The 11th Annual Art of the Party Raises Over $1.7 Million for Arts Education Programs

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) honored Kenneth C. Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, at the 11th annual Art of the Party gala on Saturday, November 9. At the event, which brought together the city’s community of artists, philanthropists, civic leaders, and arts supporters, PAMM announced a $10 million gift from Griffin to enhance PAMM’s collection and support its mission as Miami’s flagship art institution.

At the event, Delcy Morelos was also awarded the Pérez Prize, an unrestricted award of $50,000 that recognizes artistic achievement, funded by a gift from Jorge and Darlene Pérez. Born in Tierralta, Colombia, Morelos’ 30-year practice draws on ancestral cosmovision and minimal aesthetics to explore the deep connections between humanity and the earth.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate our 11th Annual Art of the Party together with the civic, philanthropic, and cultural communities that support PAMM. We are thankful to share time and space with supporters who believe in the power of art and culture, and who are helping us in our mission to enrich the lives of everyone in our vibrant city and county. We’re also thrilled to honor Delcy Morelos, an artist whose powerful practice explores diverse cultural narratives between people and the environment,” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans. “And, we would also like to express our deepest gratitude to Ken Griffin—his commitment to giving back, in Miami and around the world, has left a lasting impact on the arts, our community, and PAMM, in a very short period of time.”

At PAMM’s largest fundraiser of the year, Griffin was honored for his dedication to philanthropy and the arts in Miami. The transformational gift from Griffin announced at the event will support the museum’s educational programs and more. Also unveiled at the event was the newly named Kenneth C. Griffin Gallery, PAMM’s central and largest single gallery, which showcases highlights of the museum’s world-class permanent collection.

“Pérez Art Museum Miami is a world-class arts and cultural hub that enriches our great city,” said Griffin. “I am proud to support this outstanding institution in unison with the broader Miami community.”

Griffin has a long track record of providing meaningful support to arts and cultural institutions around the world, including those in South Florida. He is particularly interested in expanding access for families and children and ensuring that the institutions have the resources to thrive and innovate for decades to come.

Previous transformative gifts to arts and cultural institutions have included those to the Norton Museum of Art, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art, among others.

The evening, which featured performances by Nikki Kidd and a menu designed by Constellation Culinary Group, raised more than $1.7 million for the museum’s dynamic arts education program.

Following the seated dinner, PAMM’s North Terrace Platform transformed into the late-night Remix After Party featuring a live DJ set by artist José Parlá, whose exhibition José Parlá: Homecoming opens at PAMM on November 14.

2024 Art of the Party Chairs

Karen H. Bechtel and William M. Osborne

Darlene and Jorge M. Pérez

Host Committee

Co-Chairs: Alexa and Adam Wolman, Jessica and Franklin Sirmans

Sarah Arison and Thomas Wilhelm

Arlene and Wayne Chaplin

Upacala Mapatuna and Quinn Morgan

Camille and W. Patrick McDowell

Joe Natoli

Mac Osborne

Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst

Craig Robins and Jackie Soffer

Suzy and Sadek Wahba

NextGen Committee

Co-Chairs: Christopher Pastor and Austin Horne, Dr. Charles and Lydia Lawrie

Anthony Abraham

Christopher Adeleke

Ashley Sebok Boehne

Alexandra and James Burke

Daniela Cimo

Alecia Dillon

Ellie Hayworth

Gloria Hernando

Wendy Francois and Kevin Michael

Cynthia Chipi and Jonathan Minguez

Alan Newman

Reyna Noriega

Rush Norton

Evelyn Vigistain Pérez

About PAMM

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), led by Director Franklin Sirmans, promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture, and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. The 40-year-old South Florida institution, formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, on December 4, 2013, in Downtown Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab, and classroom spaces.

About Griffin Catalyst

Griffin Catalyst is the civic engagement initiative of Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, encompassing his philanthropic and community impact efforts. Tackling the world’s greatest challenges in innovative, action-oriented, and evidence-driven ways, Griffin Catalyst is dedicated to expanding opportunity and improving lives across six areas of focus: Education, Science &; Medicine, Upward Mobility, Freedom & Democracy, Enterprise & Innovation, and Communities. For more information, visit griffincatalyst.org.

About Delcy Morelos

Born in Tierralta in the region of Córdoba in Colombia, Delcy Morelos’ practice spans more than 30 years. Her practice is grounded in ancestral cosmovision and the aesthetics of minimal art—inspiring rumination on the interplay between human beings and earth, the human body, and materiality. Focusing primarily on painting in her early works, her material investigations have extended into ceramics, textiles, and natural materials like earth, clay, and plant fibers.