Morris Arts Announces Great Conversationalists for Virtual Gala
Published on March 15, 2021
Join Morris Arts’ Great Conversations from Home for an uplifting, inspiring and intriguing event where guests have conversations with extraordinary and accomplished hosts from the arts, sciences, healthcare, entertainment, business, media, and more.
Register early to join your favorite conversationalist's table. This year's event will be held virtually, on April 29 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
L-R: Willie Cole - contemporary American sculptor and artist; Nicole Bennett - CEO of Pethealth, Inc.; Mark Rivera, longtime saxophonist for Billy Joel; David Burke, celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author; Daniel Varga, M.D., Chief Physician Executive at Hackensack Meridian Health; and George Philander, PhD - renowned climate scientist and El Niño expert; Knox Taylor Professor Emeritus of geosciences at Princeton.
Spend an evening exploring questions with hosts ranging from a celebrity chef/cookbook author, an internationally renowned climate scientist, the longtime saxophonist for Billy Joel, the Chief Physician Executive of a major health/hospital group, a former TV news anchor, a best-selling author, an acclaimed sculptor/conceptual artist, or any of the other similarly talented, distinguished and fascinating leaders and innovators.
Find out what is it like to share a stage with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Billy Joel or Bruce Springsteen, or how to create powerful sculptures entirely from women’s shoes. Listen to ideas on how “useless knowledge,” a.k.a. basic research, can lead to critical discoveries. Can examining climate change lead STEM students to appreciate the natural world more deeply? What’s the best way to handle “crisis communications” amidst chaotic and fast moving situations?
Hear what is it like to manage the Covid-19 crisis at a major hospital system, or help hospital staff handle the mental health issues of treating patients during the pandemic. Where does one start to recover and rebuild after natural catastrophes – and what is the social responsibility of government and business at such times? How does one become a celebrity chef?
L-R: John Siegenthaler - former anchor for NBC Nightly News and MSNBC; Ruth Clements - VP/GM of Infectious Disease & Immunology at Quest Diagnostics; David Stanchak - President, Chief Real Estate & Development Officer at RH (Restoration Hardware); Nancy Pak - CEO of Tate’s Bake Shop; Ann Berry - Chief Investment Officer at Wheelhouse; and Richard Constable – EVP, Global Head of Government Affairs & Social Impact at Madison Square Garden Entertainment.
Each “table” will feature a host Conversationalist whose unique experiences, life story and achievements will catalyze intriguing conversations. You may be surprised by what you discover at this truly memorable event.
How will it work? When registering, each guest selects their top five Conversationalist choices. Virtual table assignments are made on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets are now available -- and going fast -- for this special event. Visit http://www.morrisarts.org to find out more about each of the host conversationalists and to purchase tickets for this special event. For more information please email Gina Moran at [email protected].
Proceeds from Great Conversations help to support the many programs and services provided by Morris Arts. Often accomplished “behind the scenes,” Morris Arts’ work serves hundreds of thousands of people each year – with arts in education programs, arts programming in the community, grants, scholarships, advocacy, creative placemaking events and support for artists and arts organizations. These efforts are critical to enriching and improving the quality of life in the broader community. Join us from the comfort of your couch and savor the art of conversation, “meet” some extraordinary individuals and help a truly worthy organization give back to the community.
DATE: Thursday, April 29, 2021
TIME: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
PLACE: Your computer screen
TICKETS: $125 if purchased by 4/11/21; $150 thereafter
CONTACT: Gina Moran at [email protected]
Morris Arts gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our corporate sponsors:
ENCORE: Crum & Forster; Hackensack Meridian Health; MCM Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley; NJ Advance Media providing services for NJ.com & The Star-Ledger; NJ PBS; ROI-NJ
GREEN ROOM: Delta Dental of New Jersey
OVATION: Finn Partners; Mondelēz International; Quest Diagnostics
APPLAUSE: BASF; Bridge Development Partners; Celebrity Motor Cars, LLC; Delta Dental of New Jersey; MetLife; Morristown Medical Center; NK Architects; Pfizer; RH (Restoration Hardware)
STAR: PwC; Riker Danzig; Senlac Ridge Partners; Sherman Wells Sylvester & Stamelman
Morris Arts, located in Morristown, NJ, is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1973 dedicated to building community through the arts. Using the arts to inspire, connect and engage, Morris Arts serves as a resource for Morris County with a special focus on arts programming in the schools and in the community, arts advocacy, creative placemaking and support of the Morris Area community of artists and arts organizations