On Monday evening, the new Studio Museum in Harlem marked its first anniversary. The refreshed building on West 125th Street, designed by Adjaye Associates in collaboration with Cooper Robertson, is a dream realized—primed for discovery, fellowship, and ultimately, fulfilling the institution’s purpose of championing the work of Black artists in Harlem.
And so, the museum’s annual gala could not have come at a better time to fete such an incredible moment in its history. Museum directors, artists, friends, supporters, and Mayor Mamdani and First Lady Rama Duwaji made their way to The Glasshouse in West Chelsea for a celebration befitting the milestone—dressed to the nines in black-tie attire, no less.
After a cheery cocktail hour, gala-goers took to the ballroom for the seated portion of the evening. Over a dinner of shaved Brussels sprouts, miso-glazed cod, and vegetables, a vibrant crowd was warmly welcomed by Thelma Golden, the Ford Foundation director and chief curator.
Among the room were Carrie Mae Weems, Tyler Mitchell, Rashid Johnson, Fat Joe, and Spike Lee. Meanwhile the man of the hour was undoubtedly Mayor Mamdani, who was joined by his artist wife in a rare joint appearance on the social calendar. The couple were spotlighted not only for their ongoing support of the reimagined Studio Museum in Harlem, but also for championing the arts across all five boroughs.
“Each October, our annual gala offers us a unique opportunity to come together to celebrate the Studio Museum,” chair of the board of trustees Kathryn C. Chenault said. “It also presents us with the chance to honor and thank all of you, the faithful supporters of our mission and program, who have made it possible for us to flourish.”
Few people embody that mission like the evening’s honoree, Raymond J. McGuire, who over the last 25 years has helped guide the museum through crucial moments of growth and transformation through his work as a long-standing board chair. Of McGuire, Golden said: “It felt appropriate that we mark this moment in the museum’s history by honoring an individual who has maintained a fierce clarity of vision for who we are, who we serve, why we exist, and how we can and should move forward.”
As he accepted his award, McGuire received a round of rapturous applause before delivering a moving speech. He extended his thanks to the museum’s staff, sponsors, philanthropic leaders, artists, directors, and supporters, and most importantly, Golden and their longtime partnership. “Thelma refused to allow anyone’s standards to define our excellence,” he praised. “She built the visual grammar, the fusion of aesthetics, modernity, justice, social clarity, and spiritual uplift. As they say in them streets, Thelma Golden, ‘We did the damn thing.’”
The evening also offered a moment to present Kevin Beasley with the Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize. A multimedia artist who was a 2013-2014 Artist-in-Residence at the museum, Beasley is widely known for his works combining sculpture, performance art, and sound installation. Golden emphasized his vision, power, and impact: “The objects and materials he works with aren’t arbitrary,” she said. “They’re selected through careful consideration of looking, and with time and attention paid to how he vigorously studies each item’s history and to their relationship to the issues that permeate Black existence in the United States, whether shared or personal.”
