Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education celebrated Fiesta!

And what a fabulous evening it was! The Plaza Hotel buzzed with the most impeccably dressed attendees of the fall New York society season. The most generous benefactors celebrated Fiesta! Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, with Chairs Jackie Weld Drake, Jean Shafiroff, and HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, guests danced into the night to music by Bob Hardwick Sound.

Gracious guests celebrated the organization’s 92nd anniversary with a sold-out, packed house culminating in an evening with the highest-grossing in Casita Maria’s history. The event honored society artist, philanthropist, and dedicated American landmark preservationist Hunt Slonem and philanthropist Sonia Gutt de Haime.  Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas received the Jackie Weld Drake Living Legend Award. Drake was supported by her three sisters, Estrellita Brodsky, Martha Bograd, and Mercedes Levin, who were all in the audience. 

“Kids have come to us from underserved communities, with limited vocabulary and opportunities. Your support here helps us improve the quality of life for countless children, adults, and their families.” Jackie Weld Drake

 “For 33,790 days, Casita Maria has been the heartbeat of East Harlem and South Bronx, a home for dreamers, doers, and storytellers. Our mission is to enrich and help elevate the lives of those we serve so that they may have a fighting chance of realizing the American Dream.” Added  Executive Director Felix Urrutia.

It was an exemplary New York evening–of what society and charity events should be with The Plaza architecture of Châteauesque style by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh a beautiful ballroom filled with familiar faces, lite bites and overflowing Champagne. 

Jean Shafiroff, who hosted the donor reception the previous week, wore a Malan Breton turquoise ballgown, and in true Fiesta! Fashion. Oh my!

“I am proud to announce that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund just committed $100,000 to Casita Maria, a number I challenge us to match tonight,” said Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas, Casita Maria’s longtime Vice Chair. 

Rodriguez-Cubeñas challenge was met with enthusiasm, fueling the evening’s lively paddle raise led by Paul Florez. Over $200,000 was raised on the spot! 

Recognized for his abstract and effervescent paintings of bunnies and butterflies, Slonem was celebrated for the creativity he shares with Casita Maria’s mission. Slonem has work displayed at The Met, Guggenheim, Whitney, and more. Again, Slonem is also a philanthropist and a dedicated American landmark preservationist, treating endangered architectural treasures as grand, living art installations. Totally off topic but completely worth mentioning, landmarks include: Madewood Mansion, Napoleonville, LA;  Lakeside & Albania Plantations, LA; , Searles Castle, Great Barrington, MA;  Searles Castle, Great Barrington, MA;  Watres Armory, Scranton, PA; Belle Terre, South Kortright, NY; and Charles Sumner Woolworth Mansion, Scranton, PA;  and lastly Cordts Mansion in Kingston, NY. Each is filled with art, and complete and total whimsy. A work I infrequently use. These buildings would have all gone on to decay without the help of Hunt Slonem. Please go down the rabbit hole of these most wondrous ginormous- (yes, an informal adjective is necessary here…) landmarks. Back to Casita Maria….

“For 98 years you have touched the lives of so many. You have taught us how to love, how to give, how to persevere, and how to live a life of purpose,” said Daniel Haime Gutt, presenting the award to his mother, Sonia Gutt de Haime,  was surrounded by her entire family. A respected philanthropist involved in healthcare, education, and the arts, she has long been part of New York’s art world and a devout supporter of Casita Maria. 

Fiesta! has a history all its own. Over the years, the celebration has honored a remarkable roster of artists, designers, performers, philanthropists, and cultural figures, including Audrey Hepburn, Margot Fonteyn, Oscar de la Renta, Paloma Picasso, Gloria Estefan, Mary McFadden, and Baz Luhrmann. 

Guests included Board Members George Corton, Alberto Mariaca, Patrick Moran, Gautam Patel, Darlyn Portes, and Thomas Quick, as well as Casita Maria’s Executive Director Felix Urrutia and Artistic Director Gail Heidel. Further guests included Frederick Anderson, Martha Bograd, Jimmy Borynak, Halim Bulos, Gabriel Rivera Barraza, Estrellita and Daniel Brodsky, Sharon Bush, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, Fe and Alessandro Fendi, Gloria and Carey Fieldcamp, Sissi Fleitas, Roberta Houghton, Kamie Lightburn, Alicia Lubowski-Jahn, Elizabeth Meigher, Juan Montoya, Lauren Day Roberts, Victor Roquette, Marc Rosen, Mary Snow, Adrienne and Gigi Vittadini, Saundra Whitney, Hal Witt, and Adolfo Zaralegui.

Founded in 1934, Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education is the first charitable organization to serve the Latino community in New York City, with a nearly century-long legacy of strengthening children, families, and communities through arts and education. Based in the South Bronx, Casita Maria provides free, high-quality arts and education programs for young people, including academic support, arts training, paid teen apprenticeships, career readiness, and preparation for college and the workforce. For generations, the organization has served as a vital cultural and educational home for the community, nurturing artists, leaders, and changemakers. Its programs celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Bronx while giving young people the tools and opportunities to learn, create, and thrive. Today, Casita Maria continues its founding mission of using the transformative power of the arts and education to build a more vibrant and equitable future. For further information https://www.casitamaria.org/ 

Article by Rolise Rachel

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