An Enduring Soho Tradition where Abstract Art, Friendship, and Cultural Stewardship Converge in Downtown Manhattan
New York, N.Y. — The Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala unfolded on a crisp Friday evening in December, reaffirming why the Peter Reginato and Daniela Reginato annual holiday gathering has become one of downtown Manhattan’s most quietly influential cultural traditions.
In a season crowded with celebrations, this downtown evening in SoHo stood out for its effortless mix of art-world legends, neighborhood friends, and rising creative talent.
What began in 2016 as a modest studio gathering has evolved into a beloved tradition that now draws approximately one hundred guests each year, yet the atmosphere remains intimate, affectionate, and distinctly New York.
Living Room of The SoHo Art World
Guests stepped in from the cold onto worn wooden floors, greeted by the glow of spotlights hitting vivid abstract canvases and steel sculptures that seemed to dance in the air.
At the center stood Peter Reginato, the acclaimed American abstract sculptor and painter whose work bridges Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, and Color Field influences, and whose pieces reside in major collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
His partner in art and life, Daniela Reginato, director of the Peter Reginato Studio, moved through the crowd with practiced calm, ensuring everyone had a drink, a place to sit, and a story to share.
What distinguishes this gathering is its deliberate blend of art stars, institutional leaders, and neighbors who may own a single work or simply admire from across the street.
Longtime SoHo residents chatted with curators and collectors while studio assistants traded notes with emerging painters.
The result felt less like a gala and more like a living
room of the SoHo art world, where hierarchy melted
away and the only requirement for entry was curiosity.
Art Students League at the Center
The evening carried special resonance this year because of the central role of the Art Students League of New York, the 150-year-old institution that has trained generations of artists while fiercely protecting its independence and accessibility.
Among the guests was Michael Hall, Artistic and Executive Director of the Art Students League of New York, who has led the League since 2020 through a period of digitization, global outreach, and ambitious anniversary programming.
Hall spoke enthusiastically with artists and students about the League’s sesquicentennial exhibitions and benefit galas at venues such as the Rainbow Room and MoMA, which are helping to underwrite scholarships and expand online instruction to students in dozens of countries.
Many of the artists present trace their roots to the League, and several still teach or mentor there, reinforcing the institution’s role as a backbone of New York’s artistic ecosystem.
Conversations drifted from technical discussions of color and ground to the League’s evolving mission—how to keep tuition manageable, welcome a more diverse student body, and embrace digital tools without losing the tactile discipline of drawing and painting from life. The Reginato gathering thus became an extension of the classroom, a place where the pedagogy of the studio continued in the idiom of a party.
Abstract Masters and Emerging Voices
The guest list read like a who’s who of American abstract art, anchored artists whose careers chart the evolution of postwar painting.
James Little, celebrated for his meticulously layered, color-saturated canvases, traded insights with Larry Poons, the Tokyo-born American abstract painter who first rose to prominence in the 1960s with optical “dot” paintings before moving into fiercely gestural, large-scale works.
Poons arrived with his wife Paula Poons. The presence of Larry Poons underscored the intergenerational nature of this creative community.
Nearby, Francine Tint, Barbara Thomas, Kasha Halecki, Elizabeth Cier, Suzanne Needles, and Jack Rohe Howard-Potter compared notes on recent exhibitions and the persistent challenges of sustaining independent studio practice in a city where rents continue to climb. Howard-Potter is another New York City-based sculptor renowned for his large-scale, figurative steel works that capture the fluidity of human movement.
The conversations never drifted far from the work itself—brush size, metal fabrication, the stubbornness of a particular pigment—but they were laced with laughter and the easy intimacy of colleagues who have weathered decades of openings, reviews, and economic cycles together.
Chinese-born artist Wei Wei joined discussions about international perspectives on American abstraction, adding a global dimension to the evening’s aesthetic debates.
Writers, Lawyers, and Neighborhood Stories
If the artists provided the visual drama, the writers and lawyers added narrative and structure.
attended the holiday bash. Photo credit: Sasha Alexander Gegera.
Author James Reginato, a noted correspondent for Vanity Fair, arrived with his niece and neighbor Rhonda Shearer, herself deeply involved in art and cultural scholarship.
