BALTIMORE, MD.- The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) raised over $1.1 million during the spectacular BMA Ball and After Party held on Saturday, November 22. The proceeds raised from the record-setting event will help the BMA continue to elevate artists, connect local and global narratives, expand its educational programs, and provide more meaningful art experiences for students, families, and adults throughout the state of Maryland.
More than 400 guests attended the BMA Ball and another 200 attended the After Party. The highlights of the evening included the presentation of the Changemaker Who Inspires Award to The Sherman Family Foundation, in honor of George Sherman and their decades-long history of supporting children and families, education, and the arts in Baltimore and beyond. The global Artist Who Inspires Award was presented to Wangechi Mutu, a Kenyan-born, New York- and Nairobi-based artist renowned for her boundary-breaking, visionary collages, sculpture, videos, and performances. Reimagining the female body through fantastical transfigurations of humans, animals, plants, and insects, Mutu’s decades-long practice deploys both the uncanny and the familiar to challenge misogyny and racism. Amy Sherald received the local Artist Who Inspires Award in honor of her status as one of the most influential painters of our time, her singular cultural leadership, and long history with Baltimore’s arts community. Celebrating how difference can be the common thread that binds us all, Sherald’s work centers on revelatory, timeless depictions of Black identity, and those who are most vulnerable.
During the event, the BMA announced that the award for the inspiring artist in our community will hereafter be known as the Amy Sherald Visionary Artist Award. This award will continue to be given to artists who are breaking new creative ground and inspiring dialogues about contemporary artistic practice in the region. In appreciation for the museum’s ongoing collaboration, Sherald announced that she will contribute a $5,000 gift to accompany the award to further recognize recipients and provide ever more important financial support. This gift was matched by The Sherman Family Foundation, making the award $10,000 for future awardees based in this region.
“I have known Amy Sherald for many years. In that time, I’ve had the great pleasure of collaborating with her and watching her career flourish as an enthusiastic supporter. She has always been a person of tremendous vision, integrity, and courage. To name our local artist award, which celebrates pathbreaking artists, is both deeply meaningful for her, for me personally, and for our institution. And to have her, in turn, give this incredible financial gift reflects a model for creating mutually enriching opportunities for artists and museums to join together to uplift others in our communities,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “In this moment, investment in art and artists is so essential—as is strong leadership within our field. Our partnership with Amy, guided by her conviction and sense of purpose, inspires me and all of us at the BMA to create more pathways for artists to create compelling, important work and for our audiences to experience it in its full richness and complexity.”
“The BMA Ball is an opportunity to celebrate the power of the arts in our lives and to honor individuals who have made an indelible impact on our community and on culture more broadly. We are immensely grateful to everyone who gathered this evening to recognize The Sherman Family Foundation, Wangechi Mutu, and Amy Sherald and to connect with each other in our shared belief in the importance of supporting arts experiences. Your engagement allows us to continue to uphold our mission and ensure access to art and artists for our broad and diverse audiences,” said James D. Thornton, Chair, BMA Board of Trustees.
In addition to the honorees, notable attendees included artists Derrick Adams (BMA Trustee), Cynthia Daignault, Oletha DeVane, Erin Fostel, Jerrell Gibbs, Alisa Goldsmith, Taha Heydari, Jeffrey Kent, Juan Maidagan, Charles Mason III, Tiona McClodden, Mary Ann Mears, Linn Meyers, Anouska Mirchandani, Joseph Norman, Amalie Rothschild, Joyce J. Scott, Ernest Shaw, Tony Shore, Dan Steinhilber, Darlene Taylor, Paula Gately Tillman, Sara Van Der Beek, SHAN Wallace, Kiyan Williams; and Dolores Zinny; venture capitalist George Petrocheilos (BMA Trustee and co-chair) with Diamantis Xylas (co-chair), and Michael Arougheti (co-chair); and philanthropists Amy Meadows (Honorary Trustee) and Marc Meadows and Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker; and Maryland State Delegate Marlon Amprey, Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen, and Baltimore City Council Members Ryan Dorsey and Odette Ramos.
Lead sponsors for the 2025 BMA Ball were Michael Arougheti, Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis, Patricia and Mark Joseph Foundation, Heather and Bill Miller, George Petrocheilos and Diamantis Xylas, Mitchell Rales and Steven Rales in honor of the late George Sherman, George Roche and Susan Flanigan, David Rubenstein, Whiting-Turner, Blanket Fort Foundation in honor of the Sherman Family, The Hackerman Foundation, Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker, Hauser & Wirth, The Sherman Family Foundation, and Michele Speaks and David Warnock.
