The Whitney Museum of American Art hosted its annual gala, honoring artist Julie Mehretu, board chair Fern Kaye Tessler, and former director Adam D. Weinberg. Mehretu, who donated $2.25 million in 2024 to fund the museum's 'Free Under 25' initiative, delivered a speech emphasizing that free admission for young people is a statement of values, not a privilege. The gala raised $6.3 million, with attendees including artists Rashid Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Anicka Yi, and Fred Wilson, as well as collector Beth Rudin DeWoody.
This matters because Mehretu's gift has tripled the number of visitors under 25, making over one-third of Whitney visitors part of its free programming. Her critique of 'pay what you wish' policies and insistence on unconditional access challenges museums to rethink financial barriers, positioning access as central to the definition of a museum of American art. The event underscores a growing trend of artists directly funding institutional equity initiatives.