Harlem Fine Arts Show teams with Alzheimer's Association for B. Smith tribute

The Harlem Fine Arts Show is expanding its partnership with the Alzheimer's Association for a July 18 tribute to B. Smith at its Summer Festival in Water Mill, N.Y. The event aims to raise awareness of caregiving and health equity while supporting Alzheimer's research and services.

Why it matters: - The collaboration uses art and culture to reach families affected by Alzheimer's disease. - The event highlights caregiving burdens and the need for earlier diagnosis, support services and more equitable access to care. - The partnership centers on Black communities, where stigma and barriers to care have long shaped the Alzheimer's experience.

What happened: - The Harlem Fine Arts Show announced an expanded partnership with the Alzheimer's Association. - The B. Smith Legacy Tribute Celebration will take place Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m. EDT. - The tribute is part of HFAS Summer Festival weekend programming with the Creole Food Festival, scheduled for July 17-19 at Duck Walk Vineyards, 231 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, N.Y. - Tickets are available at HFAS summer festival tickets. - Dan Gasby, B. Smith’s widower and business co-founder, will host the event.

The details: - The evening will honor B. Smith, the lifestyle icon, restaurateur, entrepreneur and television personality who died of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. - The program includes a vineyard cocktail reception and a multimedia tribute to Smith's career. - Cultural and community leaders will speak about caregiving, health equity and the power of art to inspire action. - Attendees will have opportunities to support Alzheimer's research and caregiver services. - Smith and Gasby helped reduce stigma around Alzheimer's disease, including within African American communities, through public appearances and their memoir, "Before I Forget" (Penguin Random House). - The Alzheimer's Association says more than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease and nearly 13 million family members and friends provide unpaid care. - In New York, an estimated 426,500 people age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's. - New York caregivers total 776,000 and provide more than 1.3 billion hours of unpaid care valued at nearly $33.8 billion a year. - The HFAS Summer Festival weekend will feature more than 50 curated immersive art galleries. - The festival lineup also includes artist engagement, more than 15 celebrity chef culinary experiences, live jazz and world-music performances, classic and luxury-automobile displays, real estate and lifestyle showcases, health and wellness activations, and an appearance by WBLS media personality Ann Tripp.

Between the lines: - The Alzheimer's Association is leaning on a cultural event to broaden outreach to communities that may not respond to traditional health campaigns. - HFAS is positioning the festival as both an arts showcase and a platform for social impact. - The focus on B. Smith links a recognizable public figure to a disease that affects millions of families, which may strengthen engagement and fundraising.

What's next: - The July 18 tribute will serve as one of the centerpiece events of the HFAS Summer Festival weekend. - Organizers are directing guests to buy tickets through HFAS ahead of the event. - The partnership may create a model for future arts-based awareness campaigns tied to health equity and caregiver support.

The bottom line: - HFAS and the Alzheimer's Association are using a high-profile cultural tribute to drive awareness, support caregivers and spotlight the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer's on families and communities.