Support

Join today to be part of a unique community of supporters and for greater access to our exhibitions and exclusive programming.  

Members provide critical support to The Studio Museum in Harlem as we construct our new home on 125th Street in the heart of Harlem. In addition to receiving invitations to exclusive events and programs online and at partner institutions throughout New York City, Members enjoy insider updates on our historic building project. 

Help establish a sound foundation for The Studio Museum in Harlem and ensure that the Museum can continue to serve diverse artists and audiences for generations to come by making a planned gift. Planned gifts include bequests, gifts of retirement plan assets, gifts of life insurance policies, and gifts of tangible personal property, such as artwork or real estate. We would be pleased to work with you and your advisors to structure a gift that is meaningful to you and best fulfills your charitable goals. By making a planned gift, you will be invited to join The Legacy Society, a special recognition society, and receive invitations to selected events and programs throughout the year.

For more information about available planned giving opportunities, please email majorgifts@studiomuseum.org or call 332-269-1718.

We invite you to explore how your company or organization can deepen its relationship with The Studio Museum in Harlem. By providing vital philanthropic support to The Studio Museum through programmatic sponsorships and partnerships for brand exposure, education events, and memorable activations, your company will demonstrate a commitment to community, while inspiring your clients, customers, and employees. 

For more information, contact 212.864.4500 x 243

The Studio Museum Fund provides the critical, but most difficult-to-find funding: general operating support. Gifts to the Studio Museum Fund provide sustenance to exhibitions, the signature Artist-in-Residence program for emerging artists, and an extensive schedule of enlightening education and public programs serving our local community. Your tax-deductible donation to the Studio Museum Fund ensures that the Museum remains the leading venue for Black art and culture in the country.

If you have any questions about your donation, please contact the Development office 212.864.4500 x221 or email studiofund@studiomuseum.org.

The Exhibition Fund at The Studio Museum in Harlem provides crucial unrestricted support for all curatorial projects and exhibitions throughout the year. Contributions to the Fund have a meaningful and direct impact on the Curatorial team’s work by providing much-needed general support for a dynamic and robust calendar of exhibitions and projects. Your support would allow the Curatorial department to develop and execute unique community-based initiatives and exhibitions throughout the year.

Support of the Exhibition Fund begins at $7,500. Now more than ever, your support would be especially impactful and ensure our community of artists, friends, and colleagues continue to benefit from diverse and thought-provoking exhibitions and projects. The Fund will be recognized on all exhibition credit lines, and individual donors will be acknowledged in the biannual publication of Studio magazine. Supporters of the Fund will receive invitations to all exhibition openings, as well as an annual exclusive presentation of the year ahead.

 
For more information about the Exhibition Fund and other opportunities for support, please email development@studiomuseum.org or call 929.581.0353. 

In 2014, the entire Studio Museum family mourned the untimely passing of Lea K. Green, who was the Museum’s Director of Special Projects from 2006 to 2011. It is with Lea's incredible service to the Studio Museum in mind that her family established an endowed fund in her name: the Lea K. Green Memorial Fund.

The Fund supports a public program at the Studio Museum, the Lea K. Green Artist Talk, which brings together exceptional artists and cultural luminaries each spring for critical dialogues on art and society. As the size of the Fund increases, so will the Museum's opportunities to connect broad public audiences with prominent artists, curators and guest speakers—all in honor of Lea’s incredible legacy.

Lea K. Green Artist Talk Honorees

Sanford Biggers (2022)

vanessa german (2021)

Hank Willis Thomas (2020)

Dawoud Bey (2019)

Amy Sherald (2018)

Jordan Casteel (2017)

Carrie Mae Weems (2016)

The Global Council is the Studio Museum’s premier invite-only Patron Group. These dedicated and passionate art lovers, philanthropists, and collectors share an interest in engaging with Black art and culture within the United States and across the globe. 

