Art21
Luce Productions has partnered with Art21 on several events and programs, including their biannual galas in 2022 and 2024 and the launch of their inaugural film-screening series, Art21 at the Movies. Art21’s mission is to produce and share compelling video media that explores the worlds and works of contemporary artists, with the goal of democratizing arts education.
In 2024 Luce Productions produced Art21’s Spring Gala, which celebrated the achievements of David Howe, Amy Sherald, and Hiroshi Sugimoto. Welcoming over 275 friends, artists, filmmakers, and supporters, the evening featured a live auction of one-of-a-kind artist experiences with Drake Carr, Aliza Nisenbaum, and Guadalupe Maravilla; a live performance by Grammy-nominated rapper and singer Tierra Whack; remarks from Art21 artists; and activations by event sponsors.
In 2022, Art21 Family Reunion brought together the organization’s expansive network of artists, filmmakers, educators, trustees, funders, and supporters to celebrate Art21 President Emerita Migs Wright and award-winning filmmakers Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith of Firelight Media. The event featured a silent auction of artworks by Art21 artists including drawings, paintings, sculptures, and film. The event featured customized Art21-themed games, buffet-style dining, crafted cocktails, and a lively afterparty hosted by artist and DJ Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.
Art21 at the Movies consisted of two evenings of movie premieres that brought together the worlds of film and contemporary art. Opening Night at the Metrograph theater on the Lower East Side premiered Esteban Cabeza de Baca’s Time Travels and the third episode from Art in the Twenty-First Century Season 11, Friends & Strangers. Artists Esteban Cabeza de Baca, Miranda July, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Linda Goode Bryant, and Christine Sun Kim introduced their works, along with director Chiemi Karasawa who offered insights into the filmmaking process. SVA Theatre hosted the event series’s second premiere, which featured the 3-D film Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea by Pentimenti Productions, executive produced by KAWS (Brian Donnelly). The premiere was followed by a panel discussion with Trenton Doyle Hancock, Aaron Curry, John Corbett, and the film’s director, Leslie Buchbinder. The event also featured an hour of films curated by Miranda July; a second screening of “Friends & Strangers” and a collection of films that pay homage to art and artists.