The American Federation of Arts (AFA) will hold its 2012
Gala & Cultural Leadership Award on Wednesday, October 24,
2012, at the Metropolitan Club in New York. This year, the
AFA will honor Sarah Sze, one of the most original artists
working today, for her pioneering installations and the
intriguing investigations of space, line, and memory that
they represent. She will be introduced by Klaus Biesenbach,
Director of MoMA PS1 and a Chief Curator at Large at the
Museum of Modern Art.
The gala will also welcome, as a special
guest, Detroit Institute of Arts Director, President, and
CEO Graham W.J. Beal, to celebrate his recent success in
securing the financial future of the DIA. Beal will be
introduced by Martin Friedman, legendary former director of
the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. “The AFA is proud to
honor the enormously gifted artist Sarah Sze, whose riveting
work is at once elegant, poetic, and playful,” stated AFA
Director Pauline Willis. “She is a glowing example of the
AFA’s tradition of honoring individuals who enrich the art
world, and it is fitting that she will be joined at the
podium by such fellow luminaries as Klaus Biesenbach, Graham
Beal, and Martin Friedman.” AFA Vice President Stephanie
LaNasa added, “We are so excited to be celebrating the
unique accomplishments of our honoree and special guest,
both of whom loom large in the world in which the AFA plays
an important role in making the finest art exhibitions
accessible to museums around the world. And we are very
pleased to have Restoration Hardware support our efforts as
our lead corporate sponsor.”
About Sarah Sze
Celebrated for her dynamic installations and sculptures
composed of everyday objects, Sarah Sze has created an
exceptional body of work over the past fifteen years. Since
graduating from Yale with a BA in 1991 and the School of
Visual Arts in New York with an MFA in 1997, Sze has shown
at major institutions around the world. In 2003, she was
awarded a MacArthur Foundation Grant, and earlier this year
she was chosen to represent the United States in the 2013
Venice Biennale. Her work can be found in the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Walker Art Center,
among other institutions. Sze has received critical acclaim
for her public commissions and site-specific installations,
including projects for the New York City High Line, the
Carnegie International, and the São Paolo Biennial, and she
will create the public art installation for the forthcoming
96th Street 2nd Avenue Subway station in New York. Sze lives
and works in New York City.
About Graham W.J. Beal
Graham W.J. Beal has been the Director, President, and CEO
of the Detroit Institute of Arts since 1999, and while there
he has overseen two major capital campaigns, guided the
reinstallation of the museum’s world-renowned collection,
overseen the museum’s renovation and expansion, and
established the General Motors Center for African American
Art, one of the first curatorial departments dedicated
solely to African American art at any major art museum.
Under his leadership, the DIA has co-organized outstanding
exhibitions such as Van Gogh: Face to Face. Beal recently
spearheaded a bold plan that reversed what appeared to be a
bleak future for the museum. Largely because of the state
and city funding cutbacks of the past two decades, the
museum was about to go into what Beal described as a “death
spiral.” A campaign was waged to convince voters in the
three counties from which most of the DIA’s visitors come to
approve a modest property tax. This tax would give the
museum financial security for the next ten years while it
built up its operating endowment. In return, the museum
offered expanded programs for schools and seniors and free
admission for residents of the approving counties. The tax
was approved, and as a result one of America’s great museums
has not only been able to keep its doors open but is more
financially stable than it has been in many years.
About the Event
With lead corporate sponsorship provided by Restoration
Hardware, the gala will be held at the elegant and historic
Metropolitan Club, founded by J. P. Morgan in 1891 and
located at One East 60th Street at Fifth Avenue in New York.
Distinguished guests will include AFA trustees, patrons,
artists, and other art world leaders. Cocktails will begin
at 6:30 p.m., and dinner will be served at 8 p.m., followed
by dancing and cocktails at 10. Guests will receive a
custom-edition Moleskine notebook specially designed for the
event by Sarah Sze. All proceeds from ticket sales will
benefit the AFA’s exhibitions and programming. Gala tickets
can be purchased here. For further information, visit our
website or contact Tiffany Carney at
tcarney@afaweb.org
or call 212.988.7700 x247.
The AFA’s Cultural Leadership Award is
presented annually to artists, museum leaders, and
philanthropists in recognition of their outstanding
contributions to the art and museum community. Previous
honorees include Marina Abramović and Earl A. Powell
III (2011); Frank O. Gehry, Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al
Nahyan, and Thomas Krens (2007); Cargill and Donna MacMillan
(2006); Shirin Neshat, James Wood, and John Bryan (2004);
Susan Weber Soros and Bill Viola (2003); Maya Lin and Anne
d’Harnoncourt (2002); Ellsworth Kelly, John Walsh, and
Stephanie French (2001); Jan Cowles and Serena Rattazzi
(2000); Jan Perry Mayer (1999); Iris Cantor (1998); Henry
Luce III (1997); Lee Hills (1996); Elizabeth Blake and Roy
Neuberger (1995); Richard Oldenburg (1994); Evan H. Turner
(1993); and J. Carter Brown (1992).
The roster of distinguished individuals and organizations
that are, to date, an official part of the gala celebration
include the following:
Gala Chairs
Scott A. Dahnke | Clare McKeon | Capera Ryan
Gala Benefit Committee
Elizabeth Belfer | Stephanie & Frederick Clark | Catherine
Corman | Yasaman & Vuk Djunic | Alexandra & David Drucker |
Charlotte Eyerman | Ashleigh Fernandez | Brian Ferriso |
Leslie & Tom Freudenheim | April Gornik & Eric Fischl |
Joyce Goss | Agnes Gund | Robert Hammond | Lindsay Smith &
Jason Herrick | Anthony Hirschel | Ann & Gilbert H. Kinney |
Stephanie & Jody La Nasa | Barbara & Richard S. Lane |
Margot & Robert Linton | NancyJane & Jeffrey Loewy | Sarah &
Alec Machiels | Maureen & Joseph Noto | Tanya Bonakdar
Gallery | Timothy Rub | Susan & Michael Solovay | Yvonne
Force Villareal & Leo Villareal | Wally Findlay Galleries |
Sandra & Stanford Warshawsky (list in formation)
Lead Corporate Sponsor
Restoration Hardware
About the American Federation of Arts
The American Federation of Arts is a nonprofit institution
that organizes art exhibitions for presentation in museums
around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues, and
develops various educational programs. The AFA’s mission is
to enrich the public’s experience of art and understanding
of culture by organizing and traveling a diverse offering of
exhibitions embracing all aspects of art history. Current
and upcoming AFA exhibitions include Richard Bell: Uz vs.
Them; Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of
Kenwood House, London; Rolling Hills, Satanic Mills: The
British Passion for Landscape; Gods and Heroes: Masterpieces
from the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris; Matisse as Printmaker:
Works from the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation; and Of
Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow
Museums. For more information about the AFA, visit
www.afaweb.org .
About Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware is a luxury brand in the home
furnishings marketplace, offering product assortments across
a number of categories, including furniture, lighting,
textiles, bathware, decor, outdoor and garden, as well as
baby and child products. Restoration Hardware operates an
integrated business across multiple channels of distribution
including stores, catalogues and websites.
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