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Black Tie
International:
The
American Federation of Arts |
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Alice Walton and Wangechi Mutu. Photo:
© Kelly Taub/BFA.com
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On November 1,
with over 240 guests present at The Metropolitan Club in New
York, the 2016 American Federation of Arts Cultural Leadership
Awards were presented to Alice
Walton, art collector, patron, and founder of Crystal
Bridges Museum of American Art,
and Wangechi
Mutu, artist, activist, and founder of Africa’s
Out.
Pauline Willis, director of the American
Federation of Arts (AFA)
began the event by emphasizing the importance of the
organization and the exhibitions it develops, which span a wide
range of mediums, cultures, and historical periods. She
highlighted some of the many upcoming exhibitions that will be
presented across the nation and internationally. They include
contemporary indigenous art, work by women artists in Paris in
the second half of the nineteenth century, Latin American
artists in Paris between the two World Wars, works from the
Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland, masterworks of Asian
Art from the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, and works by
African American artists from the collection of the Studio
Museum in Harlem, among others.
Brian Ferriso, Director and Chief Curator of
the Portland Art Museum and President of the Association of Art
Museum Directors (AAMD), spoke about the importance of the
organization, referencing its beginnings in 1909 when President
Taft, President Roosevelt, and Secretary of State Root called
for the creation of an “agency that would send exhibitions of
original works of art on tour to the hinterlands of the United
States.” Ferriso reflected
that “In a world where the humanities and the life of the mind
are continually being questioned, the ‘hinterland’ is not only
the Midwest and the West, but also New York, Boston,
Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and the many enclaves within our
cities and communities where the value of the arts is
questioned. (…) I believe the mission of the AFA has never been
more important and its ability and success in bringing more art
to all of our ‘hinterlands’ is needed now more than ever.”
Dr. Deborah Willis, Professor and Curator, New
York University, Tisch, presented the award to Wangechi
Mutu. Upon her acceptance, Ms.
Mutu stated:
“I’m honored to be here tonight to receive this award because my
work as an artist is critically intertwined with who I am. It is
through art that I am able to express my existence, individually
and publicly, speak up and say things that are important to me
and hopefully to others. (...) I strive to articulate through
art, my
hopes for a fairer and kinder world, for a more equal place for
women in particular, and for greater humanity towards those who
suffer simply for being born who they are, with their ethnicity,
gender, sexuality or religion.”
Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, presented the award to Alice
Walton. During her acceptance speech, Ms.
Walton noted: “I am a firm believer in the mission of
this organization. The AFA is dedicated to making sure people
everywhere have access to great works of art. It is a dedication
based on the belief that art matters. That art transforms lives.
Crystal Bridges was founded with this same mission, this same
sense of dedication and belief; belief in the power of art to
educate, to engage, to inspire, and to improve our quality of
life. And the belief that art should be for everyone, not just
for those in big cities with easy access to it, but for those of
us in small towns like Bentonville, Arkansas and in cities big
and small throughout the world.”
The American Federation of Arts bestows these awards annually to
individuals who have distinguished themselves through their
unique contributions to the arts and cultural community. Past
recipients include: Rosa
and Carlos de la Cruz (2015), Arnold
Lehman(2015), Spencer
Finch (2014), Eugene
V. Thaw (2013), Kehinde
Wiley (2013), Sarah
Sze(2012), Marina
Abramović (2011), Frank
O. Gehry (2007), Shirin
Neshat (2004), Maya
Lin(2002), and Ellsworth
Kelly (2001). |
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ABOUT THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF ARTS
The American Federation of Arts is the leader in traveling
exhibitions internationally. A nonprofit organization founded in
1909, the AFA is dedicated to enriching the public’s experience
and understanding of the visual arts through organizing and
touring art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the
world, publishing exhibition catalogues featuring important
scholarly research, and developing educational programs. |
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