Aperture Honors Dawoud Bey, Looks Toward the Future

On Oct. 3, luminaries across art and culture descended on Jazz at Lincoln Center to celebrate Aperture’s 2023 Gala, the most prominent annual benefit supporting the photography-focused nonprofit and publisher. The enthusiasm was high as Cathy Kaplan, the chair of Aperture’s board of trustees, spoke about the organization’s move to a space on the Upper West Side before handing the mic to New York City’s commissioner of cultural affairs Laurie Cumbo and council member Gale Brewer. The artist LaToya Ruby Frazier then introduced the night’s honoree Dawoud Bey, the groundbreaking American artist whose evocative photographs mine the histories of marginalized Black communities. The night also featured performances by the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra and a live auction of works by Kwame Brathwaite, Gordon Parks, Justine Kurland, and more to support Aperture’s programming. Notables in attendance include Awol Erizku, Ryan McGinley, Hank Willis Thomas, Joel Meyerowitz, Gillian Laub, Nicole Fleetwood, Carrie Mae Weems, Tommy Kha, Lyle Ashton Harris, Kara Walker, and more. Photos by Leo Sorel.