Musician Leon Bridges performing on stage at the Hammer Museum

Gala in the Garden

The 19th annual Gala in the Garden will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024.

The gala will honor director Ann Philbin in celebration of her 25 years of leadership at the Hammer.

About Gala in the Garden

An annual highlight of the Los Angeles cultural calendar, the Hammer Museum’s Gala in the Garden celebrates artists and icons who have made profound contributions to society through their work.

Past honorees include Hilton Als, Laurie Anderson, Margaret Atwood, John Baldessari, Mark Bradford, Judy Chicago, Joan Didion, Ava DuVernay, Dave Eggers, Frank Gehry, Robert Gober, Matt Groening, Todd Haynes, Diane Keaton, Mike Kelley, Barbara Kruger, Tony Kushner, Glenn Ligon, Paul McCarthy, Joni Mitchell, Catherine Opie, Jordan Peele, Lari Pittman, Miuccia Prada, Charles Ray, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Alice Waters, and others.

Feel free to contact us with any questions about this year's Gala: (310) 443-7035 or gala@hammer.ucla.edu.

 Headshot of Ann Philbin
Ann Philbin (photo: Mark Hanauer)

About the Honoree

Since becoming director of the Hammer Museum at UCLA in January 1999, Ann Philbin has developed a strong and original institutional identity and built a national and international reputation for thematic contemporary exhibitions, scholarly historical exhibitions, and contemporary artists’ projects, as well as dynamic, politically engaged public programs. Under her leadership, the Hammer has seen its annual attendance more than quadruple, its number of cutting-edge programs double, and its wide ranging collections expand to more than 50,000 objects, including the 4,500 artworks that have been acquired since 2005 to form the Hammer Contemporary Collection. In addition, Philbin has overseen substantial renovations to the museum’s building. In collaboration with Michael Maltzan Architecture, the Hammer added 40,000 square feet of new galleries, administration, and public spaces including a new main entrance and expanded ground-level galleries which opened in spring 2023.

During her tenure, the Hammer launched its biennial exhibition Made in L.A., which since 2012 has become the cornerstone of the city’s cultural landscape, providing a multifaceted and expansive view of art in Southern California. In six biennials to date, the Hammer has showcased new work and site-specific installations by more than 220 artists. Philbin also instituted the internationally acclaimed Hammer Projects, a signature series of more than one hundred contemporary exhibitions and installations featuring local, national, and international emerging artists. Philbin also cultivated a robust slate of public programs, which are core to the Hammer’s identity and regularly feature many of the most influential authors, artists, and creative thinkers of our time. The Hammer presents roughly 300 programs per year, including signature programs such as Hammer Forums as well as literary programs, film screenings, and concerts.

Philbin will retire as the Hammer’s director on Nov. 1, 2024.