NEW YORK, July 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotheby's is pleased to host a summer program for students participating in the Prep for Prep program at its York Avenue headquarters. Prep for Prep is an educational leadership development organization that prepares and places New York City's most able students of color into leading independent schools.

The four-week course, which started on 10 July, is designed to help participants deepen their knowledge and understanding of the art world through direct engagement, academic inquiry and art creation. With a curriculum focused on a range of art-related experiences, the program will include visits to museums, opportunities to interact with professionals from across the art world, and a series of workshops, panel discussions, and talks with Sotheby's specialists and executives.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce some of the city's brightest and most promising high school students to the art world and to provide them with access to engaging and illuminating experiences that will help foster an interest in the arts," commented Elyse Dreyer, Sotheby's Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Social Responsibility.

"Thanks to the generosity and vision of Sotheby's, Prep for Prep is taking a giant leap forward in exposing its students to the transformative power of the arts and all that they have to offer personally and professionally. We could not have a better partner than Sotheby's guiding them on this journey of exploration," added Aileen Hefferren, Chief Executive of Prep for Prep.

About Prep for Prep
Prep for Prep develops leaders from under-represented communities through access to a superior education and life-changing opportunities. Since 1978, Prep has identified New York City's most able students of color through a highly selective admissions process and, following 14 months of rigorous academic preparation, placed them at leading independent schools in the City and boarding schools throughout the Northeast. Once placed, Prep offers its students a sense of community, peer support, critical post-placement services, and a host of leadership development opportunities through college graduation. The results are compelling: More Prep students have graduated from Harvard than any other institution; nearly 90% of Prep's 2,829 college graduates have earned degrees from the most competitive colleges in the country. They are emerging leaders in every field from business and law, to education and the arts, to science and medicine. Prep shares its best practices with like-minded organizations through an initiative called Smart Connections.

About Sotheby's
Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art Division, and two retail businesses, Sotheby's Diamonds and Sotheby's Wine. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

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New York | +1 212 606 7176 | Lauren Gioia | Lauren.Gioia@Sothebys.com |
Dan Abernethy | Dan.Abernethy@Sothebys.com |

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SOURCE Sotheby's