By Judy Carmack Bross
A Ferris wheel grilling chicken at the entrance to a vast heliport was one of the artist Meriem Bennani’s inspirations, making RenBen the city’s most euphoric evening of 2025
“Art offers more—not optimism, but imagination. Not resolution, but the courage to linger in complexity. —Executive Director and Chief Curator Myriam Ben Salah of the Renaissance Society told RenBen guests at last week’s spectacular and surreal gala.
Myriam Ben Salah, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Renaissance Society and RenBen 2025 artist Meriem Bennani
During EXPO last week, the Renaissance Society—the 110-year-old contemporary art institution located on the University of Chicago campus—swapped its typical cathedral-like gallery for a more surreal setting: Vertiport Chicago, a functioning helicopter facility turned temporary stage, kitchen, and performance space for RenBen 2025, extolled by the 360 collectors, artists, and art professionals who gathered in the hangar. Donors, denizens, Directors of Museums, guests who traveled in for the occasion, and rising young contemporary artists helped raise over $500,000, ensuring the Renaissance Society can continue commissioning ambitious new artworks and providing free access to its programs year-round.
Shaped by the vision of Moroccan-born, New York City-based multidisciplinary artist Meriem Bennani, known for her ability to blend the absurd with the deeply human in the form of humorous, yet incisive cultural critique, RenBen used every moment to enchant. Guests were told the dress code was “swept by the wind,” which represented a nod to the blades of a helicopter and to a 2023 work Bennani made for New York’s Highline, Windy, a spinning sculpture in the form of a tornado.
Marko Gluhaich, Stefanie Hessler and Olivia Erlanger
Michał Dzitko and Kate Burrows
The Renaissance Society’s Senior Manager of Development, Joshi Radin Flores, explained why they chose the heliport as the RenBen location.
“At first Meriem Bennani, who had a solo show at the Ren in 2022, was interested in using an athletic venue for the event. We checked out tracks, tennis courts, and other locations, but most were too far away or logistically prohibitive. Vertiport Chicago is a privately owned venue that hosts only a handful of fundraising events each year. It wound up being a good match for Bennani’s vision. RenBen, as an artist-commissioned event, has been held for four years now, the last two aligned with EXPO CHICAGO. Our Executive Director, Myriam Ben Salah, selects the artist for the year in conversation with our team, and she has said the idea often comes to her in a dream. She and Bennani have been friends for over ten years.”
Guest Chef Balo Orozco
Bennani is the latest artist to lead the Renaissance Society’s series of artist-conceived galas. As guests arrived at the giant helicopter hangar, they were greeted by her custom-built art grills—large, functional sculptures inspired by the surreal chicken grill amusement parks of Oman. These served as anchors for a collaborative meal helmed by LA-based guest chef Balo Orozco, who oversaw the grilling, and Chicago favorite Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe.
Christine Meleo Bernstein and Laura Front
In a poetic turn of fundraising-meets-performance-art, the grills themselves were made available for purchase, extending the artist’s vision beyond the night. One of the standout pieces—a Ferris wheel–shaped grill was acquired by Gertie founder, Abby Pucker. The other, Zig Zag grill, is still available for purchase.
Marilyn and Larry Fields and Robin Tebbe
Esraa Warda and Fella Oudane
The evening kicked off with an electrifying set by Esraa Warda and Fella Oudane, accompanied by Mohamed Amine Nechadi on the synthesizer. The performance instantly enticed guests to hit the runway-turned-dance floor while the first courses were served. Ben Salah noted that it was RenBen’s first spontaneous dance party.
Board President Nancy Lerner Frej then welcomed everyone with a call to deepen support for the artists at the heart of the Renaissance Society. Executive Director and Chief Curator Myriam Ben Salah’s speech struck a chord as it pivoted between vulnerability and vehemence, humor and critique. She admitted her faith in “hope” has frayed: “Sometimes it feels like hope only serves to preserve what’s already broken,” she observed—yet reaffirmed an unshaken belief in art’s ability to keep us looking when turning away would be easier.
Natasha Moustache and Ana Vasan
Martine Rose
Michael Thompson and Alou Dia
The evening closed with a memorable appearance by Yeni Real (Jezenia Romero), accompanied by Chicago talents Erendira Izguerra on violin, and Celeste (as performed by artist Ále Campos), appearing as a towering figure in sculptural dress. A helicopter simultaneously rose in the background as the hangar door opened for Celeste’s entrance.
The Host Committee for the night included Sarah de Blasio, Lauren Peterson, Abby Pucker, and Zach Steven Smith.
Board Members include Murat Ahmed, Trissa Babrowski, Yto Barrada, Silvia Beltrametti, Christine Meleo Bernstein, Heiji Choy Black, Laura De Ferrari Front, Michael Gray, Jana Hees, Glenn Holland, Randall S. Kroszner, Lina Lazaar, Sanjog Misra, Valeria Napoleone, Elisa Nuyten, B. Ingrid Olson, Lauren Peterson, Michael Rakowitz, Neil Ross, Raven Thomas Abdul-Aleem, Anne Van Wart, Richard Wright, Nancy Lerner Frej (Board President), Glen Saltzberg (Board Treasurer), and Jill Ingrassia-Zingales (Board Secretary).
The RenBen team
Gwendolyn Hatten Butler, Suzette Bross, Summers Moore, and John E. Ellis, MD
Joshi Radin Flores told us:
“Celebrating Chicago as a cultural destination and the Ren as a vital and unique node within Chicago’s arts ecosystem is one of the purposes of RenBen. The Renaissance Society may be a well-kept secret to many, hidden on the 4th floor of an academic building on a University campus, but we are deeply engaged with the community of artists and art appreciators who recognize the value that contemporary art and artists bring, and who know that a vibrant arts scene is part of what makes Chicago great.”
Celeste, as performed by artist Ále Campos
Artist Theaster Gates with Karen Jenkins-Johnson, founder of Jenkins Johnson Gallery
Founded in 1915, the Renaissance Society is an independent, non-collecting museum that presents contemporary art exhibitions, performances, events, and publications. Since its inception, the institution has been dedicated to working with artists on their most experimental or ambitious projects, together challenging and expanding the possibilities of what contemporary art can be. The Renaissance Society’s intentionally small scale allows for a great agility and focus when working with artists, as well as the ability to dedicate the bulk of its resources directly to its artistic program—free from the pressures of high overhead costs and burdensome infrastructure. Shaped in equal measure by its roots in Chicago and an exhibition program with truly global horizons, the institution has a dedicated audience that is both localand widely international. Its following and its influence in the field of contemporary art transcends its modest size.
For more information, visit www.renaissancesociety.org
All photos by Evan Jenkins, courtesy of the Renaissance Society.
