Hunt Slonem to be honored at Casita Maria’s Fiesta 2026

Artist Hunt Slonem will be honored at Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education’s Fiesta 2026 at The Plaza in New York, alongside Sonia Gutt de Haime and Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas. The gala highlights the organization’s 92-year mission to support children and families in the South Bronx and East Harlem through arts and education.

Why it matters: - Casita Maria’s Fiesta 2026 is a fundraising and visibility moment for an organization that has supported youth, families and communities since 1934. - The event links New York’s arts and philanthropy circles with Casita Maria’s free programming for children from kindergarten through middle school. - The honor for Hunt Slonem also underscores how established artists can help spotlight access to creativity for the next generation.

What happened: - Hunt Slonem will be honored at Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education’s Fiesta 2026 this October at The Plaza ballroom in New York. - Sonia Gutt de Haime will also be honored at the gala. - Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas, vice chairman of Casita Maria’s board of directors, will receive the Jackie Weld Drake Living Legend Award. - The black-tie evening will include cocktails, dinner and music by Bob Hardwick Sound.

The details: - Casita Maria was founded in East Harlem in 1934 and is now based in the South Bronx. - The organization offers free educational programming that combines arts instruction, academic assistance and youth development. - Casita Maria serves young people from kindergarten through middle school. - Fiesta 2026 marks Casita Maria’s 92nd anniversary. - The evening is chaired by Jacqueline Weld Drake, HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia and Jean Shafiroff. - Fiesta Dinner Chairmen are George Corton, Sissi Isabel Fleitas-Refaie, Norah Haime and Mary Snow. - The broader leadership roster includes Santiago Calatrava, Carolina Herrera, Wes Gordon, Julio Larraz, Juan Montoya, Daisy Soros and Lynn Wyatt. - Hunt Slonem is known for neo-expressionist works featuring bunnies, butterflies and tropical birds. - Slonem’s work is represented in the permanent collections of about 250 museums worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Between the lines: - Casita Maria is using its gala to reinforce a long-running model: cultural prestige can help sustain youth arts and education programs. - Slonem’s recognition fits the event’s emphasis on art as both a collectible market and a public good. - The honorees and leadership list shows the gala’s draw across art, fashion, design and philanthropy.

What’s next: - Fiesta 2026 will bring supporters together at The Plaza for the gala program, dinner and musical performance. - Casita Maria will continue its work in the South Bronx and East Harlem after the event. - More information is available at Hunt Slonem’s website.

The bottom line: - Fiesta 2026 is both a celebration of Hunt Slonem and a reminder that arts philanthropy can directly support creative opportunity for children in New York.