(Bloomberg) -- Another sign of peak Brooklyn? Try the high count of Goldman Sachs partners at back-to-back galas for the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).
Goldman co-President Harvey Schwartz dined opposite Tim Ingrassia, co-chairman of global M&A, Tuesday night on the stage of BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House in the Fort Greene neighborhood before moving to the Harvey Theater, where Isabella Rossellini read from Walt Whitman's poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (not as exciting as when she performed “Green Porno” at BAM, about the sex lives of insects).
Dinner at BAM
Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz
It was Ingrassia's second night out. Monday, at the Brooklyn Museum's Beaux-Arts building near Prospect Park, he sat down for dinner in the same room with Lenny Kravitz to see Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz honored. Also attending: Goldmanites John Waldron, co-head of investment banking, and Kathy Elsesser, co-head of the consumer retail group.
Harvey Schwartz and Anne Hubbard
It's not extraordinary for lots of Goldmanites and other finance folks and to wind up at a benefit in New York City, but the cross-section in Brooklyn the past two nights (including Goldman alum Alicia Glen, New York City deputy mayor for housing and economic development) is just one indicator that Brooklyn institutions are in the game, vying with Manhattan to court these desirable patrons.
Artist Steve Powers, center, with Daniel and Tania Swasbrook
Some get involved because they live in Brooklyn, like Ingrassia, Elsesser and UBS's Daniel Swasbrook. Others see reasons to venture from Manhattan, like Schwartz, whose partner, actress Anne Hubbard, is on BAM's board, and Waldron, whose wife, Amanda, is on the Brooklyn Museum board. Also, parties in Brooklyn may be more fun.
Tim and Stephanie Ingrassia
“When I go to a gala in Manhattan, it feels like work,” Ingrassia said in the museum's atrium, standing next to his wife, Stephanie, a vice chair at the museum. “Brooklyn only has a few great institutions, and everyone who's here wants to support them. There are so many great things in Manhattan. How many great museums are in Brooklyn?”
Ed Gray and Kathy Elsesser
It couldn't hurt to support the borough where CEO Lloyd Blankfein grew up either, right? Ingrassia, on the BAM Endowment Trust's board, and Elsesser, on the boards of Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the Brooklyn Children's Museum, are among a growing group of Brooklyn residents who work in finance and find rewards in local philanthropy. They say their community feels lighter, less formal, and more loyal, authentic and accessible than Manhattan.
And maybe more progressive. Artist Marilyn Minter pointed out the Brooklyn Museum is developing an “anger management” section of its gift shop featuring “resist” products.
“In Manhattan, it's more about prestige; in Brooklyn, it's more about mission,” said Anne Pasternak, director of the Brooklyn Museum. “There's a strong connection between art and community.”
Eva Franch and Anne Pasternak
A lot has changed since the Brooklyn Museum and BAM were founded in the 19th century. As Manhattan has become more expensive and commercial, Brooklyn has seen an influx of immigrants, hipsters, techies, artists and townhouse-gutting financiers, not to mention high-end restaurants and bars.
Brooklyn's boards may not go “toe to toe” with Manhattan's -- yet -- but they do have a “cool factor” working for them, said Karen Brooks Hopkins, a senior fellow at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, who was BAM's president for 16 years.
Amanda and John Waldron
“People recognize Brooklyn for what it is now: this incredible borough of creativity and diversity,” said Stephanie Ingrassia. When she joined the Brooklyn Museum board 17 years ago, “there weren't a lot of Goldman people involved. People wouldn't come over the bridge. Now, we're the place where people want to be. Tonight, I have a table of half bankers and half artists.”
Alan Fishman with grandsons
Alan Fishman is the banker-philanthropist who paved the way, a story told as he was honored at the BAM gala. Fishman grew up in Brooklyn and returned to raise his family there. When he became CEO of Brooklyn-based Independence Community Bank, his commitment to the borough increased. He joined BAM's board 30 years ago and recently stepped down as chairman after 14 years. He's had a significant hand in Brooklyn's renaissance, helping to make BAM a hub for artists, a draw for shoppers and diners, and a spark for real estate development.
So much has changed that the next generation of leaders see their job as making sure peak Brooklyn doesn't spoil the borough. Advocating for local retailers rather than chains and expanding BAM into some of the new towers going up nearby are part of the strategy.
Adam Max and Tom Finkelpearl, NYC Commissioner of Cultural Affairs
“The community we're serving is evolving, and we're trying to figure that out,” said Adam Max, Fishman's successor as chairman.
Max, a managing partner of Jordan Co., lives in Manhattan and traces his love of BAM back to the subscription he and his wife received as a wedding present 32 years ago. At BAM events he usually wears a bow tie -- last night's, made of feathers, was sourced by actress Phoebe Cates and his wife.
“It goes with the exotic feel of the place,” he said.
“He's a Brooklyn wannabe,” Hopkins said.
BAM raised $2.9 million at its gala, and the Brooklyn Museum brought in more than $1.7 million.
To contact the reporter on this story: Amanda Gordon in New York at agordon01@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Eichenbaum at peichenbaum@bloomberg.net, Keith Campbell, Steven Crabill
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