By Judy Carmack Bross
Laura Front and Penelope Steiner
With the former Church of the Epiphany’s stained glass windows and Richardson Romanesque architecture as backdrop, works by Kevin Beasley, an artist in sculpture, sound and performance given creative carte blanche, the music of Chicago’s Uniting Voices and Brooklyn’s L’Rain, it was not surprising that RenBen, the annual fundraiser of the Renaissance Society was, as one attendee put it, a “true feast to the eye.”
Held during EXPO ART WEEK this year, it was the first time the RenBen aligned with the international art fair, attracting notable artists and gallerists from around the world. Raising over $400,000 to ensure that it can continue to commission and produce ambitious works of art and remain free to all visitors year-round. Founded in 1915, the Renaissance Society is a leading contemporary art museum located on the University of Chicago campus.
Kevin Beasley and Myriam Ben Salah
The Renaissance Society’s Director and Chief Curator, Myriam Ben Salah, welcomed guests by commenting on the museum’s unique role within the contemporary art landscape. “We are proud to allow artists to experiment and make a mess. We are proud to offer them resources, support and companionship to do so. Sometimes we know where we’re going and sometimes we really don’t. But every single time we are humbled by what they give us in return.”
Tom Dunton and Gael Neeson
The Renaissance Society honored Gael Neeson, a long-time Chicago-based supporter and an advocate for art and artists, introduced by Associate Member at The Art Institute of Chicago and previous Director of The Renaissance Society for over 40 years, Susanne Ghez.
RenBen followed the exciting format of artist-conceived evenings inaugurated with Piero Golia’s RenBen at the South Shore Cultural Center in 2022 and artist and choreographer Adam Linder in 2023.
Guests enjoying themselves
Candida Alvarez & Cheryl McKissack & Eric McKissack
The evening Beasley designed unfolded across the monumental Former Church of the Epiphany, crowned with stained glass windows framed by heavy arches and a wooden ceiling with intricate paintings and Romanesque style architecture. Designed by Edward Burling and Francis Whitehouse, the Church of the Epiphany was one of the first Chicago examples of Richardsonian Romanesque, a dominant architectural style in the latter half of the 19th Century.
Uniting Voices Chicago
Paul Mpagi Sepuya & Dawoud Bey
Beasley orchestrated a series of performances including a set by Brooklyn-based experimentalist and multi-talented instrumentalist L’Rain helmed by Taja Cheek, and Uniting Voices Chicago, formerly the Chicago Children’s Choir, a nonprofit organization offering financially and geographically accessible music education programming for youth. The night ended with Devin T. Mays and Kevin Beasley joining L’Rain on stage for a collaborative tribute to Pope.L, a visual artist and educator, and a steady contributor to the Renaissance Society who died last year.
Abundant and beautiful food displays from Lula Cafe added to the “feast for the senses.”
L’Rain & Kevin Beasley
Jordan Strafer, Isabelle Frances McGuire and Myriam Ben Salah
John Tabet & Daniel G Baird
Ben Salah told guests: “We don’t need art because it is ‘necessary’ or because there is an inherent positive impact that art offers by default. We need art because ‘history cannot exist without the discipline of imagination’, to quote the writer Margo Jefferson. We need art to create meaning, where there seems to be none left.”
Nancy Lerner Frej
Curt Conklin & Sanjog Misra & Debra Couch
Photo Credit: Elizabeth De La Piedra
For further information about the Renaissance Society, visit renaissancesociety.org
