The Gordon Parks Foundation to Honor John Legend & More at 20th Anniversary Gala

The Gordon Parks Foundation will host its Annual Awards Dinner & Auction of Gordon Parks’s photographs on Tuesday, May 19 at Cipriani 42nd Street, marking 20 years of celebrating the legacy of renowned photographer Gordon Parks.

The gala, whichs bring together changemakers across film, music, fashion, art, and philanthropy, will honor five key figures working at the intersection of the arts and social justice: poet, advocate, and President of the Mellon Foundation Elizabeth Alexander, award-winning artist and activist Chance the Rapper, EGOT-winning artist and producer John Legend, and celebrated artist Henry Taylor. Businesswoman, philanthropist, and advocate Lonnie Ali will also be recognized and will accept the honor on behalf of the Muhammad Ali Family.

Presenters include President and Chief Executive of Anonymous Content Darren Walker, conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas, Pulitzer Prize-winning contributing critic-at-large for the New York Times Salamishah Tillet, artist, educator and photographer Deana Lawson and athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick.

“We are proud to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Gordon Parks Foundation with such an exceptional group of visionaries whose work reflects Gordon Parks’s enduring belief in the power of art to inspire and enact meaningful change,” said the Executive Director of The Gordon Parks Foundation, Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr. “The achievements of this year’s honorees span disciplines and generations, but together, they embody the creativity, courage and social impact that has always been at the heart of the Foundation’s mission.”

The co-chairs for the 2026 Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner & Auction are Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean, Tonya and Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, Huma Abedin and Alex Soros, Anderson Cooper, Sarah Arison, Kathryn and Ken Chenault, Sherrese Clarke, Malcolm Jenkins, Michi Jigarjian, Judy Glickman Lauder, Carol Sutton Lewis and William M. Lewis, Jr., Crystal McCrary and Raymond McGuire, Dana Tang and Andy Darrell, Clara Wu Tsai, Gail and Jeff Yabuki and Betsy and Ed Zimmerman.

All proceeds from the evening will support year-round educational programming as well as the fellowships, prizes, and scholarships provided by The Gordon Parks Foundation to the next generation of artists, writers, and students whose work follows in Parks’s footsteps. Tickets are available starting at $2,500 and can be purchased here.

ABOUT THE GORDON PARKS FOUNDATION

The Gordon Parks Foundation supports and produces artistic and educational initiatives that advance the legacy and vision of Gordon Parks—recognized as the most significant American photographer of the 20th century, as well as a writer, musician and filmmaker.

The Foundation was co-founded in 2006 by Parks with his longtime friend and editor at LIFE Magazine, Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr., to preserve his creative work and support the next generation of artists advancing social justice.

Through exhibitions, publications and public programs, organized in collaboration with institutions internationally and at its exhibition space in Pleasantville, New York, the Foundation provides access to and supports understanding of, the work and contributions of Gordon Parks for artists, scholars, students and the public.

The Foundation’s archive houses Gordon Parks’s photographs, negatives, contact sheets, publications and a selection of ephemera related to his work in photography, film, music and writing. The archive also includes collections by related artists. Drawing inspiration from the pivotal role of a fellowship Parks received early in his career, the Foundation’s educational and grant-making initiatives are core to its mission and year-round activities.

Through fellowships, prizes and scholarships, the Foundation provides vital support to artists, writers and students—current and future generations of creatives whose work continues his legacy. These initiatives are made possible through The Gordon Parks Arts and Social Justice Fund, established by the Foundation in 2019.