Fil-Am Maria Torres Springer honored at New Yorkers for Culture & Arts Gala
New Yorkers for Culture & Arts will present its 5th Annual Awards Gala on Thursday, June 11, 2026, 6:00-9:00PM, at Mabou Mines on 150 First Avenue in New York City. Filipino American Maria Torres Springer is among the honorees.
This once-a-year gathering of artists, elected leaders, educators, and cultural leaders will be filled with live performances by amazing artists, cocktails, delicious bites, a LIVE DJ, and the presentation of the NY4CA annual awards.
This year’s Awardees include:
2026 Culture Hero Award: Maria Torres-Springer, Former First Deputy Mayor of New York City, and president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation
2026 Artist Advocate Award: Camille A. Brown, Five-time Tony nominated director and choreographer
2026 Cultural Stewardship Award: Maurine Knighton, Chief program officer at the Doris Duke Foundation
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from New Yorkers for Culture & Arts. Arts and culture are at the heart of what makes New York such a vibrant and inspiring place. They bring people together, strengthen communities, fuel creativity, and help tell the story of who we are,” said Torres Springer.
Throughout my career in public service, I have seen the powerful role that artists and cultural organizations play in the life of our city. I am grateful to NY4CA for its leadership and for its steadfast support of New York’s cultural community.”
“We are thrilled to be presenting much deserved awards to these extraordinary leaders. Our interconnected cultural ecosystem depends on the work of artists and visionary leaders working in government and philanthropy---perfectly exemplified by this year’s awardees,” said Lucy Sexton, President of NY4CA.
Maria Torres-Springer is a nationally recognized civic and urban policy leader with over 25 years of experience driving large-scale organizational transformation at the intersection of government, business, and philanthropy. She is President of the Charles H. Revson Foundation.
Maria formerly served as New York City’s First Deputy Mayor where she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the City of New York and had strategic and budgetary oversight of a 300,000+ public sector workforce and an annual $110 billion budget.
Maria’s distinguished record of public service across four Mayoral administrations includes serving as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, President and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, and as Co-Chair of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Transition Team.
Previously, Maria also served as Vice President for US Programs at the Ford Foundation where she oversaw the foundation’s domestic grant-making, Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group, and as Chief Operating Officer of Friends of the High Line.
Maria earned her bachelor’s degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University and a master’s in public policy from the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She is a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Berkeley Carroll School, and the New York Housing Conference.
Camile A. Brown works onstage and off to ensure that everybody from every community is represented and has access to art. Maurine Knighton has worked for decades at the intersection of arts, social justice, and philanthropy---transforming the lives of myriad artists along the way.
For Tickets, visit: New Yorkers for Culture and ArtsPeter Alfred Elizalde, Director of Programs, NY4CA, is the emcee. This event will be livestreamed. Access to livestream - $20. You can Join virtually on Youtube! #
(A press release by Marilyn Abalos/New Yorkers for Culture & Arts)