Their presence added a literary thread to the evening, as conversations turned to long-form profiles, archive mining, and the shifting landscape of magazine journalism in a digital age.
On the legal side, attorneys Peter Fischbein and Morris Kahn—joined by colleague John Simoni—brought with them stories of contracts, estates, and the intricate legal scaffolding that makes exhibitions, foundations, and public art projects possible.
Their work, though often unseen, safeguards artists’ rights and ensures that collections can be shared with audiences around the world.
Music, Fashion, and Documentary Vision
As the evening unfolded, the atmosphere shifted from reception to salon, thanks in part to live music.
Julian Schnabel’s biopic of Vincent van Gogh. Photo credit: Sasha Alexander Gegera.
Violinist Tatiana Lisovskaya played classical and contemporary pieces, lending the room a cinematic warmth that wrapped itself around conversations and made even brief encounters feel memorable.
The sound bounced softly off metal surfaces and canvases, reminding guests that the acoustic life of a studio is as important as its visual one.
Fashion and media worlds were represented as well. Jessy Moya arrived alongside advertising strategist Gary Springer, offering a glimpse of how visual art, branding, and performance intersect in a city saturated with images.
Influencer Cherie Corso joined a group that included local media figure Susana Bowling, publisher of the Times Square Chronicle, who spoke briefly with Peter Reginato about future coverage of SoHo’s evolving cultural landscape.
Photographer Sasha Alexander Gegera moved almost invisibly through the crowd, documenting candid interactions and formal portraits that will become part of the event’s visual archive. #sasha_nyc_photo
Meanwhile, Neal Slavin, the celebrated American photographer and filmmaker known for his large-format group portraits, and his professional partner Anita Burkhart exchanged ideas with Peter and Daniela about future collaborations. Slavin’s long career documenting groups—choirs, factory workers, social clubs—echoed the evening’s core theme: the power of collective identity made visible.
Friendship, Resilience, and Care
Behind the scenes, Daniela Reginato orchestrated every detail—from invitations and catering to lighting and seating—supported by studio intern Hugo and the event bartender, whose calm competence won praise from artists and guests alike.
Their collaboration ensured that no one would have guessed how much logistical juggling the week had required.
The result was a night in which care and creativity were indistinguishable: people looked after one another as attentively as they looked at the art.
Layers of Identity and Inclusion
True to SoHo’s evolving identity, the guest list reflected a spectrum of backgrounds, professions, and life experiences.
A noted transgender influencer and advocate with philanthropists and young professionals, signaling a commitment to inclusion that went beyond tokenism.
Conversations about gender identity, representation, and visibility threaded naturally into discussions of figuration and abstraction, reminding everyone that questions of who is seen and how are as central to culture as any formal innovation.
In quieter corners of the loft, neighbors including Maribel Lieberman, founder of the celebrated SoHo chocolate house MarieBelle New York, and entrepreneur Christian Raymonvil, who operates innovative laundromat and event spaces, compared notes on the evolving character of the neighborhood, from manufacturing district to creative hub to upscale destination.
Nearby, Royal Thai restaurateur Jonathan “Bix” Luce, of Jan Jao Kha chatted with friends Taty Horoshko and Aggie, while other guests spoke of recent exhibitions, travel, and family milestones.
Taty is a Ukrainian American artist living in New York City who is passionate about creating portraits in all medias, including acrylic, oil, pencil, and watercolors.
She told me, “I am fascinated by people who are making a difference in this world and are not afraid to use their voice and stand for World Peace.”
Interior Design, Photography, And Space
The setting itself was a character in the evening’s story. Daniela Reginato created the arrangement of furniture, flowers, and sculpture, emphasizing sightlines that allowed guests to experience the works from multiple vantage points. Entrepreneur Christian Raymonvil, co-founder of Laverie, studied the studio’s layout with professional curiosity, noting how industrial features could double as design elements.
Teaching, Mentoring, and the Next Generation
One of the night’s quietly moving moments came when Hala Faisal, an artist and student of Peter Reginato, arrived to warm greetings. Their relationship epitomizes the teacher-student dynamic that has long defined New York’s art world, especially within the orbit of the Art Students League of New York, where mentorship and peer critique remain foundational.
