American Federation of Arts

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American Federation of Arts

Nonprofit organization founded in 1909 that develops traveling exhibitions for presentation in museum

The American Federation of Arts is the leader in traveling exhibitions internationally. A nonprofit organization founded in 1909, the AFA is dedicated to enriching the public’s experience and understanding of the visual arts through organizing and touring art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishing exhibition catalogues featuring important scholarly research, and developing educational programs. For more information about the AFA, visit www.amfedarts.org.

09/16/2026

We are very proud and excited to celebrate Michael Govan as a 2026 Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards honoree!

Since joining the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in 2006 as Chief Executive Officer and Wallis Annenberg Director, Michael Govan has helped shape the museum’s extraordinary growth and evolution.

Under his leadership, LACMA has acquired more than 46,000 works for its permanent collection, doubled its gallery space and programs, and more than doubled its average annual attendance to well over one million.

In 2026, that vision reached another milestone with the opening of LACMA’s new state-of-the-art permanent collection building, designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Peter Zumthor.

Through his leadership, Govan has championed ambitious ideas about what a museum can be, and how art can connect people, places, and communities.

We hope you can join us on October 28 at The Pierre in New York City.

Get your tickets now at the link in our bio!

09/01/2026

We’re proud to celebrate Hank Willis Thomas as a 2026 Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards honoree.

Through sculpture, installation, and conceptual works, Thomas examines the ways identity, representation, history, and popular culture shape how we see ourselves and one another. His incisive practice challenges familiar images and narratives, inviting us to look again, and to consider the stories and systems behind what we see.

In honor of his contributions to contemporary art and cultural dialogue, we’re highlighting a selection of works from across his career in this post.

We hope you will join us in celebrating Hank Willis Thomas and his remarkable contributions to the field on October 28 at The Pierre | 2 E. 61st St., New York, NY

Get your tickets today at the link in our bio!

08/27/2026

The American Federation of Arts joins the world in mourning the loss of Yayoi Kusama, whose visionary practice transformed the possibilities of contemporary art.

In 1968, AFA had the privilege of presenting "Soft and Apparently Soft Sculpture," organized by curator and critic Lucy R. Lippard. The exhibition featured Kusama alongside artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Bruce Nauman, Claes Oldenburg, and Richard Serra.

Nearly six decades later, Kusama’s boundless imagination, radical experimentation, and artistic vision continue to shape how we experience art.

We honor her extraordinary life and enduring legacy.

Image credits:
- Yayoi Kusama with Blue Spots and Red Stripes, 1965
Marianne Dommisse 0-INSTITUTE, Artwork © Yayoi Kusama
- Yayoi Kusama in Yellow Tree furniture room at Aich triennale, Nagoya, Japan, 2010 (detail). © Yayoi Kusama.
- Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Room-Phalli’s Field 1965 mixed-media installation, dimensions variable. © Yayoi Kusama

08/18/2026

Join us on October 28th for the American Federation of Arts’ 2026 Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards, an evening celebrating extraordinary contributions to the arts and the philanthropy that helps make them possible.

Today, we’re delighted to introduce Hank Willis Thomas, one of our distinguished honorees for this year’s Gala. Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976, Plainfield, NJ) is a conceptual artist based in Brooklyn whose interdisciplinary practice—spanning sculpture, photography, retroreflectives, quilting, and film—examines identity, perspective, commodity, and popular culture. His collaborative projects include Question Bridge, The Truth Booth, The Gun Violence Memorial Project, and For Freedoms, an artist-led organization advancing creative civic engagement.

Thomas's public art can be found across the country, including "The Embrace" on the Boston Common, "REACH" at O'Hare International Airport, and "Duality" at The Underline in Miami. His work is held in major public collections such as MoMA, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, and the National Gallery of Art, and he has mounted solo exhibitions at institutions including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Henry Art Gallery.

We hope you’ll join us in honoring Mr. Thomas's outstanding achievements, and share in our commitment to bringing exceptional art experiences to audiences everywhere.

🔗 Secure your tickets now at the link in bio and be a part of this special evening!

Wednesday, October 28th
The Pierre | 42 East 61st Street, NYC

Photo credit: Jai Lennard (.lennard)

08/06/2026

On Wednesday, October 28th, celebrate the power of art, culture, and the philanthropy that makes it possible at our 2026 Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards!

We're delighted to introduce this year's second Honoree: Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director of LACMA. Michael's leadership has redefined what a museum can be in the 21st century. He has led the remarkable transformation of the museum's campus, civic presence, and public engagement, which continues to have enduring impact on the field. During his tenure, LACMA has acquired by donation or purchase more than 46,000 works for the permanent collection, doubled gallery space and programs, and more than doubled its average annual attendance to well over one million.

