Invest in the Transformative Power of Art!

As 2024 draws to a close, I extend my deep gratitude to you and the Katonah Museum of Art community for your support of the Museum and its mission. Now that this election year is behind us, it is more important than ever to remember that the Arts are at the forefront of freedom of speech and the preservation of a civil society. During what has been a turbulent year, both in the United States and abroad, the Katonah Museum of Art has remained a welcoming space for contemplation and a gathering hub for us to come together in celebration of our common humanity through the transformative power of art.

This year, the KMA welcomed visitors from across the tri-state area and beyond to engage our wide-ranging exhibitions There Is A Body: Legacy of the Ancestral Arts in the 21^st Century and Jonathan Becker: Lost Time. Accompanying these exhibitions, by year’s end the KMA will have offered over 100 programs and events that celebrate excellence and innovation across art and culture, inspiring and delighting audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Highlights include featured luminaries such as Sanford Biggers, Bisa Butler, Bob Colacello, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lyle Ashton Harris, Robert Storr, Andromeda Turre, and others.

As we look ahead to 2025, while there is much that is uncertain, we can take comfort in the capacity for art to empower us as individuals and as a society. Regional museums like the KMA act as anchors for the communities they serve—spaces for reflection and merriment alike—while also providing meaningful opportunities for us to gain hope and strength by coming together. The KMA’s continued viability and success as a refuge for artists and the communities we serve is wholly reliant on individuals like you. Your support enables us to champion artistic excellence, offer accessible and inspiring programming for all ages, and provide a safe space for visitors and artists alike to meaningfully engage their right to the freedom of self-expression.

There is a lot to look forward to here at the KMA in 2025, including the 42^nd edition of Young Artists which showcases aspiring artists from forty high schools across the Tri-state area; and later this spring, the first major museum solo exhibition of the contemporary artist Ali Banisadr, whose complex, poetic paintings are rich with allusions to world history, collective memory, and mythology. The Fall heralds a new, interdisciplinary collaboration with the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center to present Shen Wei: STILL/MOVING. Alongside these exciting exhibitions, the KMA will continue to offer our signature partnership programs including ArteJuntos/Art Together, Building Bridges: Prison Arts Initiative, and Thinking Through the Arts, each of which provide meaningful access to the arts for local, underprivileged communities.

I urge you to consider supporting the KMA today. Your gift will provide vital support for the KMA’s exhibitions, education programs, community outreach, and forward-thinking initiatives.

We are deeply grateful for your steadfast friendship, generosity, and commitment to the KMA. Our greatest work lies ahead, and I look forward to continuing this exciting journey together. Thank you!

With warm wishes to you and your loved ones for this holiday season,

Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe
Executive Director

Donations of $500 or more made between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 will be mentioned in the KMA Annual Report. Your contribution is separate from Membership.

Image Credit: Margaret Fox Photography