Aperture Celebrates Ethan James Green at the 2019 Spring Party: Young New York
On Friday, April 5, Aperture celebrated Ethan James Green and the release of his first monograph, Young New York, at a festive party at the Paradise Club presented by The Times Square EDITION in New York City. The night featured specialty cocktails, a creative feast, and a performance by the House of Yes, based on William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.
Aperture Executive Director Chris Boot toasted Green, stating: “A book can change an artist’s life, and can contribute in a significant way to culture and consciousness.” Boot extended thanks to Green and to his community, as well as to the book’s supporters, including Alexander McQueen, Peter Barbur, Michael Hoeh, Cathy Kaplan, Noel Kirnon, Fred Ohm, Missy and Jim O’Shaughnessy, and Drs. Stephen and Marsha Silberstein.
Young New York editor Brendan Embser spoke about the impact of Green’s work. “You’ve shown queer people that we are beautiful, that we exist,” Embser said, noting that the book grew out of Green’s portfolio in Aperture magazine’s “Future Gender” issue, guest-edited by Zackary Drucker. “I wish I had a book like this when I was a teenager. But I can just imagine all the queer youth out there who are going to find Young New York and suddenly see themselves.”
“Your work makes what we believe about ourselves become real,” remarked Spring Party cohost and model Dara Allen, who is featured in multiple portraits in Young New York. Torraine Futurum added that Green is “someone who, as he rises, brings people along with him, and tries to give them the same opportunities that he has.”
The House of Yes gave an energetic show for dinner guests, followed by an after-party with music by DJ Greg Poole (Homecoming), and a performance by Brooklyn-based multimedia artist Martine Gutierrez. Guests were decked out in colorful and show-stopping ensembles. In attendance were Great Bowery’s Leslie Simitch and Jordan Hancock, W magazine’s Stefano Tonchi, Vogue’s Phyllis Posnick, artist Erwin Olaf, supermodel Alek Wek, artist and model Tali Lennox, artist Carly Mark, writer and activist Adam Eli, Richie Shazam Khan, artist Ryan McNamara, and critic Antwaun Sargent.
Green’s brother, Joel Green, said: “As an older brother, it might be strange, but this feels like a hero moment for me. Ethan is someone who embodies the essence of hard work, who has overcome so many obstacles, to get to a point where he can fully express himself, and who he is, and what he can give to the world.”
The event was photographed by Jessica Craig-Martin and BFA.
The 2019 Aperture Spring Party was made possible with generous support from:
Sponsors
The Times Square EDITION
Great Bowery
Cohosts
Dara Allen, Adam Eli, Torraine Futurum, Meghan Michelle Gallagher,* Great Bowery, Sarah F. Haimes,* Jordan Hancock, Parker Kit Hill, Michael Hoeh, Cathy M. Kaplan, Joshua Lewin and Kaavya Viswanathan,* Sam Pritzker,* Lisa Rosenblum, Thomas R. Schiff, Stefano Tonchi, Alek Wek
Spring Party Committee
Anonymous, Peter Barbur and Tim Doody, Audry X. Casusol, Allan Chapin and Anna Rachminov, Jessica Craig-Martin, Elizabeth Ann Kahane, Hemant Kanakia and Sonalde Desai, Richie Shazam Khan, Tali Lennox, Andrew E. Lewin, Carly Mark, Nion McEvoy, Ryan McNamara, Paula Naughton, Erwin Olaf, Melissa and James O’Shaughnessy, Phyllis Posnick, Michael Schulman, Jasper Soloff, Lisa Stone Pritzker, Julia Wagner, Paul Zaentz, Zsela
*Aperture Connect Council Member
Partners
BFA
Mikkeller Brewing NYC
Click here to purchase Young New York.
