2021 Louis Auchincloss Prize Presentation & Reception

On Tuesday, November 16th, the Museum celebrated artist Faith Ringgold’s contributions to New York City's art museums and activist movements by presenting her with our 2021 Louis Auchincloss Prize. In addition to honoring such an astounding artist and woman, the Museum saluted their very own Dr. Sarah M. Henry in honor of her 20 continuous years of curatorial leadership.

6:00 pm – Cocktail Reception
7:00 pm - Louis Auchincloss Prize Presentation

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ABOUT FAITH RINGGOLD

Faith Ringgold, born in Harlem, New York is a painter, sculptor, teacher, activist, and author of numerous award-winning children’s books.

Faith Ringgold is the recipient of more than 80 awards and honors including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship; two National Endowment for the Arts Awards; The American Academy of Arts and Letters Award and the Medal of Honor for Fine Arts from the National Arts Club.

Known for her oil paintings from the 1960s and narrative-painted story quilts, she created a body of work in the 1970s that reflected Ringgold’s political activism and her personal story within the context of the women’s movement. Faith Ringgold was one of a very small group of black women who helped galvanize the Black and Feminist Art Movements in New York in the 1970s.  This body of work, including tankas and soft sculptures, led to Faith Ringgold’s painted story quilts.

Ringgold’s work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums in the United States and abroad including 6 New York City museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, and The Studio Museum.

Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold’s first children’s book, based on her original painted story quilt of the same name, has won over 20 awards including the Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King award for the best illustrated children’s book of 1991. It was made into an animated short for HBO.

ABOUT THE LOUIS AUCHINCLOSS PRIZE

The Louis Auchincloss Prize is presented to writers and artists whose work is inspired by and enhances the five boroughs of New York City. Disciplines include literature, architecture, art, music, playwriting, and photography. The Prize honors Louis Auchincloss (1917-2010) for his many years of service to the Museum of the City of New York as well as for his literary contributions that established him as one of the leading American novelists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Louis Auchincloss accepted the first Prize himself in 2007.

Distinguished Past Louis Auchincloss Prize Recipients
Toshiko Mori ● Robert A.M. Stern ● Jason Robert Brown ● Gloria Steinem ● Whoopi Goldberg ● Michiko Kakutani ● Tony Kushner ● Wynton Marsalis ● Philip Glass ● Stephen Sondheim ● Lynne Meadow ● Elliott Erwitt ● Pete Hamill ● Sheldon Harnick ● Ada Louise Huxtable ● Louis Auchincloss

EVENT CHAIR

Chair of the Louis Auchincloss Prize
Elizabeth Graziolo 

For more information, please contact:
●   Jackie Zirman, Director of Special Events, at jzirman@mcny.org
●   Samantha Fleck, Associate Director of Special Events, at sfleck@mcny.org