MoMa Black Arts Council Benefit celebrated the cultural contributions of Simone Leigh and Pamela J. Joyner this year. The annual event is a tentpole of the New York Arts scene.
Leigh is an accomplished artist whose work across mediums is infused with powerful social commentary. Her sculpture, video, and installation work have been celebrated around the globe. In 2022, she represented at the 59th Venice Biennale with a triumph showing of her exhibition Simone Leigh: Sovereignty. In 2023, she forced the world to reconsider their relationship to the labor of Black women with a striking survey of her work at The Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston.
Joyner is an impactful collector who has dedicated decades to uplifting Black art. Her influence is felt across the art world. She and her husband, fellow honoree Alfred J. Giuffrida, amassed a monumental collection that they display. Joyner frequently champions artists and supports art institutions.
Alvin Hall, Chair of The Black Arts Council, welcomed guests standing beside Otobong Nkanga’s Cadence in the Donald and Catherine Marron Family Atrium. Light danced across centerpieces full of scarlet flowers that picked up the shades of Nkanga’s tapestry before landing on Hall’s turn-of-the-century sunburst-shaped broach as he spoke. “This evening is a time to reflect on the power of coming together, of dreaming together and giving together to honor and facilitate creativity and creative expressions in the arts that make us see and think about the world and ourselves in new and deeper ways,” said Hall.
The MoMa Black Arts Council was formed in 1993, and holds several events throughout the year, including art talks and film screenings. Its annual benefit is a fundraiser that facilitates “the continued impact and influence of the Black Arts Council through acquisitions, exhibitions, and educational programming.” Members of the council include former ESSENCE Executive Editor and Junebug Ink founder Jacklyn Monk.
Attendees in the exhibition were led by Hall to raise their glasses to the council’s mission, a beacon in a climate that has placed the arts in peril. “This moment of opening this event, I’m never tired of because I know that everybody in this room are all on the same page thinking that we want to make the Black Arts Council a success,” Hall continued. The art history canon has traditionally sidelined Black artists, making organizations and activism dedicated to contextualizing their value more crucial than ever.
Mark Bradford celebrated Joyner and Giuffrida’s contributions when introducing the couple. “It makes a huge difference to have you in the studio,” he said. “We appreciate the passion. We appreciate you.” He noted that Joyner has remained as excited about the new artists she has encountered as she did when she first engaged with his work.
Joyner climbed the podium in a black pantsuit adorned with clusters of brilliant silver sequins and a marvelous tulle train. “It is a privilege to stand here, among so many who are permitted to illuminating the excellence of Black artists,” said Joyner. “I’m really thrilled to be with you tonight. The mission of the Black Arts Council and the mission that Fred and I put forth in our collection are closely aligned. We see it as our duty to highlight artists of African descent to ensure that they have a real opportunity to demonstrate that they deserve recognition in the full arc of the art historical canon.”
Her husband, Giuffrida, described himself as “the preferably silent partner” in their union before taking the opportunity to encourage everyone to visit the “astounding exhibition on the sixth floor” featuring work from the late Jack Whitten.
After the program concluded, guests flooded into the next room to enjoy an energetic performance from Brooklyn’s Phony Ppl and lavish desserts from the executive pastry chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Musket Room Camari Mick. They sipped tray-passed espresso martinis while nibbling on Mick’s rich chocolate cake and delicate smoked rum balls.
The guest list included artists Mickalene Thomas and Derrick Adams, accessories designer Brandon Blackwood, singer Gale Scott, model, podcaster and beauty entrepreneur Jayda Cheaves, legendary fashion activist Bethann Hardison, respected gallerists Cierra Britton and Hannah Traore, Founder and Co-Director of Newark’s Project for Empty Space Jasmine Wahi, activist and angel investor Hannah Bronfman, author and Brother Vellies founder Aurora James, Schomburg Center Director Joy L. Bivins, and Ford Foundation Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem Thelma Golden.
It was a room full of people dedicated to celebrating the beauty of Black creativity across the diaspora. Leigh, who declared she would keep her “ting brief,” thanked those present who had championed her work. She opted to dedicate her entire acceptance to expressing gratitude. “You can’t buy that kind of support,” she said.
These were people who supported the council’s efforts yearly by contributing to and amplifying its educational mission. They raise the funds, host the panels, curate the speakers, and encourage creativity. At less visible moments, their whispers and screams change the word one artwork at a time.
As Joyner said in her speech, “Milestones like this don’t just happen.”
Learn more about the Black Arts Council here.