Through various exclusive events with Museum leadership, Global Council supporters become deeply involved in the Studio Museum community, build relationships with others who have a passion for art and collecting, and play a vital role in sustaining and advancing the Museum’s mission. 

The Global Council is invited to events year-round, such as private collection visits, gallery tours, access to VIP openings, and early access to art fairs. The Global Council also has the rare opportunity to travel with the Studio Museum on an annual trip. Previous trips have offered preview passes to the Venice Biennale, Prospect.5 in New Orleans, private tours of the Tate Modern, and intimate access to some of the world’s leading Black artists. 

For more information about our Patron Programs and other opportunities for support, please email majorgifts@studiomuseum.org, or call 332-269-1718. 

The Acquisition Committee is an invite-only group comprised of select individuals who meet three times a year and support the growth of the Museum’s collection through philanthropic support and their knowledge of artists, collecting, and the art market.

Working closely with Museum curators, the group votes on proposed acquisitions to the permanent collection. Now entering its twentieth year, the Acquisition Committee has had an incredible effect on the growth of the collection and support of artists of African descent. The Museum has a particular commitment to supporting emerging artists, as well as established mid- and late-career artists. The Museum also focuses on supporting artists from its signature Artist-in-Residence program. Through it all, the growth in the collection weaves a narrative of Black culture through works ranging from the nineteenth century to the present day.

For more information about our Patron Programs, donating a piece of art, or other opportunities for support, please email development@studiomuseum.org or call 212.864.4500, ext. 265.

The Chairman’s Circle is the Museum’s newest, invite-only Patron Group. This group is designed for our most dedicated supporters who are interested in engaging more deeply with the Museum, its collection, and the artists in its circle. Participation in the Chairman’s Circle provides unique access to the Director and Chief Curator, Thelma Golden; the Board Chairman and Museum Trustees; and other patrons who share a commitment to the Studio Museum’s mission. 

Chairman’s Circle patrons receive invitations to all major openings at the Museum, and participate in exclusive evenings with artists in their studios, private collection visits, intimate dinners and talks with artists, and gallery tours. The Chairman’s Circle is also invited to all Global Council events and trips. 

For more information about our Patron Programs and other opportunities for support, please email majorgifts@studiomuseum.org, or call 332-269-1718. 

The annual Gala, held each fall, is a not-to-be-missed event for friends and supporters of the Museum. A special highlight of the evening is the awarding of the Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize. Established by jazz impresario, musician, and philanthropist George Wein, in memory of his wife Joyce, a dedicated Trustee of the  Studio Museum, the prize recognizes and honors the artistic achievements of an African-American artist who demonstrates great innovation, promise, and creativity.

The Studio Museum in Harlem’s annual fundraising events provide a critical revenue resource for the Studio Museum to sustain its operating costs and key initiatives throughout the year. Proceeds from our Gala and Spring Luncheon directly benefit the Museum’s signature Artist-in-Residence program, critically acclaimed exhibitions, education programs, and community engagement initiatives. The Studio Museum would not exist without the crucial giving of its generous supporters.

Since 2007, the Museum’s Spring Luncheon has brought together an eclectic and vibrant collective of artists, business leaders, cultural luminaries, and philanthropists in celebration of the Museum’s educational and programmatic achievements, including the Museum’s’s most celebrated student arts education initiative: Expanding the Walls: Making Connections between Photography, History, and Community. This annual, eight-month residency for New York-area high school students explores the history and techniques of photography. Through experimentation, discussion, gallery visits, and workshops, the students build community as they discover and define their art practice. Each residency concludes with a highly anticipated group exhibition of the students’ work.

The Studio Museum in Harlem’s annual fundraising events provide a critical revenue resource for the Studio Museum to sustain its operating costs and key initiatives throughout the year. Proceeds from our Gala and Spring Luncheon directly benefit the Museum’s signature Artist-in-Residence program, critically acclaimed exhibitions, education programs, and community engagement initiatives. The Studio Museum would not exist without the crucial giving of its generous supporters.