On Wednesday, November 20, 2013, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) will host its 2013 Visionaries! Gala, celebrating five influential creators and leaders in the art, craft, and design industries, whose work personifies the Museum's mission to explore and celebrate contemporary creativity across all media.
This year’s “visionaries” are Wilfried Vancraen, CEO and founder of Materrialise; legendary painter and printmaker Frank Stella; Rick Kinsel, executive director of the Vilcek Foundation; and David and Sybil Yurman, founders and creative directors of David Yurman. The awards will also celebrate MAD's 5th anniversary at 2 Columbus Circle and the dramatic growth of the institution since its move.
"MAD is thrilled to be honoring such a range of visionaries in this anniversary year, which demonstrates the scope and depth of MAD's exploration of contemporary creativity," said Lewis Kruger, Chairman of the Board of the Museum. "The outstanding achievements of this year's honorees as leaders in varied creative fields are an inspiration to us all. Their work has moved and influenced many of us as museumgoers, the creative world at large, and aspiring artists and makers, and will continue to do so for generations to come."
Held this year at the Mandarin Oriental, Visionaries! will begin with a cocktail reception and silent auction featuring work by artists who have been represented in recent exhibitions at the Museum, as well as luxury goods, design items, travel getaways, and dining packages. Dinner and an awards presentation will follow.
Visionaries! is the museum's most important annual fundraiser supporting MAD's exhibitions and educational programs. Each year, more than 500 guests, including arts patrons, artists, designers and noted corporate and civic leaders attend the event. Proceeds are directed to the support of MAD's Arts Education program, through which they expect to serve nearly 10,000 children, grades K–12 this year.
For more information about the Visionaries! Gala and this year’s award winners, visit http://madmuseum.org/events/visionaries-2013-gala.
