What do you get when you combine the talents of three charismatic women, each with a passion for style and a deep appreciation for art and culture? You get a force to be reckoned with – the trio of Phoenix Art Museum supporters, Ellen Katz, Jane Jozoff and Amy Cohn. The three women, all with Ohio roots, are responsible for planning and executing various Phoenix Art Museum events and fundraising elements. They credit their philanthropic inclinations at least in part to their connection to Judaism.
Ellen Katz, originally from Dayton, OH, came to the Valley in 1998. Although she and her husband, Howard, are snowbirds and leave their Manhattan abode to reside in the desert from mid-October to early May, Katz served as chair of the Phoenix Art Museum Board for three years. She created pARTy, the museum’s annual fundraising gala. She created and chaired the museum’s second biggest annual fundraiser, the Independent Woman Luncheon, from 2009-2014. Last year the IWL netted about $340,000. She has stepped down as chair this year, but still serves as honorary chair.
“I just liked the Phoenix Art Museum when I first came here,” Katz says. “I’ve always believed that if you do what you like, things happen.” Things certainly did happen, and Katz’s involvement has made the IWL a hugely successful sellout every year since its inception. Each year the luncheon highlights a well-known designer, who joins the event as the keynote speaker. Past designers included Carolyne Roehm, Charlotte Moss and Bunny Williams. In 2011, Pamela Fiori, the first female editor-in-chief of Town and Country magazine, was the highlighted speaker. This year, author/designer Alexa Hampton will address the sure to be sold-out crowd.
“There are so many entrees into the museum,” Katz explains. “With 12 support groups feeding into the museum, there’s something for everyone.”
Katz joined the Circles group when she first came to town, as this offered access to special events and opening night invitations to major exhibits.
“There are many diverse support groups one can join,” she says. “There are groups dealing with photography, contemporary art, Asian art, fashion, etc. … It’s a great way to meet people and get more involved at the museum.”
While Katz, a proud Jewish woman, doesn’t belong to a synagogue here in the Valley, she does belong to one in Manhattan and credits part of her philanthropic nature to her Jewish heritage. “It’s in our blood,” she explains. “Helping other people. Giving to other people. That’s who we are.” She recalls collecting quarters as a child for trees in Israel after it was formed as a state. “My parents supported Jewish causes, education and the arts. I’ve followed their lead in supporting those same causes.”
In addition to her essential trustee role at Phoenix Art Museum, Katz is on the board of trustees of Northwestern University. She also serves on the board of directors of Mount Sinai Medical Center and Lincoln Center Theater. She and her husband support the Phoenix Symphony and are big fans of Michael Crow and supporters of Arizona State University, Arizona Science Center and Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation.
One of this year’s IWL chairs is Jane Jozoff, who has been on the IWL committee since its inception. She’s involved in a variety of the party-planning details including selecting, ordering and tasting the food, long-term planning, creating timelines for the day of the event and managing speakers.
When asked what attracted her to the museum in the first place, Jozoff says, “It’s the major art museum in our community.” Originally from North Bend, OH, a small town just west of Cincinnati, Jozoff moved to Arizona in 1996 after stints in Pennsylvania, New York and Cleveland. She was initially intrigued by the region’s Native American art and served on the board at the Heard Museum for seven years. Then a friend took her to one of the Costume Institute luncheons at Phoenix Art Museum and Jozoff got hooked. The institute was founded in 1966 to support the museum’s Fashion Design Department. She joined the board of the Costume Institute because, according to Jozoff, “You can really make a difference.”
Jozoff holds a fine arts degree and was a theater major at Ohio University. She worked in a brokerage firm in the ’70s, when she one of very few women in that profession. “It was really like ‘Mad Men,’ ” she says. “I worked my way up from secretary to executive assistant to treasurer of Dean Witter. I was the only woman.”
From there Jozoff went on to become vice president of an Ohio commercial bank. “My acting training served me well,” she says with a laugh. “I became very good at sales. I spoke on a national speaking circuit. I was able to use all of my training to present myself well and speak all over the country.”
