Sarah was immersed in the arts from a young age by her grandparents, visionary philanthropists Ted and Lin Arison, who founded Arison Arts Foundation, YoungArts, and the New World Symphony, among their many philanthropic endeavors.
Arison is active across a broad cross-section of national arts organizations. She is President of the Board of the Museum of Modern Art, and Chair of the Board of YoungArts; she serves on the boards of MoMA PS1, American Ballet Theatre, The Kitchen and Aspen Art Museum; she is a trustee of Lincoln Center, New World Symphony and Serpentine Americas Foundation.
Arison has also ventured into film producing, supporting projects that shed light on lesser known aspects of the arts.
I am SO thrilled to see all of the collaboration between cultural institutions going on now! Rather than operating in silos, organizations are reaching out to those with similar missions and ethos and looking for synergy- this is beneficial not just for the organizations, as sharing resources is so vital in a time when resources are so limited, but also for the artists as we’re creating an ecosystem of support.
Buy what you love- what you want to see on your wall every day. My least favorite question is, “so what should I buy that will increase in value in the next couple of years?” First of all- there are no guarantees… second of all, art is about passion and creativity- what moves you? Get to know the artists- the people behind the work- invest in them and support them!
I hate “trends”.... As I said before- buy what you want to live with every day. I am seeing a lot of ceramics now which I LOVE, and as soon as my 2yr old gets past the stage of breaking everything she can, I will be diving into collecting ceramics!
Honestly, I think the simple act of showing up is huge. When I moved to NYC, I just started showing up- for artists, for friends, for institutions... I was really dedicated to getting to know all of the different organizations, the work they were doing, and the people who were involved. Over the past 20 years I feel like I have seen so much and met so many people, and that's why I'm able to do the work that I do- because I've spent half of my life showing up and getting to see everything possible and meet everyone possible. I am so lucky to be able to be a part of this incredible community, and now that I have a lot less time due to my two little ones, I’m so grateful that everyone has been so understanding about the fact that I can't always be there these days.
I mean the ultimate woman is Aggie Gund. There is no one who has changed the field more, impacted the lives of artists more, cared more, and created more of a lasting legacy. I’m so lucky that she’s been a mentor to me for most of my life. As far as peers, Michi Jigarjian is an absolute powerhouse and inspiration every day. Being able to serve with her on multiple boards is so amazing, and I learn from her every day- as a mom and in my career.
My community. We are living in difficult and dark times… and it is very easy to be disappointed and dejected every day. However… I look at the incredible people around me who are working every day to make the world a better place, and I have hope!
As I said, I don’t love trends… but I do feel like there’s more of an emphasis on self-care and recognizing the insane burden that women carry every day- in life, in their careers, as moms… I only hope that at some point our country and our culture reaches a point where women are supported in all the ways they should be.
My all-time favorite book is “The Hare With the Amber Eyes” by Edmund de Waal. As the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, I think it’s so important for these stories to survive, but also it’s so interwoven with art- it’s a memoir, a detective story, a history book… and Edmund’s art is extraordinary as well!
