The Barnes Foundation Announces the 2024 Barnes Art Ball
Benefit event celebrating Mickalene Thomas: All About Love exhibition, featuring special performances by DJ Aura, Black Buttafly (aka Kayla Childs), Yesseh Furaha-Ali,Getting Better Everyday Step Team & The Illustrious Blacks
Friday, October 18, 7pm
Philadelphia, PA, September 23, 2024—The Barnes Foundation has announced its annual benefit, the Barnes Art Ball, taking place on Friday, October 18. This year’s Art Ball brings together artists, philanthropists, collectors, connectors, and community partners for an art-filled celebration of the Barnes and creativity. Funds raised directly support our educational mission, exhibition program, and care of the collection, and a wide array of community, artistic, and scholarly projects.
This year’s Art Ball celebrates the opening of Mickalene Thomas: All About Love, the first major international tour focused on the work of pioneering American artist Mickalene Thomas, whose influences range from 19th-century painting to popular culture. On view in the Roberts Gallery and curated by independent curator, scholar, and writer Renée Mussai, the exhibition marks its only East Coast presentation at the Barnes with approximately 50 works made by Thomas over the past two decades. Showcasing a body of vivid and multifaceted artworks—paintings, collage, photography, video, and site-specific installation—this exhibition celebrates Thomas’s distinctive, multidisciplinary artistic practice.
“We are thrilled to announce our annual Barnes Art Ball, an opportunity to celebrate with our dedicated community of supporters, whose commitment and generosity ensure the success of the Barnes and our educational mission,” says Nina Diefenbach, senior vice president and deputy director for advancement. “This year’s Art Ball, welcoming and celebrating the extraordinary Mickalene Thomas and her All About Love exhibition, allows us to connect with her work and thank our friends and patrons who make everything we do possible.”
In addition to an exclusive after-hours preview of Mickalene Thomas: All About Love and access to the Barnes collection, this year’s Art Ball will be a free-flowing campus-wide event, featuring multiple bars, deluxe food stations, live music, and performances. The evening’s entertainment will spotlight Philadelphia-based and regional talent, including DJ Aura, a tastemaker and soundscape creator who will provide music throughout the evening in the Annenberg Court, and Black Buttafly (aka Kayla Childs), a keyboardist, songwriter, and beatmaker who will present a soulful set in the lower level lounge with saxophonist Yesseh Furaha-Ali.. The evening will also feature a special outdoor performance by Getting Better Everyday Step Team, a step and dance team from Camden, New Jersey, choreographed by Indigo Pascall; and a high-energy performance by The Illustrious Blacks, a DJ duo fusing funk, hypnotic house, and cosmic pop, on the West Terrace.
The event design will feature bold, saturated colors with a dramatic contemporary aesthetic punctuated with pops of shimmer, texture, and beading. The Annenberg Court will be transformed into a sensual and dazzling space, drawing inspiration from Thomas’s monumental four-panel photo collage Noir est beau (Joséphine Baker 3), which will be installed at the east end of the court. Originally created for Dior’s 2023 couture runway show, the embroidered panels feature archival images of the pioneering Black singer and dancer Josephine Baker, who served as muse to Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for the 2023 show. The work that will be on view during All About Love is among 13 photo collages that were created for the runway’s scenography, all featuring women who inspire Thomas and who, she states, “with the odds set against them, persevered with confidence, elegance, beauty, and talent.”
For more information about the 2024 Barnes Art Ball, please visit the website.