Hala spoke with fellow guests about navigating early career challenges—finding affordable studio space, securing exhibition opportunities, and building a sustainable practice without sacrificing experimentation.
Leaders like Michael Hall listened closely, taking mental notes that will likely inform future programs and scholarships at the League. In this way, the party doubled as a listening session, a place where institutional leadership could hear directly from the community it serves. The feedback loop between studio and school, between individual artist and larger ecosystem, felt tangible and immediate.
A Neighborhood Tradition with Global Echoes
By the time the evening wound down and guests began to collect coats and leftover chocolates, the sense of community had deepened.
Daniela and Peter Reginato, alongside friends such as Maribel Lieberman, James Reginato, Wei Wei, Margarita Parlionas, Dawnemarie, Tess Camacho, Carlo, Laura Fey Lewis, Lisa, Bill and Debora Barrett, Bob Lobe, Randy Bloom, and many others, had presided over a gathering that felt simultaneously local and global.
Stories stretched from Tokyo to Texas, from Thai restaurants to SoHo lofts, from early days at the New England Conservatory of Music to landmark shows in major museums.
What began as the Peter & Daniela Reginato Annual Holiday Party has become something larger—a living archive of New York’s creative life, updated each December with new faces and fresh collaborations.
In a city that often feels fragmented and accelerated, the Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala offers a different rhythm: one evening each year when artists, neighbors, and cultural leaders pause to celebrate not only their achievements, but their interconnectedness.
Since 2016, the celebration has functioned not merely as a party, but as a living salon—an intergenerational crossroads of artists, writers, collectors, educators, and civic-minded neighbors bound by shared curiosity and creative respect.
Why the Reginato Gala Endures
What distinguishes the Reginato holiday party is not scale or spectacle, but intentionality.
The event resists the transactional tendencies of the contemporary art world, favoring instead conversation, curiosity, and mutual regard.
In an era of accelerated digital engagement, the gala remains insistently physical—paint on walls, music in the air, hands passing plates, and stories unfolding face to face.
As guests drifted into the cold SoHo night, many remarked that the gathering felt less like an annual obligation and more like a necessary pause—a moment to recalibrate around creativity, care, and community.
For Peter Reginato and Daniela Reginato, that may be the evening’s greatest achievement.
Reginato Soho Gathering Lights Up Holiday Art Scene (Dec. 22, 2025)
Summary
The Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala brought together artists, writers, educators, and neighbors for an intimate December evening celebrating creativity and community. Hosted by Peter and Daniela Reginato, the long-running tradition blended abstract art, live music, and thoughtful conversation, featuring members of American Abstract Artists, Art Students League leadership, and SoHo neighbors. The gathering reaffirmed the role of cultural salons in sustaining New York’s artistic ecosystem across generations.
Social Media Posts
Facebook: The Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala continues its tradition as one of downtown Manhattan’s most meaningful cultural gatherings. Artists, educators, collectors, and neighbors came together this December to celebrate abstract art, friendship, and the power of creative community. From legendary painters to emerging voices, the evening showcased why intimate cultural salons remain vital to New York’s artistic life.
Instagram: Art, conversation, and community converged at the annual Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala. This beloved tradition brings together abstract art masters, Art Students League leaders, and SoHo neighbors for an evening where hierarchy melts away and creativity takes center stage. A beautiful reminder of what makes New York’s art scene truly special.
LinkedIn: The Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala exemplifies the power of cultural stewardship in urban communities. Now in its ninth year, this annual gathering unites artists, institutional leaders, legal professionals, and neighbors in celebration of abstract art and intergenerational mentorship. Events like these demonstrate how creative spaces can foster meaningful professional and personal connections while preserving artistic traditions.
X / Twitter: The Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala brought together abstract art legends, Art Students League leadership, and SoHo neighbors for an evening of creativity and community. Now in its 9th year, this intimate tradition shows why cultural salons remain vital to NYC’s artistic ecosystem.
BlueSky: One of downtown Manhattan’s most meaningful cultural traditions: the annual Reginato Soho Gallery Holiday Gala. Artists, educators, collectors, and neighbors gathering to celebrate abstract art, mentorship, and the power of creative community in SoHo