Hirshhorn To Honor Five Washington Artists at Spring Gala
The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will honor five Washington, D.C., artists during a spring gala held at the museum Saturday, May 6. In celebration of the Hirshhorn’s more than 40 years as the city’s leading institution of modern and contemporary art, the museum will recognize prominent contemporary artists and Smithsonian collaborators Sam Gilliam, Linn Meyers, Maggie Michael, Jefferson Pinder and Dan Steinhilber for their accomplishments. The honorees represent such diverse movements as color field painting, Afrofuturist performance and found object sculpture, and all live and work in the nation’s capital.
“Washington, D.C., is a vibrant creative hub at the intersection of national and international culture, and the Hirshhorn’s unrivaled setting informs all that we do,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “These artists are instrumental in the transformation of contemporary expression, and they also share our deep commitment to Washington’s diverse communities. We are thrilled to recognize their innovations at the forefront of both the local and global art worlds.”
All proceeds from the gala will benefit the Hirshhorn’s public initiatives, including exhibitions, free programs, community partnerships and digital collaborations that bring global contemporary art to the widest possible audiences. Since 2015, the Hirshhorn’s galas have raised nearly $3 million to support its groundbreaking exhibitions and programs.
More than 200 revelers will enjoy a multicourse dinner with dramatic views overlooking the National Mall. Hundreds more will join a late-night outdoor celebration on the Hirshhorn’s Plaza, featuring specialty cocktails, small bites and a live site-specific sound performance conceived by The Holladay Brothers, the Washington-born, L.A.-based art and technology duo, set against the dramatic setting of the museum’s modernist architecture. Guests will also have a chance to tour “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors,” the first exhibition to explore the evolution of legendary Japanese artist’s immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms.
For more information about the gala, including tickets and cost, the public can visit http://hirshhorn.si.edu/bio/hirshhorn-spring-gala.
About the Hirshhorn
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. With nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works, its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all, 364 days a year. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.
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