Inside the 2023 Brooklyn Artists Ball: Art Meets Fashion

From left: Brooklyn Museum’s Director Anne Pasternak, Mickalene Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems. Photo credit: Ben Rosser/BFA.com

On Tuesday evening (April 25), the Brooklyn Museum continued its celebration of innovative artists with the 12th annual Brooklyn Artists Ball.

This year’s event, which was made possible by Dior, honored multidisciplinary artist and visionary Carrie Mae Weems. The co-chairs included Creative Director of Dior Women's Maria Grazia Chiuri (who was last year’s honoree), Regina Aldisert, Henry Elsesser, Marley B. Lewis, Janet Mock and Carla Shen.

Inside the dinner. Photo credit: Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

“I am very interested in this museum because it’s the first museum in New York that started to speak about women artists, so for me, it’s very important to be here,” Chiuri told WWD during the evening.

The night included a bevy of events, beginning with a cocktail hour where guests took in the inspiring artworks that Mickalene Thomas created for the event. Thomas (who was previously featured in EDITION’s debut print issue in 2021) drew from the scenography she recently created for the backdrop of Dior’s latest Haute Couture show.

Tracee Ellis Ross. Photo credit: Ben Rosser/BFA.com

Following the cocktail hour, folks gathered at the museum’s iconic Beaux Arts Court for a seated dinner. Thomas’ influence was tangible, as she also reimagined the space for the ball. The artist worked closely with Dior for all the décor inspired by Weems’ series Slow Fade to Black (2010), which highlights Black women in popular culture.

Celeste performs. Photo credit: Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

Notable attendees included Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tracee Ellis Ross, Christian Serratos, Antonia Gentry, Kerby Jean-Raymond, Kiersey Clemons, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Thomas Doherty, Eli Brown, Derek Blasberg, Spencer Sweeney, Robin Morgan, Anne Collier, Victor Alfaro, Mariko Mori, Shohei Shigematsu, and Mariane Ibrahim. American-British singer, Celeste closed the dinner with a touching performance.

Swizz Beatz. Photo credit: Ben Rosser/BFA.com

The event wrapped with the lively Artist Ball After Party, which was eadlined by legendary producer/rapper/entreprenuer Swizz Beatz (a Brooklyn Museum Trustee). Guests were decked out sequins and trendy Dior looks as they enjoyed Moët and fun curated cocktaiks. They also danced along to party tunes from Doja Cat’s “Like That” to Prince’s “Kiss” and Beyoncé’s “Grown Woman”. Along with the party, guests enjoyed photo activations and the museum’s many exhibits as they cheered to the powerful work of Weems.