The Studio Museum in Harlem hosted a star-studded gala at the Glasshouse in Manhattan, raising $3.7 million to support its upcoming reopening. The event marked a significant milestone for the institution, which has been undergoing extensive renovations for seven years and is scheduled to open its new doors on West 125th Street on November 15. Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden described the evening as a 'threshold' moment, celebrating the museum's legacy of shaping cultural history since its founding in 1968.
The evening featured a high-profile guest list including Usher, Spike Lee, and Tyler Mitchell, alongside prominent art world figures and city officials. Highlights of the program included the honoring of five long-standing trustees for their combined 219 years of service and the presentation of the Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize to Kenturah Davis. The funds raised will bolster the museum's mission of supporting artists of African descent and fostering community engagement through its new state-of-the-art facility.