Ed Sappin | Philanthropy & Community

Giving & Volunteering

Spring is Here and the Art World is Blooming

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It is spring in New York and the museum and art worlds are busy with events, fundraisers and auctions. My wife Yanhua and I were fortunate to take part in The Rubin Museum’s annual spring series Brainwave. Emotion is the theme this year and we had an interesting afternoon with Bob Mankoff of the New Yorker and neuroscientist Scott Weems exploring laughter. What makes people laugh and how does the brain process it?

We also were able to attend several events around Asia Week New York at the Rubin and at Christie’s. The opening of the auction at Christie’s included a number of beautiful pieces. My favorite was the head of an unnamed bodhisattva from Indonesia (below),

Ed Sappin philanthropy

while my wife Yanhua preferred a statue of Guanyin, the Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattva. I guess we were both looking for guides on our path to enlightenment.

Ed Sappin philanthropy

I was sad to miss the Armory Show but one of my favorite events, the AIPAD show, is coming up in a few weeks. It is the pre-eminent photography show in New York and brings together some of the best galleries in the world. I am looking forward to seeing the new works from husband and wife duo Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison who are presented by the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago.

On the volunteer front, I’ve been hard at work on a new civic venture to create family wage jobs for an underserved population in New York City. More to come on this in future blog posts.

Michael Dadap Performs Tonight!

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michael dadap Filipino guitarist, composer, and conductor

Michael Dadap – Filipino Guitarist, Composer, & Conductor.

If you find yourself looking for something to do tonight, Friday, November 13th, please consider a free performance by Filipino virtuoso guitarist, Michael Dadap. Event details are as follows:

November 13th,  2015
6:30pm – 8:30pm (Performance is in 2 parts: 6:30-7:15 & 7:45-8:30)

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021

*Free admission. First come, first served.

If you have had the pleasure of seeing Michael Dadap in a live setting, then you understand why I am sharing this event. Everyone should jump at the opportunity to see a musician of Dadap’s caliber play here in New York City – especially with free admission.

For those who are unfamiliar, Michael Dadap is quite the virtuoso on guitar. A few seconds into any performance and you will be mesmerized by the mastery of his craft. Dadap performs a collection of pieces, including original works and other arrangements by Filipino composers. Dadap is dedicated to his mission of promoting Filipino music and culture, and sharing an experience with his audiences.

Check out this live performance of Michael Dadap performing at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with Florante Aguilar.

For more information about tonight’s event, visit the Asia Society event page.

August Asia Society Events

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Asia Society logoSeveral Asia Society events will be hosted this August here in New York City. I highly recommend taking advantage of these great opportunities. Find more details at the Asia Society site.

August 11th, 2015
6:30pm – 8:40pm

Film: Korean Movie Night New York presents, Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island. The film will be shown at:

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at East 70 Street)
New York, NY

*Free admission. First-come, first-served. Line forms at 5:30 pm. Tickets are distributed at 6:00 pm. One ticket per person only.

Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island is a sequel to Detective K: Secret of the Virtuous Widow. The film is set in the 18th century and is an entertaining action-comedy that follows Detective Kim Min and his many adventures. In this sequel, Detective Min is investigating the influx of counterfeit silver threatening to destabilize the Joseon dynasty.

See the trailer below.

August 20th, 2015
6:30pm – 8:15pm

Film: People’s Park. Cinema on the Edge: the Best of the Beijing Independent Film Festival 2012-2014. Stay afterwards for a post-screening Q&A with director J.P. Sniadecki. The film will be shown at:

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY

*$8 members; $10 students/seniors; $12 nonmembers

Created by 2 young American directors, this documentary was shot in the People’s Park, Chengdu, Sichuan in one single 75 minute take. The film captures the fullness of Chinese urban leisure life, panning side to side and catching hundreds of urbanites out for fun, relaxation, socializing, and enjoying the simple things – eating, singing, practicing calligraphy, and simply living. What starts as watching transforms to dancing, as the film slowly gathers an ecstatic, trance-like groove, building to a rapturous climax, as people, movement, music, image, and sound mix together.

August 24th, 2015
6:30pm – 9:15pm

Film: The Dossier. Cinema on the Edge: the Best of the Beijing Independent Film Festival 2012-2014. Stay afterwards for a post-screening Q&A with director Zhu Rikun and Robert Barnett, Columbia University. The film will be shown at:

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY

*$8 members; $10 students/seniors; $12 nonmembers

In this documentary, Chinese filmmaker Zhu Rikun explores Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser. Woeser, now based in Beijing, has become one of the most eloquent voices on Tibet through her writing and online presence. Zhu’s sharply designed, formally innovative documentary unfolds completely in Woeser’s own voice: Zhu alternates formally photographed scenes of the writer reading excerpts from her secret government “dossier” (to which she has somehow gained access) with scenes of her speaking in her own soft but passionate voice. Woeser’s moving account of her political awakening and current activism makes for a powerful document of a Tibetan woman finding her voice and insisting on her freedom to use it.