On Saturday, February 4 the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) hosted its Annual Gala Celebrating the Legacy of Director Paul Ha at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. The event raised more than $260,000 through a live art and experience auction, ticket sales, and sponsorships. Proceeds from the Annual Gala will benefit CAM’s internationally-recognized exhibitions and award-winning education programs, including New Art in the Neighborhood and ArtReach. In addition to event proceeds, the Paul Ha Curatorial Endowment was established to pay lasting tribute to Gala honoree Paul Ha, and has raised nearly $250,000 to date to support curatorial research and initiatives.
The Annual Gala honored former Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis Director Paul Ha, who in December 2011 became the Director of the List Visual Arts Center at MIT. Ha arrived in St. Louis in 2002 to oversee the construction and opening of CAM’s new facility in Grand Center in September 2003. Ha quickly positioned CAM as a leader in the field of contemporary art, garnering national and international recognition for its exhibitions. He also initiated programs that engaged and recognized local artists and programs that appealed to broader audiences in the St. Louis community. Under Ha’s leadership, CAM produced 92 exhibitions and brought 223 artists to St. Louis.
The Gala program recounted the Museum’s accomplishments and growth over the past decade through professional films and presentations made by local and national special guests. For the award presentation, led by former CAM Board Chair Susan Sherman, Mayor Francis Slay bestowed Ha with a key to the City of St. Louis; St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III gifted Ha with a personalized Cardinals jersey and cap; CAM Architect Brad Cloepfil dedicated the “Paul Ha Penthouse” within the museum; and Philip Slein revealed a large satirical portrait he had painted of Ha. Filmmaker Derek Elz and CAM Board Member David Drier produced three films for the evening, honoring Ha with a tribute film featuring colleagues and friends from around the country.
“This tremendous evening captured the profound impact that Paul has made on the city of St. Louis, and reflects CAM’s established position as a pillar of the arts community as we near the 10th anniversary of the building’s opening,” said CAM Board member and Interim Director Dwyer Brown. “The success of the Gala also confirms that CAM is well-poised to enter an exciting new chapter as we look forward to appointing our next director.”
The event culminated in a live auction led by guest auctioneer Mark Howald, Managing Director of Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneer and Appraisers. Participating artists included Tom Friedman, Jane Hammond, Sean Landers, Maya Lin, Eva Lundsager, Joel Meyerwitz, Jason Middlebrook, Marilyn Minter, David Noonan, Ann Pibal, and Cindy Sherman.
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The Annual Gala Celebrating the Legacy of Director Paul Ha was chaired by CAM Board members Susan Barrett, Elissa M. Cahn, and Phyllis Langsdorf. KMOV News 4 Anchor Vickie Newton served as Master of Ceremonies. The presenting sponsors were Centene Charitable Foundation and Wells Fargo Advisors. Other major sponsors included Edward Jones, Alison and John Ferring, Novus International, Clare Davis and David Obedin, Renaissance Financial, Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, St. Louis Magazine, and Mary and Eric Thoelke / TOKY Branding + Design. Additional support was provided by Nancy Reynolds and Dwyer P. Brown, Buckingham Asset Management, Cellar Advisors, Emerson, Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg, The Paul Ha Fan Club, Sandra and Joseph Lehrer, Pat Whitaker and Dick Miles, RKL Consulting, Sandberg Phoenix, Kevin M. Short, The Staenberg Family Foundation, Jamey Edgerton, The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank, and Webster University.
National tribute film contributors included Richard Armstrong, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum; Brad Cloepfil, Principal, Allied Works Architecture; Jeanne Greenberg-Rohatyn, Owner, Salon 94 and Salon 94 Freemans, and National Board Member, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis; Sean Landers, Artist; Maya Lin, Artist; Greg Miller, Board President, White Columns; Friedrich Petzel, Founder, Friedrich Petzel Gallery; Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Founder and Chairman, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts and Board Member, Contemporary Art Museum; Andrea Scott, Chief Arts Editor, The New Yorker; and Yvonne Force Villareal, Co-founder, Art Production Fund and National Board Member, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, among others.