Metropolitan Museum of Art Expands Modern and Contemporary Art Program with Launch of The Met Breuer in March 2016

Inaugural Season at Landmark Marcel Breuer-designed Building Will Feature: 

• Thematic exhibition examining the fascination for unfinished works of art, from the Renaissance to the present day
• One-person exhibitions highlighting the Indian modernist artist Nasreen Mohamedi, rarely seen early photographs by Diane Arbus, and a mid-career retrospective of the contemporary painter Kerry James Marshall 
• New performance works by Artist in Residence Vijay Iyer, a newly commissioned sonic experience by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams, and an all-day staging in the Met’s three locations of the U.S. premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s massive, unfinished electro-acoustic composition Klang
• Interactive, participatory programs for all audiences connecting people directly with art, architecture, and design, across time and cultures

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will launch its first season of programming in the landmark building by Marcel Breuer on Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York, when The Met Breuer opens to the public on Thursday, March 10, 2016. Encompassing major monographic and thematic exhibitions, new commissions, performances, and an artist-in-residence series, the inaugural season at The Met Breuer will enable visitors to engage with the art of the 20th and 21st centuries through the global breadth and historical reach of the Met’s unparalleled collection and scholarly resources.

The Met will develop and present programming at The Met Breuer for a period of eight years, following a collaborative agreement between the Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was formerly housed in the building and is relocating to its new museum facility in downtown Manhattan this May. In addition to exhibitions and performance, The Met Breuer will host a wide range of educational and public programming for visitors of all ages, connecting audiences with practicing artists through art-making, talks, and activities in the galleries. A dedicated page on the Met’s website—www.metmuseum.org/MetBreuer—will be updated regularly with detailed information on The Met Breuer’s exhibitions and programs.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world’s leading art museums, with a collection spanning more than 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present. It presents dozens of exhibitions each year, and thousands of events and programs including films, talks, performance, guided tours, and family programs at its main building at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, the modern and contemporary art-themed programming at The Met Breuer in spring 2016, and exhibitions and collection displays related to the art and architecture of the medieval world at The Cloisters museum and gardens, its branch in upper Manhattan. A center for art appreciation, scholarship, research, and conservation, the Met also maintains a vibrant program of publishing scholarly and popular catalogues, and utilizes new technologies to enhance the visitor experience and extend the reach and accessibility of its offerings globally.

“The launch of The Met Breuer marks the start of an exciting new chapter for the Museum, allowing us additional space to expand our modern and contemporary visual and performing arts program, as we concurrently redesign and rebuild our Southwest Wing,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “We believe that contemporary art is best understood as an integral part of a broader continuum of creativity—spanning cultures, eras, and genres—and this perspective will continue to infuse our activities in all three of our locations: on Fifth Avenue, at The Cloisters, and at The Met Breuer.”

The two inaugural exhibitions at The Met Breuer will be: a major, cross-departmental curatorial initiative, Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible including works by some of the greatest artists of all time, ranging from Titian to Louise Bourgeois, who experimented with a non finito style; and the largest exhibition to date dedicated to Indian modernist Nasreen Mohamedi. The 2016 season will also feature an exhibition opening in July of early photographs (1956-1962) by Diane Arbus, primarily drawn from the Museum’s Diane Arbus Archive; and, in October, the first major survey in the U.S. of Kerry James Marshall, whose work asserts the place of the black figure within the narrative of Western painting.

The Met Breuer’s first season will also include performances and installations by Artist in Residence Vijay Iyer, the renowned musician and artistic collaborator. His projects will include a presentation of new work in an 18-day installation in the Lobby Gallery. Two additional contemporary performing art works will interweave visitor experiences across the Met’s three buildings: a newly commissioned sonic composition by John Luther Adams,Soundwalk 9:09, the title of which references the length of the walk between the Met’s main building at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street and The Met Breuer at Madison Avenue and 75th Street; and the U.S. premiere of the massive, unfinished composition in 21 parts, Klang byKarlheinz Stockhausen, that visitors can hear in the course of a single day at the Museum’s three locations—its Fifth Avenue building, The Met Breuer, and The Cloisters museum and gardens. (See more detailed information on each exhibition and performances below.)

“For our inaugural season at The Met Breuer, we have dug deeply into our own collection and created partnerships to stimulate new scholarship and explore themes that stretch across history, geography, and art forms. Great works of art can transcend both time and place, and our program will powerfully demonstrate that potential,” said Sheena Wagstaff, the Leonard A. Lauder Chairman of the Met’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.

