New York, NY – April 10, 2019 – On Sunday April 7, COA successfully held its 2019 Charity Gala and Auction “Spring Rhapsody” at the Bay Room in the financial district. The Gala included both silent and live auction segments, featuring eight artists from China and the US, representing both established powerhouses as well as rising stars worthy of the Big Apple.

Lilly Yu, Founder of COA Foundation, Cathy Hu, President of COA Foundation, along with vice president and art director Liang Hai celebrated the night’s success in a champagne toast alongside committee members.

“We are happy with how Spring Rhapsody turned out!” said Hu, “New York is one of the major art centers of the world, and we are blessed to have the support of so many friends and artists. Not only was the show itself a success, we are more excited about the number of people that resonated with the core mission and values of the COA Foundation and willing to support the work that we do on a daily basis.”

The Gala is particularly proud to have Mr. Xin Zhou, co-founder of E-House (China) Holdings limited, deliver the opening speech. E-House is a leading publicly listed real estate company with operations in 32 cities with sales in the order of hundreds of billions of yuan per year, one that is transforming the Chinese real estate landscape. During his speech, Mr. Zhou acknowledged the great work COA Foundation has been doing over the years and encouraged the Foundation to continue expanding its programs all over the East Coast.

Owing to different backgrounds and genres of the artists, the pieces had a wide range in forms, mediums and themes, from traditional Chinese paintings to contemporary abstract expressionism, from ink drawings to ceramic sculptures. Drawing upon her extensive experience in curating and designing interdisciplinary projects and events in Europe, China, and North America, Art Director Liang Hai had to work ceaselessly to bring together a visual smorgasbord that was not only coherent but harmonious.

We have specially honored to have the attendance of artist Michael Eade, who has collaborated with Hermes and designed a special installation for the Madison Ave Store of Hermes in New York. The fact that his works appear in public and corporate collections including Harvard Business School, AT&T, and the Library of Congress Permanent Collection is a further testament to his importance in the American art world.

COA Foundation also had the presence of ceramic artist Renqian Yang, who has taught at Syracuse University. Yang works reflect the trace of light, clay, water and mountain in nature. The mixing and the flow of colors look like flowers struggle out from gaps on concrete.

The Gala also included several excellent Chinese artists. Zongzhou Wang’s oil paintings depict the customs of the ethnic minority areas in China. The images that are constituted by a variety of intense colors gives his paintings a passionate, simple and simple power. Shaonong Wang, the creator of Chinese Grass Linen painting also presented one of his Chinese grass linen river landscapes, sharing with the audience a classic aspect of Chinese painting with the most traditional materials.

Jie Xu, whose pieces can be found in five-star hotels all across China, has provided two works from her oil painting series “Chinese Boys and Girls”. Her works depict Chinese boys and girls in rich and warm colors. The curiosity, liveliness and innocence of young life are thoroughly reflected, thus expresses the joyful and satisfying emotions of the characters in her works.

Among the new and creative artists, COA Foundation is featuring Chenlin Cai, who has combined his traditional training as a classical artist and his unorthodox use of paint on non-traditional materials to create a unique distinctive painting style which is quickly being noticed by critics and collectors alike.

This year, COA Foundation is pleased to present the work of Margaret Yang, who at six years old has already taken the Chinese art world by storm with a unique style which demonstrates a maturity far beyond her years. Having been trained by Chinese legends Zhuang Tianming and Wu Shan, she is poised to become an artistic master of her own right. The Standing Committee of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference praised her as a “virtuoso of painting”. The works not only excel in grasping the characteristics of objects, but also had an amazing sense of how brushwork affects the overall composition of a painting.

The COA Gala also featured a silent auction session where more than a dozen pieces of artworks were auctioned, featuring special art pieces from Tao Jiang and his son Edward Jiang; Edward says himself, “I am a boy who loves athletics and music, but my father said that my work gives people a feeling of peace and ease. The contrast between this work and the other things I like to do makes me feel that the artistic charm is unlimited.”

Other artists like who are participating in the auction also depicted their feelings and interpretation for life and vitality with their own artistic expression techniques. Their themes focus on the changes of the times, and the beauty of the landscape, to commonly praise the vitality of spring.

“It’s exciting to collect these the works of these prominent artists – and more exciting to watch how these works were celebrated during the event,” Liang Hai said. “The artworks selected may all look different, but they share the same hidden meanings – to capture, to depict and interpret life, and to compose a spring rhapsody and present the energetic and pleasant power of spring.”

To make the event one not of just sight but of all the senses, COA Foundation included performances of flute, guitar, and dance throughout the night for the enjoyment of the guests.

As a non-profit organization, COA Foundation also received a plethora of support from other NGO groups, “We truly appreciate the support from US-China Overseas Students and Scholars Alliance Inc. and Philadelphia Chinses American Women’s Sisterhood Society of Philadelphia,” said Cathy Hu. “We are hoping to bring more American and Chinese non-profit organizations, philanthropists and media platforms together to take COA Foundation to the next level and be a lighthouse for the thousands of Chinese-speaking immigrants on the East Coast.”

The event could not have been as successful without the help of its teen volunteers – Terry Tao, Tina Zhang, Vanessa Huang, Rain Li and Jack Chen, who devoted countless hours to the event despite their young age.

“I started volunteering in COA two years ago when I was in high school, I am glad I can continue to serve in COA to provide better English language resources and cultural understanding to many immigrants,” Vanessa Huang said.

Gala proceeds will support the continued operation of the COA Foundation, which since 2015 has helped thousands of new immigrants acclimatize to America with language and cultural classes. COA Foundation has also amassed a network of hundreds of Chinese volunteers that regularly hold online and offline activities.

COA’s Gala was also the first party of its kind in New York City. It was a resounding success, indicative of the amount of support COA Foundation has been able to garner not just from artists, sponsors and institutions in New York, but all around the world. It set the standard for fund-raising events and has since been the traditional opener of the social and theatrical season in New York City.

“So it’s fitting that we pull out all the stops,” Lilly Yu said at the conclusion of the gala, raising her glass in a toast. “To ‘Spring Rhapsody’ — the best party ever — and to all the winners!”

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