VAVA VOOM: Honoring Geoffrey Hendricks, Brent Sikkema and Richard Renaldi

VAVA VOOM
The 6th Annual Visual AIDS Vanguard Awards & Spring Benefit

Monday May 16, 2011
6:00 – 9:00 PM

Honoring
Geoffrey Hendricks presented by William Pope.L
Brent Sikkema presented by Hilton Als
Richard Renaldi presented by Lesley A. Martin

Geoffrey Hendricks is the Board President of Visual AIDS, Professor Emeritus at Mason Gross School of the Arts Rutgers University, where he taught from 1956-2003, and a Fluxus artist, most renowned for his work with intermedia, clouds, headstands, and cooking delicious macrobiotic meals. Dubbed "cloudsmith" for his extensive work with sky imagery in paintings, on objects, and his installations and performances, his signature sky works were first exhibited at the Bianchini Gallery in New York (1966). He continues to exhibit and perform internationally. He holds the estates of several artists who were lost to AIDS, and co-curated the AIDS related exhibitions “A Living Testament of the Blood Fairies” and “Arts Communities/AIDS Communities: Realizing the Archive Project.” He lives and works in New York City and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada together with his partner, and at times artistic collaborator, Sur Rodney (Sur).

Brent Sikkema began his gallery work in 1971 as Director of Exhibitions at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY. He opened his first gallery in 1976 in Boston, MA, specializing in photography. After moving to New York, Sikkema opened a contemporary gallery in Soho called Wooster Gardens in 1991. In 1999 the gallery moved to Chelsea and was renamed Brent Sikkema Gallery. After extensive renovations and with the promotion of Michael Jenkins to Senior Partner the gallery was again renamed Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in 2005.  Sikkema has been a longtime supporter of Visual AIDS, hosting Postcards from the Edge benefits in 2004 and 2006, while quietly supporting LGBT and AIDS related organizations and projects.

Richard Renaldi is a photographer, publisher and Visual AIDS artist member.  Through his intimate photographs and portraits, he’s created powerful projects such as “Long Term Survivors,” “Gay & Lesbian Elderly,” and “Housing is Healthcare,”.  Exhibitions of his photographs have been mounted in galleries and museums throughout the United States and Europe, including the House of Photography in Stockholm; The Robert Morat Gallery in Hamburg; The Nicolaysen Museum in Casper, Wyoming; the Gallery at Hermès and Yossi Milo Gallery in New York.  In 2006 Renaldi's first monograph, Figure and Ground, was published by the Aperture Foundation. His second monograph, Fall River Boys, was released in 2009 by Charles Lane Press. Renaldi is the founder and publisher of Charles Lane Press.

Plus A Night of Cabaret
Justin Vivian Bond with Nath Ann Carrera
Phoebe Legere 
Hosted by John Fugelsang
DJ Senti-mental
and "Fair & Honest Appraisals of Your Appearance" by The Bumbys

The Park
118 Tenth Avenue NYC

TICKETS
(Seating is limited.  Get your tickets today!)
• $4,000 Table for 8 + eight raffle tickets
• $2,000 Table for 4 + four raffle tickets
• $500 Patron includes preferred seating + one raffle ticket
• $250 Early Bird* Friend general seating (*$275 after May 2)
• $175 Artist or HIV+ Friend limited (Sponsored by HUGO BOSS)

For details or to purchase tickets Click HERE or contact Visual AIDS (212) 627-9855