GMCLA Announces 4th Annual Voice Award Honorees

The transgender cast and crew of Transparent, the Clementi Family, philanthropists Alan Uphold & Jeff Olde and First Investors among this year’s honorees

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, whose mission is to change hearts and minds through the power of music, announced an impressive slate of honorees for their 4^th annual Voice Awards Celebration. The star-studded event will take place on Sunday, May 3, 2015, at the Globe Theater in Universal City, featuring powerhouse performances from Ty Herndon, Billy Gilman and Chely Wright, an historic moment as the three openly gay country artists take the stage together for the first time. GMCLA hosts its annual Voice Awards gala and silent auction not only to raise funds for the organization’s work, but also to honor those members of the community who advance the world, refute silence, lend a voice to the oppressed, exhibit leadership and give hope to those living under the weight of silence. Additionally, the high-profile charity event raises vital funds for GMCLA programs that encourage diversity and acceptance through the performing arts in schools across the United States. The fourth annual Voice Awards Presenting Sponsor is First Investors, a Foresters Company. Additional sponsors include HBO, Athens Services, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, O’Gara Coach Co., Amazon Studios, IAC, Collins Ave. and ACE Outdoor.

GMCLA has garnered international acclaim for artistic excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community and beyond by promoting civil rights, tolerance and acceptance through music. Founded in 1979 during the emergence of the gay civil rights movement, critics have proclaimed the chorus “inspired,” “expressive, innovative, and utterly moving,” and hailed it for presenting “meaningful entertainment.”

“This year’s slate of honorees recognizes some of the most inspiring individuals and institutions that I know.  Whether it’s turning tragedy into teachable moments, rising tall amongst corporate leaders or impacting communities both locally and nationally, each one uses their Voice to create long-lasting transformation on a global scale,” said Chris Verdugo, the executive director of GMCLA.

The 2015 Voice Award honorees include:

Outspoken Voice Award – Presented to the transgender cast and crew of Amazon Studios’ hit series Transparent. The show won two Golden Globes, including Best TV Series – Comedy or Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Comedy or Musical.  The series stars Jeffrey Tambor as the father of adult children who comes out as a transgender woman at 70-years old.  The show features the largest transgender cast and crew of any production in Hollywood.

Voice Inspiration Award – Presented to the family of Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old who took his own life after being cyber-bullied during his first few weeks in college.  The Clementi family formed the Tyler Clementi Foundation in the wake of Tyler’s tragic suicide with a mission  to promote safe, inclusive and respectful social environments in homes, schools, campuses, churches and the digital world for vulnerable youth, LGBT youth and their allies.

Good Neighbor Voice Award – Presented to Alan Uphold & Jeff Olde, who have worked to further LGBT justice and equality throughout their 18-year relationship. Uphold began as a communications volunteer for Project Angel Food in 1990 and has since served more than 15 years on the boards of the Human Rights Campaign and Equality California. Until recently, he was Development Director – West for the Point Foundation. Olde is a television executive and Peabody Award-winning producer who, for 25 years, has been a passionate champion of LGBT talent, characters and storylines spanning reality, pop culture, news, comedy and scripted programming. Together, both men have served in the trenches by volunteering at LGBT events, performing community outreach and lobbying politicians for LGBT rights. They have chaired or hosted events in their home for LGBT groups including APLA, EQCA, HRC, No on 8, PFLAG, the Tyler Clementi Foundation, Stonewall Young Democrats, and numerous equality-minded politicians.

Corporate Voice Award – Presented to First Investors, a Foresters company. Since 1930, First Investors has helped everyday families reach their financial goals by offering an array of financial products and services.  They also offer unique member benefits (i.e. grants and scholarships) and allow members to participate in inspiring community activities.  Forrest Strickland, and executive vice president at First Investors, said, “First Investors’ relationship with GMCLA is a natural fit as we both share a passion for service to the community. GMCLA is a fabulous organization deeply involved in the Los Angeles community and in promoting civil rights, tolerance and acceptance. These shared values inspire us to support the important mission of GMCLA.”

Individual tickets for the Voice Awards are $400; VIP tickets are $600 and include a private reception presented by KLEAN Treatment Center on Saturday May 2 with the honorees.  Table sponsor packages are also available. To purchase tickets, please visit: http://voiceawards.gmcla.org/.