Philanthropist Jean Shafiroff, with Nathan & Alan Lieberman of the South Beach Group Hotels, hosted the Power of Art to Heal at the Hotel Croydon Miami Beach during Art Basel Miami 2017.
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Alan Lieberman. (Photo: Jared Siskin/PMC) |
The event was inspired by Mrs. Shafiroff’s desire to add a philanthropic element to the week’s events. “We all know art heals,” says Mrs. Shafiroff, citing art therapy utilized to treat those in need such as children battered by domestic abuse, veterans and individuals from war-torn countries suffering from PTSD, and incarcerated individuals for whom describing trauma might not be possible. “Art therapy is a common method of treatment by charitable organizations,” says Mrs. Shafiroff.
Notable attendees included: Jean Shafiroff, Alan Lieberman, Diane Lieberman, Lee Fryd, real estate developer Jonathan Fryd, Karen Fryd, Eric Demarchelier, Catherine Demarchelier, Catherine Rodstein, Missy Hargraves, Cydni Duran, Joe Swedroe, Jack Acoco, Ruth Miller, Joyce Moore, Lisa Konsker, Randi Schatz, Sir Ivan Wilzig, Svetlana Nevodtchikova, Steve Knobel, Nicole Noonan, Marie-Claire Gladstone, Kevin Berlin, Tiffany Masters, Mark Henkin, Julie Lamb and Barbara Agozzino.
Mrs. Shafiroff felt that Art Basel Miami was the perfect event to draw attention to the role art can play in healing, and to bring the issue to the forefront of the minds of the influential art dealers, artists, exhibitors, and attendees. Mrs. Shafiroff suggested exploring how future art fairs might contribute in some way to local charities in the Miami area, an idea that Karen Fryd shares. In honor of the event, Mrs. Shafiroff will make a donation The South Florida Youth Foundation, founded and directed by Karen Fryd.
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Joyce Moore, Eric Demarchelier, and Catherine Demarchelier. (Photo: Jared Siskin/PMC) |
The South Florida Youth Foundation (SFYF) began by providing educational supplies to the neediest schools in Miami’s inner-city. This engagement grew by building relationships with the City of Miami Police Department and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Through concerned teachers and officers, the organization’s director, Karen Fryd, has been able to understand and engage with the poorest pockets of poverty. This has enabled an involvement for twenty years to directly address challenged situations in a grass-roots manner and getting quick results.
Projects have included: funding programs for disabled children, school supply drives, tickets to the arts, providing food for senior citizens, programs to incentivize better grades in school, assisting youth in attending college, programs to assist foster children, planting gardens, sponsoring music programs, prom programs, helping to create “The Shop” (a store where everything is free for students), opening a school library, and assisting in direct needs such as helping with electric bills and paying for hotels for families as they await placement in shelters, among others. All money donated to the SFYF goes directly to needs; not one dollar is spent on overhead.
The mission of The South Florida Youth Foundation: To help children achieve their fullest potential through education and to help break the cycle of poverty.
