Pérez Art Museum Awards Artist Javier Téllez With Annual Pérez Prize, Raises More Than $2 Million in Support of Education Program at Museum’s Largest Fundraiser

November 17, 2025

Honoring Craig Robins and Jackie Soffer at the 12th Annual Art of the Party

MIAMI, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 15: (L-R) Franklin Sirmans, Darlene Pérez, Dorothy Podhurst, Jackie Soffer, and Craig Robins onstage at PAMM Art of the Party at Pérez Art Museum Miami on November 15, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for Pérez Art Museum Miami)

(MIAMI, FL — November 17, 2025) — On Saturday, November 15, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) honored Craig Robins and Jackie Soffer during the 12th annual Art of the Party, the museum’s largest fundraising event. The evening brought together Miami’s community of artists, philanthropists, civic leaders, and arts supporters to celebrate the pair’s visionary leadership at the intersection of art and design. The event raised more than $2 million in support of the museum’s robust arts education program—the largest of its kind outside the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system—in addition to funding PAMM’s broader mission. The evening featured a seated dinner on PAMM’s East Portico followed by an after-party on the museum’s waterfront terrace, featuring a live set by DJ Ruckus.

Images available for download here.
Image credits are indicated in the individual folders.

As longtime PAMM supporters, Robins and Soffer have enriched the museum’s collection with more than 300 donated works and helped shape its vision as board members, co-chairs, and champions of Miami’s creative community.

Franklin Sirmans, Jorge M. Pérez, Javier Tellez & Darlene Pérez

The evening also featured the presentation of the seventh annual Pérez Prize, a $50,000 unrestricted award recognizing an artist whose work advances global artistic dialogue. Annually funded by a gift from Miami-based art patrons Jorge and Darlene Pérez, this year’s recipient was Javier Téllez, a New York-based and Venezuelan-born artist whose incisive work grapples with representations of mental illness, the meaning of sanity, and the marginalized communities affected by these categorizations.
“Seven years into the Pérez Prize, we’re reminded why this commitment matters more than ever. Artists, especially those who amplify underrepresented voices, deserve meaningful recognition and support,” said Darlene Pérez. “Javier’s work approaches a highly charged, highly timely topic through a deeply personal lens, creating space for dialogue around challenges too often overlooked. We’re honored to support his practice and see this award bring attention to artists whose work resonates far beyond the museum walls.”

“Craig and Jackie have transformed Miami through their visionary leadership in art, design, and community building. We’re honored to recognize their enduring contributions and to celebrate the generosity of those who make nights like this possible,” said Franklin Sirmans, Sandra and Tony Tamer director at PAMM. “We’re also thrilled to honor Javier Téllez with this year’s Pérez Prize, thanks to Jorge and Darlene Pérez. Javier’s practice confronts the realities of mental illness with empathy and urgency—an issue of growing significance in our time. We’re proud to play a part in sustaining the power and reach of his work.”


2025 Art of the Party Chairs

Host Committee

NextGen Committee

ABOUT CRAIG ROBINS & JACKIE SOFFER
Craig Robins, founder and CEO of Dacra, has redefined Miami through projects that unite architecture, design, and community. He has spearheaded transformative developments, including the revitalization of South Beach, Lincoln Road, and most notably the Miami Design District. Robins also played a pivotal role in bringing Art Basel to Miami Beach, permanently shifting the global art calendar, and co-founded Design Miami, one of the world’s premier fairs for collectible design.

Jackie Soffer, chairman and CEO of real estate development firm Turnberry, leads some of South Florida’s most dynamic developments, including Aventura Mall, which she has shaped into both a retail and cultural landmark with an iconic collection of public art. She has expanded her family’s legacy with large-scale projects across hospitality, residential, and commercial real estate, redefining how culture and commerce converge.

ABOUT PAMM
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), led by Franklin Sirmans, Sandra and Tony Tamer Director, 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. The 41-year-old South Florida institution, formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, on December 4, 2013, in Downtown Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park. 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.

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.
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Pérez Art Museum Awards Artist Javier Téllez With Annual Pérez Prize, Raises More Than $2 Million in Support of Education Program at Museum’s Largest Fundraiser
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