Bronx Museum To Honor Stan Lee Foundation And For Freedoms At 2019 Gala

The Bronx Museum of the Arts is pleased to announce its 2019 Benefit Gala and Art Auction, honoring Hank Willis Thomas, Eric Gottesman, and For Freedoms, alongside Junko Kobayashi, President of the Stan Lee Foundation. The annual benefit and auction supports the museum's programming and exhibitions, free admission, and educational programs that reach more than 12,000 Bronx youth every year. This is the museum's first gala under the leadership of Executive Director Deborah Cullen.

The 2019 Gala will be held at Capitale, at 130 Bowery St., on April 8, 2019. Tickets are available for purchase here.

"We are proud to honor For Freedoms and The Stan Lee Foundation for their contributions to a more equitable and civil society," said Bronx Museum Executive Director Deborah Cullen. "The work of Hank Willis Thomas, Eric Gottesman, Stan Lee, and Junko Kobayashi, who share the Bronx Museum's commitment to a more representative, open, and democratic art world, one in which all voices are welcomed, lifted up, and empowered, is as invaluable today as ever. It is a pleasure to applaud them and all that they do."

Since its inception in 1971, the Bronx Museum has focused on serving the underserved communities in which it sits and connecting diverse audiences to urban experiences through world-class exhibitions and educational and public programs. The Bronx Museum's programming is a manifestation of that cultural and community wealth. The Bronx Museum defines itself as an open and inclusive place, where all people feel welcome to participate and where marginalized voices, particularly of the youth, can be heard. Always free and open to the public, the Bronx Museum greets approximately 100,000 visitors of all ages each year, including 12,000 K-12 students from neighboring Bronx public schools.

This year's honorees embody The Bronx Museum of the Arts' enduring values, and share its commitment to promoting and supporting social justice.

Through the organization For Freedoms, which they founded in 2016, Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman spearheaded a massive public art project, the "50 State Initiative," to drive conversation and participation around this year's midterm elections. Spanning the entire country, the project included artist-designed billboards, Town Halls, exhibitions and installations, artist residencies, and more, bringing the power and creativity of artists to every corner of the country in pursuit of dialogue about and engagement with our civic life.

The Stan Lee Foundation, created by the late Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, who grew up in the Bronx, and headed by President Junko Kobayashi, is dedicated to the power of literacy, education, and the arts, supporting literacy programs for underserved youth across the United States. Working with institutional and nonprofit partners, educators, and philanthropists, the Stan Lee Foundation recognizes the tremendous power of education to change lives, and carries on the ethos Lee brought to his work at Marvel: a vision of a more inclusive, representative society.

Following a dinner will be an art auction, featuring works by Rashid Johnson, Teresita Fernandez, Sanford Biggers, Allora & Calzadilla, and Abigail DeVille, among others.

Hank Willis Thomas, Eric Gottesman, through For Freedoms, the organization they founded in 2016, have partnered with hundreds of US-based institutions and artists for a nationwide campaign of activations to inspire participation in and conversation around this year's midterm elections. That campaign included Town Halls, exhibitions and installations, public programs, billboard campaigns, and artist residencies. Dubbed the "50 State Initiative" and officially launched this June, the project has been described as the largest-ever public art project in the US. Hank, Eric, and For Freedoms will be honored with the Art for Justice Visionaries Award.

The Stan Lee Foundation was established in 2010 by Stan Lee, the Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, who passed away earlier this year, and is led foundation president Junko Kobayashi. The late Stan Lee grew up in the Bronx and attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He was editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, and co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Black Panther, the X-Men. As the President of the Stan Lee Foundation, Junko champions Stan's vision to provide access to literacy, education and the arts in underserved communities throughout the nation. Junko and the Stan Lee Foundation will receive the Lifetime Achievement Visionaries Award.