We hope you’ll join us in honoring Mr. Govan's inspiring achievements, and share in our commitment to bringing exceptional art experiences to audiences everywhere.

🔗 Secure your tickets now at the link in bio and be a part of this special evening! 🌟

Wednesday, October 28th
The Pierre | 2 East 61st Street, NYC

07/28/2026

Today, we honor the life and legacy of legendary artist Betye Saar, who passed the morning of Sunday, July 26, just shy of her 100th birthday. Celebrated for her mixed-media assemblages, which often employed found objects and ephemera to explore themes of identity, spirituality, and cultural memory, Saar was a leading voice of the Black Arts Movement and remains a singular voice in contemporary art.

Two of Saar's works were featured in "Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem" (January 16, 2019–August 15, 2021), a major traveling exhibition co-organized by the American Federation of Arts that featured over 100 artists from the museum's collection.

"Saar makes magic. Equal parts mystic, enchantress, and scavenger, she is well known for her spellbinding mixed-media assemblages... ...Drawing on the tumultuous energy of the national civil rights movement and local organizing in Souther California, cultural and spiritual traditions, and her own mixed African-America, Native American, and Irish heritage, Saar's windows and altarpieces traffic in the realm of the universal." –– Stephanie Sparling Williams, PhD, curator and scholar

07/23/2026

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the 2026 Gala & Cultural Leadership Awards, October 28th at the stunning Guastavino’s in NYC!

We're delighted to introduce the first of our 2026 Honorees, curator, collector and philanthropist Dr. Estrellita B. Brodsky, PhD, internationally recognized for championing Latin American art on the global stage. Of Uruguayan and Venezuelan heritage, she has combined scholarly research with philanthropy to advance the visibility of artists from the region and its diaspora. Dr. Brodsky has driven institutional change by establishing curatorial positions and initiatives at The Met, MoMA, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and the Hirshorn, among others.

We are deeply inspired by Dr. Brodsky's commitment to expanding access to the arts and are honored to recognize her extraordinary contributions.

Our annual Gala gathers leading visionary voices to celebrate the power of art, culture, and the philanthropy that makes it possible.

🔗 Secure your tickets now at the link in our bio and be part of this special evening! 🌟

Wednesday, October 28th
Guastavino's | 409 East 59th Street, NYC

07/15/2026

A very special thank you to everyone who attended our 2nd Annual Book Fair and to our guest speakers Russell Lord and Jon Key who delved into the intricate process of bringing the latest AFA publication, "Willie Birch: Stories to Tell," to life! Head to our link in bio to check out other AFA publications.

06/30/2026

As we wrap up Pride Month, we celebrate the artists whose lives and work have expanded the story of American and q***r art.

Harriet Hosmer's "Puck on a Toadstool" (1856) helped establish her as one of the first American women to achieve international acclaim as a professional sculptor. The sculpture showcases Hosmer's technical skill while challenging expectations of who could succeed as an artist in the nineteenth century.

Today, Hosmer is recognized as an important figure in LGBTQ+ history. Through her groundbreaking career and the life she built among a community of artists and Rome, she helped redefine what was possible for women artists of her time.

Hosmer's sculpture was featured in AFA's traveling exhibition "Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776–1976," which reexamined American art history by highlighting artists and perspectives that have too often been overlooked. By celebrating underrepresented voices, the exhibition invited audiences to engage with a broader and more inclusive story of American art.

As Pride Month comes to a close, we honor artists whose creativity, courage, and individuality continue to shape our understanding and reaffirm our commitment to sharing their stories.

Happy Pride from the American Federation of Arts!

Image Credit: Harriet Hosmer. "Puck on a Toadstool (detail)," c. 1856. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Photographed by Adrian Cubillas and Barbara Katus

06/27/2026

Our work relies on our supporters.

Consider making a gift today to help close our fiscal year (link in bio).

A gift to AFA travels farther. We don't create exhibitions for one building, one audience, or one season. We build tours that allow museums across the country to share the cost of bringing major works, ambitious scholarship, and public programs to communities across the country.

When one museum cannot carry the full cost alone, we make the exhibition possible by organizing the scholarship, loans, shipping, catalogue, public programs, and partnerships that keep extraordinary works moving.

A gift can help Rembrandt reach a regional museum. It can help women Abstract Expressionists speak to young artists in Tampa. It can bring Willie Birch's vibrant works from New Orleans to Los Angeles.

Your donation matters. It helps determine what we can carry forward, which museums we can serve, and who gets to stand in front of these extraordinary works next.

Donate today at the link in our bio!

Address

305 E 47th Street Fl 10
New York, NY
10017

Telephone

+12129887700

Website

http://www.amfedarts.org/

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