author and frequent New York Times columnist, and also pay tribute to Bob Giard’s legacy.

“Robert Giard lived and worked in Amagansett for over 30 years and his work is in National Portrait Gallery, New York Public Library, and the Beinecke Rare Book at Manuscript Library at Yale,” explained Giard’s partner, Jonathan Silin. “The Giard Foundation’s fellowship for emerging artists continues his tradition of making LGBTQ lives visible around the world.” Throughout his career, Giard – a portrait, landscape, and figure photographer – captured a varied array of important gay and lesbian literary lights. In 1997, the MIT Press published over 500 portraits of the artist’s portraits as part of the Particular Voices: Portraits of Gay and Lesbian Writers collection. Prior to his death in July, 2002, Giard was in the midst of an ongoing portrait project that focused on the 321 grant recipients of the Thanks be to Grandmother Winifred Foundation, which was founded by Deborah Ann Light with the goal of encouraging women 54-years-old and older to fulfill aspirations that would better the lives of other adult women.

Clare Coss and Blanche Cook. (Photo: Copyright Estate of Robert Giard)

Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Robert Giard Foundation Fellowship – which was established in 2008. Each year the Foundation selects an up-and-coming or mid­career artist – who can reside anywhere in the world – and awards them with $7,500 to fund a new or continuing project (photography, photo­based media, video, or short­form film) that confronts topics like sexuality, gender, or LGBTQ+ identity.

“The Foundation is deeply gratified by the enthusiastic support of the East End community,” added Silin.

A portrait from the Amagansett Workers series. (Photo: Copyright Estate of Robert Giard)

The Second East End Robert Giard Foundation Summer Benefit will take place on Saturday, September 17th from 5 to 7 p.m. Benefit tickets are $125 per person and sponsor tickets are $250.

The Tee and Charles Addams Foundation is located at 510-­512 Sagaponack Road in Sagaponack. For more information, visit robertgiardfoundation.org.