Wednesday, October 30
6:30-11:00 PM
Guastavino’s
409 East 59th Street, NYC
On Wednesday, October 30, the AFA held its 2024 Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards at Guastavino’s in New York City.
We were thrilled to honor multidisciplinary artist and community organizer Derrick Adams, philanthropist, collector, and curator Beth Rudin DeWoody, and Director General of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Weltmuseum Vienna, and Theatermuseum, Sabine Haag.
This celebratory evening featured music, art, and community, and served as an opportunity to highlight the AFA’s important work of touring exhibitions around the country.
All contributions went towards ensuring that museums nationwide can serve as a platform for education, inspiration, and artistic excellence for communities to learn from and enjoy. Thank you!
ABOUT THE HONOREES
Derrick Adams is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Adams’ work celebrates and expands the dialogue around contemporary Black life and culture through scenes of normalcy and perseverance. He earned a BFA from Pratt Institute and an MFA from Columbia University and is currently a tenured associate professor at CUNY Brooklyn College. Adams also holds an honorary doctorate from Maryland Institute College of Art. In 2022, he founded Charm City Cultural Cultivation, a non-profit aimed at supporting Baltimore’s underserved communities through initiatives like The Last Resort Artist Retreat, The Black Baltimore Digital Database, and Zora’s Den. Adams has exhibited solo at Amorepacific Museum of Art (2024) The Cleveland Museum of Art (2022), The Momentary (2021), Hudson River Museum (2020), and Museum of Arts and Design (2018). His public installations include projects for Monument Lab, Art on the Mart, and MTA Arts & Design. His work features in group exhibitions such as Giants at Brooklyn Museum (2024) and The Culture at Baltimore Museum of Art (2023). His art is in prominent collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Brooklyn Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Beth Rudin DeWoody is a prominent American art collector, philanthropist, and curator known for her extensive contemporary art collection. DeWoody has built a reputation for her deep engagement with the art world, often supporting emerging artists and championing experimental work. She is known for her interest in work that explores social, political, and environmental issues. Her collection is often showcased in museums and galleries across the world, reflecting her commitment to promoting the visibility of artists and art movements. In addition to her collecting activities, DeWoody serves on the boards of several cultural and philanthropic organizations, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hammer Museum, Desert X, the Parsons Board of Governors of the New School, and is on the Photography Steering Committee at the Norton Museum as well as New Wave in West Palm Beach, Florida. She is the founder of The Bunker Artspace, a private exhibition space in West Palm Beach, where she displays rotating selections of her collection.
Sabine Haag is the Director General of the KHM-Museumsverband, where she oversees the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Weltmuseum Vienna, and Theatermuseum. With a distinguished career at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Haag served as Director of the Kunstkammer and the Secular & Ecclesiastical Treasury from 2007 to 2016 and as Deputy Director from 2002 to 2007. She began her tenure as a Curator in 1995 and has been a pivotal figure in the museum’s development since starting as a Curatorial Assistant in 1990. Haag holds a PhD and MA in Art History from the University of Vienna and has conducted extensive research on Baroque sculpture. She is also President of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, a board member of the International Friends of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and involved with several cultural institutions, including ORF III and Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H. Her scholarly contributions, including numerous papers and lectures, reflect her deep commitment to advancing the field of art history.
ABOUT THE AWARDS
The AFA Cultural Leadership Awards are given annually to an artist and museum leader or philanthropist in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the art community. The event brings together artists, museum directors, collectors, philanthropists, and art professionals at an elegant gala to celebrate the American Federation of Arts and honor significant individuals in the arts.
Previous recipients have included: Judy Lauder, Eli and Edythe Broad, Alice Walton, Charles and Valerie Diker, Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, Marina Abramović, Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Frank Gehry, Roy Neuberger, Sarah Sze, and Eugene V. Thaw.
Your support enables us to continue to create meaningful connections between art and audiences. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to the AFA and our valuable mission!
With generous support from
Top Image: photo by Schaun Champion
Middle Image: photo by Billy Farrell
Bottom Image: photo courtesy of © KHM Museumsverband
