Recognition Week Celebration
Save the Date
July 10, 2025, 6-9PM
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Tuesday, July 9
5PM – Reserved seating at the Summer Series conversation, featuring International Artist Honoree Charles Gaines in conversation with Rodney McMillian, followed by VIP ticket holder dinner at the Soldner Center.
Wednesday, July 10
11:30AM – Reserved seating at the Conversation with Service to the Arts Honorees Barbara and Bruce Berger, moderated by Gabriela Palmieri of Palmieri Fine Art, followed by a VIP ticket holder luncheon at Anderson Ranch.
Thursday, July 11
6PM – Cocktail reception and activations at Anderson Ranch prior to the Recognition Dinner.
7:30PM – Dinner service with award presentations and a lively auction showcasing top contemporary artists’ works.
SPECIAL THANKS
These events are made possible by the generous support of our 2024 co-chairs, supporters and sponsors.
Recognition Dinner Co-Chairs:
Cori and Seth Berger
Ilyse Berger
Sarah Broughton and John Rowland
Bunny and Charles Burson
Gabriela Palmieri
Honorary Host Committee:
Anonymous
Sarah Arison and Thomas Wilhelm
Sasha and Edward Bass
Erin and Douglas Becker
Jill and Jay Bernstein
Nancy Blank
Rona and Jeffrey Citrin
Ann Cook and Charley Moss
Nancy and Steve Crown
Paula Crown and The Crown Family
Eleanore and Domenico De Sole
Laura Donnelley
Lori Dresner and Peter Wycoff
Gail and Alfred Engelberg
Marilyn and Larry Fields
Martha and Richard Finger
Sistie Fischer
J. Scott Francis and Susan Gordon, Francis Family Foundation
Lisie and Michael Gottdenker
Michelle and Perry Griffith
Brijetta Hall Waller
Mary Kathryn Hartigan
Pam Joseph and Rob Brinker
Barbara Bluhm-Kaul and Don Kaul
Philae Knight
Laura and Gary Lauder
Barbara and Jon Lee
Melony and Adam Lewis
Nancy Magoon
Judy and Robbie Mann
Liza and Jon Mauck
Denise Monteleone and Jim Martin
Madeleine Morrison and Chuck Bellock
Darlene and Jorge Perez
Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst
Kathryn and Richard Rabinow
Kevin Ramnaraine and Richard Edwards
Albert Sanford
Lorraine and Mark Schapiro
Cynthia and Terry Siegel
Leigh and Reggie Smith
Billy Stolz
Ellen Susman
Anne Welsh McNulty
Debi and Steven Wisch
Marie and Bill Wise
Honorary Gallery Host Committee:
Carpenters Workshop Gallery
David Zwirner
Deitch Projects
Gagosian
Hauser & Wirth
James Cohan Gallery
Luhring Augustine
Marianne Boesky Gallery
Patron Gallery
Perrotin Gallery
R & Company
Sean Kelly Gallery
Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
Skarstedt Gallery
Auction Committee:
Philae Knight – Chair
Barbara Berger
Rona Citrin
Evan Snyderman
Kelly Woods
Sponsor:
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 Charles Gaines (2024), 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 Barbara and Bruce Berger (2024), 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
