Pen + Brush 2026 Benefit Party
5.13. 2026, 6 - 10PM
Until it's just about the art.
Pen + Brush’s annual fundraising party supporting our work to exhibit, promote, and safeguard contemporary art by women and gender expansive artists and writers.
Your presence directly fuels this mission.
"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution"
— Emma Goldman
Why Your Support Matters
For 132 years, Pen + Brush has advanced gender equity in the arts—creating a platform for women and gender expansive artists whose work challenges dominant narratives and expands the cultural canon.
We are driven by a clear belief: Work of true substance deserves to be seen, supported, and critically engaged beyond trends and systemic bias.
Through your support, we are able to:
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Present museum-quality exhibitions across disciplines, centering artists often overlooked by traditional institutions
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Provide career incubation and mentorship, strengthening sustainability for artists
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Produce public programs and performances that activate dialogue and deepen engagement
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Build direct pathways to economic equity, with 75% of all art sales going directly to the artist
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Support 60–80 artists annually, connecting them to audiences, collectors, and opportunity
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This is how we build equity in real terms through visibility, access, and sustained support.
And this is what your ticket makes possible.
The Party
Date: May, 13th, 2026, 6 - 10PM
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Location: Pen + Brush, 29 East 22nd Street, New York, NY, 10010
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The Format: An Artful Night, Your Way with music by Ashu Rai, resident DJ of Sholay Events' long-running NYC-based South Asian LGBTQ+ dance party, "Desilicious".
Set during a packed spring art week in New York, this year’s benefit is designed with flexibility in mind.
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Join us anytime across a four-hour, come-and-go celebration:
- Stop in before your next opening
- Swing by after dinner
- Stay and dance all night
- Or make us your central destination
Raise a glass. See the work. Support artists. Move with us.
Whether you stay for a moment or the full evening, your presence is part of the impact.
Prices: (All tickets are tax deductible see options for correct deductible percentage)
- Individual tickets: $100
- Donation ticket: $100
- Party of 6, plus champagne bottle: $500
- Matron/Patron: $750
- Benefactor: $2,000
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Because dance, like all art, carries us through everything— grief, joy, celebration, resistance, and release.
Dancefloors have always been spaces for: feminine joy, radical self-expression, community and connection.
What to Expect
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A 90’s dance party with DJ
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Open bar
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Artists, collectors, and cultural leaders in one room
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Late night viewing of The Now After and Curatorial Squad: In the House exhibitions.
A celebration with purpose.
Host Committee
Avalon Ashley Bellos
Molly Caldwell
Clara Chow
Mary Jo Pane
Jesse Paris Smith
Stacey Yael
Ny Whitaker
See you on the dancefloor
Pen + Brush is a 132-year-old non-profit that fights against gender stereotypes in the art world. Our work helps women artists and writers continue to create work, gain recognition, and challenge the systems that devalue their voices.
Pen + Brush thanks the following for their support at the sponsorship level:
