Alice Gray Stites is the managing director of 24/25 at Museum Plaza and the director of Art Without Walls


"She’s the most connected person I know.” This was how Sunny was described to me at our first meeting, a sincere and admiring aside from someone of discerning discrimination. I was both intrigued and baffled: What, exactly, does being “connected” mean?

Within the hour, I knew: Connecting, as Sunny does, means setting in motion—by listening intently, responding intuitively, and instantly grasping what is essential—a chain of relationships that will produce powerful results, realizing goals both tangible and intangible, and altering perspectives on oneself and others.

With minimal explanation from me, Sunny understood the nature of my work and put me in touch with people who have been instrumental to its development and success today. Sunny has an unparalleled ability to recognize potential, and to match an individual’s strengths (even unknown strengths) with organizations in need.

In my case, Sunny asked if I would participate as a consultant at the Creative Capital Foundation retreat. The experience utterly changed my life in as many ways as are possible. Not only did that organization give me access to some of the best art being made today (so that there are now scores of projects to pursue), but acting as a consultant for them gave me the confidence to refine my goals and mission, to connect with others, to aspire to do more than I had ever thought possible.

Sunny’s continued interest in and support of both professional and personal endeavors (and for me, it’s hard to separate those two categories at times) have resulted in a cherished friendship with her, and a number of fruitful connections. Quite frankly, Sunny’s encouragement launched me on a path to focusing my passion and achieving results. A year and a half later, I am running an arts organization with an entirely new model, one that has supported the U.S. debut of four major artists. That they are all cross-disciplinary is also in part a credit to Sunny’s interest and perspective, as she so clearly sees connections among different practices, and shares her understanding of how people and ideas from a range of sources can come together.

Having been nurtured by Sunny, I now understand the value of pursuing connections and of helping others do so as well. This practice is akin to Lewis Hyde’s definition of art: It’s a gift and you have to pass it on.