CHICAGO, IL.- EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, today announced the appointment of Eboni S. Gates as Head of VIP Relations and Strategic Initiatives in advance of the ninth annual edition, returning to Navy Pier's Festival Hall September 24 – 27, 2020. EXPO CHICAGO’s VIP Relations team provides collectors, art advisors, civic leaders, museum directors, board members, trustees, patrons and artists with unique access to Chicago's cultural scene. As Head of VIP Relations and Strategic Initiatives, Gates will cultivate the exposition's offerings for local, regional and global arts patrons.

“We are extremely proud to welcome Eboni to the team as she brings her extensive professional background and international relationships to the benefit of EXPO CHICAGO," said Tony Karman, President | Director of EXPO CHICAGO. “I am confident that her experience will build on our existing programming, further our collector outreach and develop new strategic partners in support of our exhibitors and the exposition.”

Gates has spent the last two decades helping transform arts and culture institutions through her expertise in arts management, strategic philanthropy, executive recruitment and diversity equity and inclusion. Gates will use her vast knowledge base in her role to identify new partners and create bespoke opportunities for supporters of the fair by conceptualizing customized events and experiences, while spearheading the exposition's integrations with sponsors and institutions across the city.

"As a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO is a prodigious asset to the City of Chicago and a motivating force for the galleries, collectors and artists that constitute the global art world. In my newly appointed role as Head of VIP Relations and Strategic Initiatives, I look forward to increasing the visibility of the vibrant cultural and creative center that is Chicago," states Gates. " EXPO CHICAGO has become a highly anticipated and preeminent international art exposition, and I am delighted to be a part of the team who will continue that success and find dynamic new and exciting ways to engage art patrons, both local and global."

Enoni S. Gates
Eboni S. Gates has spent the last two decades helping transform arts and culture institutions through her expertise in arts management, strategic philanthropy, executive recruitment and diversity equity and inclusion. Founder of Gates Consulting Group, her clients have included notable institutions and private sector clients such as DRG Talent Advisory, Museum of the City of New York, Studio Museum in Harlem, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management and numerous contemporary art collectors. She has also held leadership positions at Museum of the City of New York, RBC Capital Markets Charitable Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, Livet Reichard Arts Management and Artnet. Since arriving in Chicago in June of 2018, Eboni has deeply embedded herself in the culture fabric of Chicago. Currently, she serves as a member of both the Leadership Advisory Committee and the Acquisitions Committee for The Society of Contemporary Art (SCA) at the Art Institute of Chicago. She will also continue to serve as an advisor to DRG Search Advisory. Previously, she served as gala co-chair and Executive Committee member of Museum of Modern Art's (NY) Friends of Education Committee. Gates received her MA in Art Business from the Sotheby's Institute London, and a BA in Art History from New York University.