New York Academy of Art Hosts Annual Drawing Party on Shelter Island

Naomi Watts, Donna Karan, and Candace Bushnell were among the guests who gathered at The Pridwin Hotel for the special event

August 10, 2023

Naomi Watts. Photo: BFA

Artists have long been in enthralled by the magical light in the Hamptons. Last Thursday was no exception, as the New York Academy of Art (NYAA) hosted its annual Drawing Party at The Pridwin Hotel on Shelter Island. Artists and supporters of the arts gathered on the lawn to take up their easels and work from the live models. NYAA President David Kratz and NYAA Board Chair Eileen Guggenheim were on hand encouraging partygoers to try their hand at portraits.

Hosted by Curtis Bashaw and Will Riccio, Alissa Friedman and Glenn Petry, Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy, and Joey Wölffer and Max Rohn and sponsored by The Pridwin Hotel, Galerie magazine, and Wölffer Estate Vineyard, the event benefits the TriBeCa art school. The final portraits reflected a range of artistic styles, color choices, and skill levels—and were certainly the topic of lively conversation—but perhaps nothing was quite as captivating as the sun set over the water casting a rosy glow on guests including Galerie’s own Lisa Fayne Cohen and her husband James, as well as Naomi Watts, Donna Karan, Candace Bushnell, Joseph Altuzarra, and more.

See more photos below.