Looking for a rendezvous in the Rockies? The Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado’s Snowmass Village provided the perfect occasion last night with its annual Recognition Dinner. The event came was timed with a buzz of excitement as art aficionados gathered for the Ranch’s 2024 Summer Series where leaders in the arts space come together to discuss the state of the field. The highlight of the week was the much-anticipated dinner, a cornerstone event that this year honored artist Charles Gaines, as well as Anderson Ranch Arts Center board members Barbara and Bruce Berger for their service to the arts. 

Held during the programming-stacked Recognition Week, the dinner brought together artists, patrons, and more. Chicago collectors Marilyn and Larry Fields, Tom Ford Chairman Domenico De Sole and his wife Eleanore Leavitt De Sole, Aspen collector Nancy Magoon, and patron Sarah Arison could all be seen milling about the Ranch's sprawling campus before heading inside for the celebration.

Gaines’s receipt of the 2024 International Artist Honoree acknowledges his profound influence on conceptual art as he has long interrogated his audience’s subjective relationship to contemporary politics. “Charles Gaines is the perfect recipient of the 2024 International Artists Award,” remarked Peter Waanders, President and CEO of Anderson Ranch Arts Center. “Charles has been a pivotal figure in conceptual art since the 1970s, always moving his practice forward, while also having a 30-year long career as faculty at CalArts—teaching and mentoring generations of artists.” As the 26th recipient, Gaines joins a heavy-hitting list of past honorees, including Simone Leigh, Ai Weiwei, and Wangechi Mutu.

“I have been [the Ranch’s] guest all week,” Gaines told CULTURED ahead of the dinner, “and am enjoying their incredible hospitality. Anderson Ranch is a very special place, a world-class art institution with a unique and significant mission. I am so grateful that they are giving me this special recognition.” 

The artist was selected as an honoree and to speak during the week’s summer lecture series in part by CULTURED’s own Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson, the creative director for this year’s programming. Expanding upon her deep ties to the Ranch as a former Board of Trustee and National Council member, Harrelson’s curation pulled in a number of influential figures from critic Jerry Saltz to artists Pedro Reyes and Derek Fordjour. 

“Anderson Ranch and CULTURED share a mission to facilitate meaningful dialogue between artistic visionaries,” said Harrelson in a statement. “Beginning with honoree Charles Gaines, and including the critical and creative powerhouses like Pedro Reyes and Jerry Saltz, I am more than anything deeply excited to be an audience member and to join the arts community in eavesdropping on some of our most brilliant and challenging minds.”