KCCNYC GALA 2026!
By Justine Velasquez
On February 19, 2026, KCCNYC hosted its first Gala at PRIMARY in New York City’s Financial District to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the community. KCCNYC welcomed over 150 guests to this inaugural event. The night included a program with performances and remarks, a silent auction, and various artworks for display and for sale, all while food and drinks were available for all guests. The Gala also served as a fundraiser for KCCNYC’s programming, which includes support for Korean adoptees.
Click through the gallery below to see photos from the event!
All Photos by Reiko Yoo Yanagi
The night’s program included performances and key remarks from some members of the KCCNYC Team. Mimi Block & the KCCNYC Live Jazz Band kicked off the night’s performances and set the mood for a lovely evening. KCCNYC Director Priscilla Kim and Program Manager/Korean Instructor Eun Oh provided remarks about the organization in Korean and English respectively. Jon Oaks, who writes about the Korean adoptee community in KCCNYC’s monthly newsletter, spoke about the importance of spaces like KCCNYC for adoptees to explore their Korean identity and heritage. Calvin Rhee made remarks on behalf of the KCCNYC Korean-American community. Nicolette Shin sang a powerful rendition of the hit song from K-pop Demon Hunters, Golden. Gloria Suarez / The More You Glo danced to a great medley of the music of Shinee. DJ KARLLLL was at the helm for the rest of the night, mixing tunes for guests to enjoy as the festivities continued.
Food and drink were readily available for guests during the Gala. EunHaSoo Catering provided wonderful Korean staples such as kimbap and japchae, jeon and bulgogi. KJUN gave us delicious corn bread and bananas foster. Goshen Foods provided a variety of different types of scrumptious kimchi. And Haneul Babsang brought traditional Soondae to the party. HiteJinro supplied a generous amount of Soju, Terra Beer, and their new canned seltzer. SWRL provided cans of their yummy makgeolli seltzer, which is the first of its kind. SOOL provided different great flavors of Makku makgeolli.
As a parting treat to guests, favors including flash cards of common Korean phrases, cans of Hana Makgeolli’s MAQ 8, and cans of Jinro TokTok were welcome take-home gifts for everyone.
featured artists
Seung-Jun Lee, Sam Blumenfeld, Jean Oh and Paul Rho
Several artists presented work during the Gala, curated by Sam Blumenfeld. The centerpiece, displayed in the middle of the venue, was a site-specifc work by Jean Oh that was created the evening of the Gala. There was also video art by Soeun Bae displayed on screens throughout the space. Check out the gallery to view the works shown during the Gala and learn more about each artist at the link below:
SILENT AUCTION
All throughout the night, there was a silent auction featuring an array of generously donated items. There were tables set up with information about each item and guests could peruse freely. If a guest wanted to place a bid on a certain item, they could do so online by using the QR code associated with each item, courtesy of the GiveButter platform. The silent auction items were as follows:
Private yoga glass taught by Bryan Hong
Gift set of various different types of Kimchi from Goshen Foods
Core Bundle and Portfolio Bundle from Hana Makgeolli
Harmony KB Candles Basket
4 single class gift certificates and an 8-class package from I Love Dance
K-pop Nara Gift Basket
2 tickets to the Hearts2Hearts Premiere Showcase and 2 tickets to the soldout NMIXX First World Tour, both at Brooklyn Paramount, courtesy of Live Nation.
Natural Selection Bath & Body gift basket
A diamond that comes with a custom bespoke consultation to design a one-of-a-kind ring, courtesy of NUNCHI
2 certificates for Botox and 1 certificate for Skinvive Booster, courtesy of Renew MD
2 Sojo Spa Club Admissions
Afterglow Seoul Scarf and Afterglow Seoul Twilly, courtesy of Sun Mee Studio
Blue Wave Fleece Outerwear from Sundae School
Rakuten Viki Plus Pass subscription and gift basket
Club House Passes for Korean Heritage Day, courtesy of the New York Yankees
This Gala is made possible by the support of Adventure We Can, One Culture Center, and Prevention & Healing Inc.