BARNES ART BALL LEADERSHIP & COMMITTEE
Trustee Chairs
John R. Alchin and Hal Marryatt
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz
Pamela D. Bundy
Joan Carter and John Aglialoro
Emily and Michael Cavanagh
Gregory E. Deavens
Julia and David Fleischner
Margie and Jeffrey Honickman
Cathy Hughes
Lisa Kabnick and John McFadden
Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer and Joseph Neubauer
Aileen and Brian Roberts
Honorary Co-Chairs
The Hon. Jacqueline F. Allen
Judith Broudy
Laura Brown
Betsy Z. and Edward D. Cohen
Tamala M. Edwards
Valerie Gay
Agnes Gund
Anne and Matt Hamilton
Christine and George Henisee
Jacqueline London
Leigh P. Middleton
Hilarie L. Morgan
Megan Maguire Nicoletti
Linda and David Paskin
Marsha and Jeffrey Perelman
Lyn M. Ross
Adele K. Schaeffer
Brenda and Larry Thompson
Robbi and Bruce Toll
Regina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten
Dyana Williams
Dalila Wilson-Scott
Co-Chairs
ruby onyinyechi amanze
Christine Angelakis
Karen Dougherty Buchholz
Carra Cote-Ackah and Amachie Ackah
Marianne N. Dean
Marlene and Brian Dooner
John Dowell and Frances Savage
Michelle and Eugene Dubay
Katie Flaherty
Sarah Roberts Hall
Robin Halpern and James Lovett
Michelle J. Hong
Joseph Kotarski and Federico Mingozzi
Kate Lagos
Committee
Nicole Amoroso, Jennifer Lisle Anderson, Sandy and Bill Annesley, Diane Cohn Bass and Robert Bass, Chris and Wade Berrettini, Sally C. Bleznak, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., Lauren Eni Canseco, Dunham Townend Churchill, Ralph Citino and Lawrence Taylor, Hope Cohen, Ali Bauer Crouch, Beverly Deavens, Tarrynn Deavens, Becca Diefenbach, Roberta Fine Dranoff, Barbara Eberlein and Jerry Wind, James Fernberger and Mary Walto, Jennifer Flaisher, Barbara F. Freed and Alan Mittelman, Tuesday Gordon Gaines, Deborah E. Glass, Richard J. Green, Barb and Jack Hafner, Pia and Richard Halloran, Beth Hare, Liesl Henderson and Jordan Mersky, Joan and Dan Hilferty, Clara and Bentley Hollander, Angela V.B. Hudson, Tac Justi, Andrew G. Kaplan, Marina Kats and The Hon. John J. Medveckis, Kate and Peter Kelsen, Amy and John Korman, Neal Krouse and Karl Fong, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Liddy Lindsay, Christina Weiss Lurie, Marcello Luzi and Gregory Seitter, Louis R. Marion, Rev. Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake, Sandy and David Marshall, Sarah J.M. Marshall, Leanne and Rob McMenamin, Jay B. Minkoff, The Hon. Gregory P. Montanaro, Cathy Nassau, Jamese Newsome-Williams, Barbara Gisel Oehrle, Jill and Jon Powell, Anne S. Ravert, Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman, Amy Riley, Caro and Bob Rock, Marguerite V. Rodgers and James H. Timberlake, Eileen Rosenau, Cornelia Samara, Adrienne Sanogo, Nicole Dresnin Schaeffer, Pamela Schreiber, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw and John Fernandez, Iris and Greg Shea, Lynn and Howard Shecter, Nancy and Ben Shein, Gail Mosler Singer, Garrett Snider, Lindy Snider, Babette Snyder, Tania Spensierato, Judith Sills Swartz and Randy Swartz, Josephine and Sam Switzenbaum, Tiffany Tavarez, Megan van Arkel, Waqas Wajahat, Kim Whetzel, Laurie Wightman, Randi Zemsky and Bob Lane
ART BALL DONORS AND SPONSORS
Benefactors
The Maguire Foundation
Jeanette and Joe Neubauer
Aileen and Brian Roberts
Underwriting Sponsors
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt
Christine and Michael Angelakis
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz
Joan Carter and John Aglialoro
Betsy Z. and Edward E. Cohen
Marianne N. Dean
Dietz & Watson
Julia and David Fleischner
Barb and Jack Hafner
Independence Blue Cross
Lisa Kabnick and John McFadden
The Snider Foundation
Event Sponsors
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Judith Broudy
Emily and Michael Cavanagh
Comcast NBCUniversal
Connelly Foundation
Michelle and Eugene Dubay
Sarah and Chester Hall
Robin Halpern and James Lovett
Anne and Matt Hamilton
Christine and George Henisee
Marjorie and Jeffrey Honickman
Karma / Brendan Dugan and Waqas Wajahat, New York
Joseph Kotarski and Federico Mingozzi
Leigh and John Middleton
Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan
Northern Trust
Marsha and Jeffrey Perelman
Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman
Lyn M. Ross
Adele K. Schaeffer
Katie and Tony Schaeffer
Josephine and Sam Switzenbaum
Robbi and Bruce Toll
van Beuren Charitable Foundation
Van Cleef & Arpels
Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg
Janine and Jeffrey Yass
Supporters
Alex. Brown | Raymond James
Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr.
