A live and silent auction stacked with works by Jeff Koons, Shepard Fairey, Robert Rauschenberg and David LaChapelle opens Friday evening at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, raising money for a foundation born out of a 2015 boating tragedy that still shapes how Florida teaches young people to be safe on the water. The Art With A Heart benefit runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at the gardens on Barcelona Road, with bidding closing at 8:45 p.m.
The sale benefits the Perry J. Cohen Foundation, established by Pamela Cohen and Nicholas Korniloff, according to WPEC. The 501(3) nonprofit was formed after 14-year-old Perry Cohen and his friend Austin Stephanos departed from Jupiter Inlet in a boat on July 24, 2015, and never returned after a storm hit the area. Their capsized vessel wasn't found until nearly eight months later, in March 2016, when the multi-purpose supply vessel Edda Fjord discovered it roughly 100 miles off Bermuda while en route to Norway, as detailed by CBS News. Extensive searches by the U.S. Coast Guard and private pilots had failed to locate the teenagers in the months before.
The auction house running Friday's live sale, Palm Beach Modern Auctions, is donating its services entirely, with co-owner Rico Baca conducting the bidding while the online arm runs through Artsy, according to Bidsquare. The firm is waiving its standard fees as part of the donation, a structural nod from the commercial art world to the foundation's mission.
A Foundation Built on Art-World Connections
Much of the auction's star power traces back to co-founder Nick Korniloff, Perry Cohen's stepfather, who serves as Executive Vice President and Director of the Art Miami Group of Fairs. That role, which includes managing Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami, gives the foundation a direct line to major international galleries and collectors. The lineup of donated pieces reflects it: works by Koons, Fairey, RETNA, Carole Feuerman, Rauschenberg, LaChapelle, and even actor Johnny Depp are included in the sale, per WPEC.
Street artist Shepard Fairey, who personally designed the foundation's official portrait logo, was also named the recipient of Art Miami's 2026 Lifetime Visionary Award, according to Obey Giant. His work appears in Friday's benefit auction alongside that honor. The foundation has also drawn celebrity promotion beyond the art world: entrepreneur Daymond John of Shark Tank and former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted publicly backed and promoted the fundraiser as featured community champions, the foundation said.
From Wetlands Labs to Free Boating Courses
The foundation's reach extends well past a single gala night. It has sent more than 1,000 children to boating safety classes and helped thousands overall, per WPEC, while also raising more than $600,000 to fund and build the Perry J. Cohen Wetlands Laboratory at Jupiter Community High School. It has provided underprivileged children with opportunities for water-based adventures and nature experiences as well.
In January, the foundation partnered with the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Chapman School of Seamanship to launch a free Perry J. Cohen Boating Safety & Ocean Stewardship Course for teens and young adults ages 14 to 25. The two-day program combines classroom instruction with on-water training at Chapman School of Seamanship, according to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. Students who complete the course meet all Florida statutory requirements to earn a Florida Boating Safety Education ID Card, which the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission requires for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, operating a motorboat of 10 horsepower or greater.
That requirement carries real weight in a state with crowded waterways. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported 694 reportable boating crashes and 51 fatalities on state waters in 2025, according to CBS News. Florida had nearly 1.03 million registered vessels.
A Historic Setting
The setting for Friday's benefit carries its own history. The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, a two-acre historic sanctuary, is marking its 50th anniversary season in 2026, per Palmer PB. The gardens feature a rare palm and cycad collection alongside Norton's monumental brick sculptures, offering a quiet, art-filled backdrop for a cause rooted in loss and the push to keep other families from experiencing the same.
