MIAMI – February 21, 2018 – Saturday night at Pérez Art Museum Miami’s
Art + Soul Fifth Anniversary Celebration of the PAMM Fund for African American Art, nearly 350 guests attended the historic evening in support of the Fund. The evening kicked off with an intimate dinner in Paresky Hall emceed by Local 10 Anchor
Neki Mohan.
Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of the
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, welcomed supporters and announced that Knight Foundation would match every dollar raised this year in an effort to help PAMM create an incredible collection of African American Art. Throughout the evening, more than $250,000 was raised towards the match—more than $500,000 total, ensuring that works by African American artists will always be represented in PAMM’s permanent collection for generations to come.
“We are thrilled to see how this Fund has evolved and grown over the past five years. By offering a match, we hope this encourages the Miami community to contribute to our shared goal of building a collection of great art by African American artists that will inspire and connect us all,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of Knight Foundation.
During the evening’s celebration, PAMM Director
Franklin Sirmans also revealed the fund’s newest acquisition, a painting by
Tschabalala Self—a renowned 26-year-old female artist whose work celebrates the Black female body in contemporary culture.
“We are continually grateful for Alberto and Jorge’s contributions to this Fund, which grants us the incredible opportunity to continue to build a great collection of contemporary African American art that our audiences can enjoy for generations to come, and we are overjoyed to add Tschabalala’s work to our collection this year.”
Self said a few words about her work, Chopped Cheese (2017), which explores the environments of identity politics by focusing specifically on bodegas—public storefronts that serve as a hallmark of lower-income Black and Latinx communities throughout New York City. Known for her collage and assemblage paintings, Self’s work examines contemporary perspectives on femininity, race, and gender.
The lively event also featured special musical performances by Cellist
Guy Michel, songstress
TXS, and DJ
She-J Hercules. The program also included art historian and artist
David C. Driskell, inaugural Art + Soul Dinner Host
Deryl McKissack, and celebrity chef
Amaris Jones. Notable guests included Knight Foundation VP/Arts
Victoria Rogers, Director of Arts
Bahia Ramos, and Director of Journalism
LaSharah Bunting; Mayor of Tallahassee
Andrew Gillum; songwriter and producer
Rico Love; playwright and actor
Tarell Alvin McCraney; former White House Social Secretary for President Obama
Desirée Rogers; and PAMM collection artists
José Bedia,
Adler Guerrier, and
Tomás Esson.
The PAMM Fund for African American Art was established in 2013 with the donation of a $1 million grant, funded equally by Jorge M. Pérez and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, for the purchase of contemporary art by African American artists for the museum’s permanent collection. Through the Fund, the museum first acquired works by Al Loving, Faith Ringgold, and Xaviera Simmons. These works joined other significant PAMM collection objects by artists such as Leonardo Drew, Sam Gilliam, Rashid Johnson, Lorna Simpson, James Van Der Zee, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley, and Purvis Young, among others.
The Fifth Annual Reception for the PAMM Fund for African American Art was supported by Knight Foundation, Microsoft, and Kim Crawford.
For more information about the PAMM Fund for African American Art, or to join the PAMM Ambassadors for African American Art, visit pamm.org/artfund.
Event Images: https://ws.onehub.com/folders/j4k2bfhw
Long Caption: [Name] at Art + Soul Fifth Anniversary Celebration of the PAMM Fund for African American Art
Short Captions: [Name] at Art + Soul Celebration of the PAMM Fund for African American Art
Photos by Lazaro Llanes and WorldRedEye.com
About PAMM
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. A nearly 35-year-old South Florida institution formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), Pérez Art Museum Miami opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park on December 4, 2013. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab and classroom spaces. For more information, please visit www.pamm.org, find us on Facebook (facebook.com/perezartmuseummiami), or follow us on Instagram/Twitter (@pamm).
Organization and Support
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Support is provided by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. Additional support is provided by the City of Miami and the Miami OMNI Community Redevelopment Agency (OMNI CRA). Pérez Art Museum Miami is an accessible facility. All contents ©Pérez Art Museum Miami. All rights reserved.