Firstrust Bank
Agnes Gund
Liesl Henderson and Jordan Mersky
Justi Group Inc.
Marina Kats and The Hon. John J. Medveckis
Neal Krouse and Karl Fong
LAGOS
Sandy and David Marshall
Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw and John Fernandez
Nancy and Ben Shein
Brenda A. and Larry D. Thompson
Harriet and Larry Weiss
Special Thanks for In-Kind Gifts
Constellation Culinary Group
DAOU Vineyards
Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center
As of August 25, 2024
EXHIBITION ORGANIZATION
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is co-organized by the Hayward Gallery, London, and The Broad, Los Angeles, and in partnership with the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, and Les Abattoirs, Musée–Frac Occitanie Toulouse. The presentation at the Barnes is curated by independent curator, scholar, and writer Renée Mussai.
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal.
Additional support is provided by Agnes Gund, Denise Littlefield Sobel, the Edna W. Andrade Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, Emily and Michael Cavanagh, Ralph Citino and Lawrence Taylor, Marianne N. Dean, Arthur M. Kaplan and R. Duane Perry, Sarah Morthland, Ogilvie Family Foundation, Dalila Wilson-Scott and S. Christopher Scott, Josephine and Sam Switzenbaum, Brenda A. and Larry D. Thompson, an anonymous donor, and other generous individuals.
Ongoing funding for exhibitions comes from the Christine and Michael Angelakis Exhibition Fund, the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, the Lois and Julian Brodsky Exhibition Fund, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Christine and George Henisee Exhibition Fund, the Aileen and Brian Roberts Exhibition Fund, and the Tom and Margaret Lehr Whitford Exhibition Fund.
In addition, funding for all exhibitions comes from contributors to the Barnes Foundation Exhibition Fund:
Joan Carter and John Aglialoro, Julia and David Fleischner, Victoria McNeil Le Vine, Leigh and John Middleton, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Lois and Julian Brodsky, N. Judith Broudy, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., Eugene and Michelle Dubay, Penelope P. Harris, Jones & Wajahat Family, Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden, Victor F. Keen and Jeanne Ruddy, Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, The Park Family, Wendy and Mark Rayfield, Anne and Bruce Robinson, Adele K. Schaeffer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Donna and Jerry Slipakoff, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Joan F. Thalheimer, Bruce and Robbi Toll, van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Kirsten White, Randi Zemsky and Bob Lane, Anonymous.
ABOUT THE BARNES FOUNDATION
The Barnes Foundation is a nonprofit cultural and educational institution that shares its unparalleled art collection with the public, organizes special exhibitions, and presents programming that fosters new ways of thinking about human creativity. The Barnes collection is displayed in ensembles that integrate art and objects from across cultures and time periods, overturning traditional hierarchies and revealing universal elements of human expression. Home to one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings—including the largest groups of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne in existence—the Barnes brings together renowned canvases by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Vincent van Gogh, alongside African, Asian, ancient, medieval, and Native American art as well as metalwork, furniture, and decorative art.
The Barnes Foundation was established by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” A visionary collector and pioneering educator, Dr. Barnes was also a fierce advocate for the civil rights of African Americans, women, and the economically marginalized. Committed to racial equality and social justice, he established a scholarship program to support young Black artists, writers, and musicians who wanted to further their education. Dr. Barnes was deeply interested in African American culture and became actively involved in the Harlem Renaissance, during which he collaborated with philosopher Alain Locke and Charles S. Johnson, the scholar and activist, to promote awareness of the artistic value of African art.
Since moving to Philadelphia in 2012, the Barnes Foundation has expanded its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice, teaching visual literacy in groundbreaking ways; investing in original scholarship relating to its collection; and enhancing accessibility throughout every facet of its programs.
The Barnes Foundation is situated in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape people. Read our Land Acknowledgment.
Hours and ticket prices are listed on our website.
###
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Deirdre Maher, Director of Communications
215.278.7160, press@barnesfoundation.org
Online press office: barnesfoundation.org/press