Recognition Dinner
Save The Date!
Recognition Dinner – July 11, 2024
Join us for the much-anticipated Recognition Dinner at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, celebrating the accomplishments of key figures in the contemporary art world. We are thrilled to announce Charles Gaines as the 2024 International Artist Honoree and Barbara and Bruce Berger as the 2024 Service to the Arts Award recipients. This is more than just a celebration – it is a testament to the power of creativity and the vital role of the arts in our lives.
A fundraiser at heart, the proceeds from this celebration directly support the Ranch’s mission—to enrich lives with art, inspiration, and community. This is made possible by the generous support of our 2024 Co-Chairs and Sponsors.
Recognition Dinner Co-Chairs:
Cori and Seth Berger
Ilyse Berger
Sarah Broughton and John Rowland
Bunny and Charles Burson
Gabriela Palmieri and Scott Harford
Header Image:
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Charleston Series 1, Tree #11, Fiddle Way, detail, 2023 Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, lacquer, wood Unique 60 x 82 3/4 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth, Photo: Keith Lubow
Meet The Honorees
Charles Gaines
International Artist Honoree
A pivotal figure in the field of conceptual art, Charles Gaines’ body of work engages formulas and systems that interrogate relationships between the objective and the subjective realms. Using a generative approach to create a series of works in a variety of mediums, he has built a bridge between the early conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s and subsequent generations of artists pushing the limits of conceptualism today.
Born in 1944 in Charleston, South Carolina, Gaines began his career as a painter, earning his M.F.A. from the School of Art and Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1967. In the 1970s, Gaines’s art shifted dramatically in response to what he would later call ‘the awakening.’ Gaines’s epiphany materialized in a series called Regression (1973 – 1974), in which he explored the use of mathematical and numeric systems to create soft, numbered marks in ink on a grid, with each drawing built upon the calculations of the last. This methodical approach would carry the artist into the subsequent decades of his artistic journey. [Read More]
Barbara and Bruce Berger
Service to the Arts Honorees
Barbara Berger was born in New York City in 1940 and grew up on the South Shore of Long Island. Barbara married Bruce Berger in June 1960. Bruce was a painter when they married, thus a life together centered around art emerged. Barbara attended the University of Pennsylvania and went on to graduate from Teachers College at Columbia University in 1962. Barbara began her career as the first Corporate Art Consultant in New York City in 1972. She interned for and was mentored by renowned gallerists Leo Castelli and Ivan Karp in the early days of SoHo. They encouraged her to start her consulting firm, Confluence Inc. in 1972, with the goal of bringing together art, architecture, and design. Her area of expertise is emerging contemporary artists; she has built a successful career curating art collections for her clients that continues today. In 1980, Barbara became a founder and charter member of the International Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA). APAA is the only standard-setting organization for the practice of art advisory to this day.
Bruce Berger was born in New York City in 1937 and grew up on the South Shore of Long Island. In 1961, Bruce Berger received his Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Construction Management, with a Minor in Applied Arts from Columbia University. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for 6 years. Bruce started his career in real estate by founding Bruce Berger Realty, in New York City in 1962. In his early career, Bruce was involved in real estate development pertaining to the ski industry in New England. He then moved his area of focus to New York City, developing both commercial and residential properties. Between 1987 and 1989, Bruce developed Canyon Ranch, a health, and fitness resort in Lenox Massachusetts. In 1989 Bruce moved his business enterprise to Denver Colorado, where he was joined by his son Seth. Together, they became one of the early and prime developers in what is now the Golden Triangle Creative District in Denver. In 1992, Bruce and Barbara made Aspen their primary home.
About The Awards
The International Artist Award is given to globally-recognized artists who demonstrate the highest level of artistic achievement and whose careers have fundamentally influenced contemporary art. As the 26th honoree, Charles Gaines joins illustrious past recipients, including Christian Marclay (2023), Yinka Shonibare CBE (2022), Simone Leigh (2021), Nick Cave (2019), Ai Weiwei (2018), Wangechi Mutu (2017), Carrie Mae Weems (2016), Frank Stella (2015), Theaster Gates (2014), and Bill Viola (2013).
The Service to the Arts Award is presented to locally and nationally recognized arts advocates, who demonstrate the highest level of leadership, integrity and vision. Prior recipients include Dana Farouki (2023), Sarah Arison (2019), Bunny and Charles Burson (2018), Jan and Ronnie Greenberg (2017), Eleanore and Domenico De Sole (2016), Jennifer and David Stockman (2015), among others.
Click here to see a list of past Recognition Dinner honorees.
Past Celebrations
