MAD’s Luminaries Pride Artist Brunch with Alexander Hankin

Moderator Alexander Hankin, and panelists Wes Aderhold, Deborah Czeresko, Timothy Hull

On Saturday, June 17th, the Museum of Arts and Design hosted its fourth annual Luminaries Pride Brunch at Fushimi Times Square. The MAD Luminaries are the museum’s young patrons,  ages 21-45 who share a commitment to MAD, and to inspiring others to advocate for the future of art, design, and craft. Over one hundred museum members and friends—– came out to celebrate Pride and toast the Museum’s longstanding commitment to supporting and showcasing LGBTQIA+ artists and communities. 

A panel discussion featuring artists Wes Aderhold, Timothy Hull, and Blown Away Season One winner Deborah Czeresko was moderated by Alexander Hankin. The artists spoke candidly about their experiences navigating the art world as gay artists, and how activism manifests in their lives and in their work.

Guests also enjoyed cocktails by 21 Seeds Tequila. The event was co-organized by Serif.

Notable Guests attended included: Luminaries Co-Chair Christina Senia and acclaimed artist and designer Machine Dazzle, Eric Kuhn, Gallerist and Curator Laura Day Webb, Serif Founder Brian Tran, Stylist Jordan Dorso, as well as Paula Saunders, Semi Deller, Adrien Lesser, Lathan Hall, and more.

“I’m so thankful to MAD for allowing me to do this panel for four years now. When I started Luminaries, I wanted to create a young patron’s group that centered around connecting with artist and makers on a deeper level. This now annual event is so intergral to our programing and serves to not just connect art loves with arts and hear their stories and struggles and activism for the queer art movement, but a movement goes beyond the museum and connect to the queer community at large. It’s a unique experience to have a museum that’s so committed to celebrating and promoting these artists, not just this month but all year long.” – Alexander Hankin