Jozoff was chair of both the Arizona State and Phoenix arts commissions. She has served on two Hillel boards, one in Cincinnati and one at ASU. She sits on the board of the Desert Botanical Garden and chairs the Patron Circle there. Her newest volunteer role is with the Jewish National Fund, and she is excited to be a part of a Jewish philanthropic organization.
Jozoff is a member of Temple Solel and went to Israel with Rabbi John Linder on a congregational trip during the summer of 2013. She converted to Judaism in 1966 because she was seeking religious connection. “I walked into a temple in my 20s and that was it,” she says. She felt an instant connection to Judaism. “I love Judaism.” Jozoff also chairs various events for the Phoenix Symphony. While her volunteer time thus far has always been in the arts, she is excited about combining her Judaism with her philanthropy in her new work with JNF. She is also on the Temple Solel Endowment Foundation Board. “I was always president of my youth groups,” says Jozoff. “I was programmed for philanthropy.”
As for the IWL, Jozoff calls it “one of the most beautiful events you can attend.” Many Valley interior and floral designers create the centerpieces for each table, and their creations are truly works of art. Some designers have even gone so far as to hand-make the plates on their tables. “They’re exquisite,” Jozoff says. “Kravet donates the tablecloths and people bid for the entire tablescape.” Asked how much these magnificent themed centerpieces sell for, Jozoff says proudly, “They go from hundreds to thousands, depending on the year.”
Amy Cohn began volunteering for Phoenix Art Museum a few years ago when she was tapped to work on a committee for the museum’s big gala pARTy. She then sponsored a table at last year’s IWL and was asked to co-chair the event this year. “When Ellen Katz asks you to get involved, it’s hard to say no,” says Cohn with a smile.
Cohn has a degree in architecture and is focused on interior space planning. Although not working in her field currently, she is busy taking classes to update her technologic expertise and stay current in the design field. Her daughter is a successful local designer for Fox Restaurant Concepts. “Someday I would love to have a mom/daughter design team,” Cohn says.
Cohn is excited about featuring Alexa Hampton as this year’s IWL speaker. “Alexa is a younger designer,” she says. “She has products in stores and there’s a familiarity with her work that appeals to a younger, broader group of women.”
Raised in a Jewish family in Pepper Pike, OH, Cohn’s roots are deeply entrenched in the Jewish community. Her parents are from Shaker Heights, and she was brought up with Judaism as an important part of her life. Cohn and her family belong to Temple Solel in Paradise Valley. Calling herself a “traditionalist,” Cohn says, “We like to be together on all the holidays. We attend services on the High Holidays.” But what really engages Cohn is the concept of tzedakah. “I was brought up with the idea of tzedakah being very important, along with the notion of l’dor vador, passing on to the next generation. I grew up with a sense of responsibility, not only to oneself and one’s family, but to all those ahead of us.”
Cohn came to Arizona to attend ASU. She surprised her Midwestern family after graduation by choosing to stay in Arizona, where she met her husband, a University of Arizona grad, a factor she swears doesn’t negatively impact their marriage. “I loved it here,” she tells me, “I just wanted to stay.”
Luckily for Arizona, Cohn did stay and has become a key player in advancing art and culture within the community. “It feels good to be part of the arts and culture in our community,” Cohn says. “In our technologically driven world, participating in art is one of the few authentic experiences you can still actually participate in.”
She is also a big advocate of exposing children to art at an early age. “You wonder if it makes an impression on them,” Cohn reflects. Then she proudly says her 25-year-old daughter called her the other day to tell her that she and her boyfriend attended First Friday, the one night each month that the museum is open for evening hours. “It really does make a difference.”
Since its creation in 2011, the Independent Woman Luncheon has become one of the premier philanthropic events in the Valley, celebrating the contributions of creative, successful women as they support Phoenix Art Museum. Ten other women, who passionately support the museum and the arts, are part of the team helping this dynamic trio create the March 31 event. The entire team of philanthropists is devoted to enriching the community by helping the museum provide access to visual arts and educational programs. But in addition to supporting the museum’s mission to connect people to great art from around the world to enrich their lives and communities, Ellen Katz, Jane Jazoff and Amy Cohn are also united by their Jewish understanding of tzedakah.
