College Art Show Draws All-Star Crowd

By Stephen M. Silverman

03/05/2002 at 08:24 AM EST

Susan Sarandon, "Independence Day" star Bill Pullman, musician Art Garfunkel, newsmen Walter Cronkite and Morley Safer and U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe and his actress-wife Melissa Errico were among those who braved the New York cold Monday night to attend a gala preview of work by students, faculty and alumni of the Savannah College of Art and Design, reports PEOPLE. The event, held at the Time Is Always Now Gallery in Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighborhood, was hosted by artist James Wyeth, 55 (son of Andrew Wyeth and grandson of N.C. Wyeth, both artists), who lives in Maine and says, "All I do is paint. I'm pretty boring. There's nothing else to do!" Pullman told PEOPLE that coming to the gala provided him a nice break from the Broadway show for which he's currently rehearsing, Edward Albee's "The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?," which opens Sunday. "It's my day off," said the actor, 47. "I've been working really hard on the play, so I feel like I'm just getting out of prison a little bit." Garfunkel, 60, seemed to be bubbling with the biggest news: He's coming out with a new (as yet untitled) album this summer. Calling its music "more off-the-cuff and accessible," he told PEOPLE.com that this latest collection of songs with partners Buddy Mondlock and Maia Sharp is "what I do, done better. I'm very excited about it. It's early takes, first takes. It's not so crafted and so labored. It's not so precise. It's great rock and roll . . . To me, it's hot stuff." Perfect for a cold winter's night.