(New York, New York) – The American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) will host its 60th Anniversary Benefit Gala on April 7, 2022. The event will honor Faith Ringgold, Bisa Butler, and Brian Donnelly (a.k.a. KAWS) for their achievements in art, design, letters, and culture. Proceeds from the gala will help support inclusive and accessible educational programs, exhibitions, and internships. Joyce Berger Cowin, a longtime supporter and Trustee of the Museum, is the Honorary Chair for the gala.
“At 60 years, we are proud to celebrate our anniversary by honoring three of the most creative artists of our time,” said Jason T. Busch, AFAM’s Director and CEO. “Innovative, iconic, and inspiring, each has made a distinct impact in the United States and abroad.”
“The American Folk Art Museum has been a place of safe refuge for outsider artists and folk artists for years,” said Bisa Butler. “It is a place where we can see Americana crafts in a museum setting and know that the art is respected.”
Brian Donnelly commented, “Congratulations to the American Folk Art Museum on 60th anniversary. I am glad to be a part of the upcoming celebration and a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.”
The gala will be held at Gotham Hall, 1356 Broadway, New York, New York. For tickets and more information, please visit https://www.givergy.us/folkartmuseum.
About Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold is a painter, writer, speaker, mixed media sculptor and performance artist. Ringgold is professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego where she taught art from 1987 until 2002, and the recipient of more than 80 awards including 23 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degrees. Her work is found in the collection of museums around the world, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery, Washington, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Ringgold’s first book, the award winning Tar Beach in 1991, has won over 20 awards including the Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King award for the best-illustrated children’s book of 1991. To date, she has published over two dozen books for readers of all ages.
About Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler creates captivating portraits composed of vibrantly colored and patterned fabrics. Her work was the focus of recent solo exhibitions at the Katonah Museum of Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago and is found in the collections of museums including: the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Newark Museum of Art, The Toledo Museum of Art, Orlando Museum of Art. In 2020 Butler was named a United States Artist Fellow and was recently awarded a Gordon Parks Foundation fellowship.
About Brian Donnelly
Brian Donnelly (a.k.a KAWS) engages audiences beyond the museums and galleries in which he regularly exhibits. His prolific body of work straddles the worlds of art and design to include paintings, murals, graphic and product design, street art, and large-scale sculptures. Over the last two decades he has built a successful career with work that consistently shows his formal agility as an artist, as well as his underlying wit, irreverence, and affection for our times. His refined graphic language revitalizes figuration with both big, bold gestures and playful intricacies.
About the American Folk Art Museum
The American Folk Art Museum engages people of all backgrounds through its collections, exhibitions, publications, and programs as the leading forum shaping the understanding and appreciation of folk and self-taught art across time and place. The Museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022.