Pritzker Director Madeleine Grynsztejn. Photo by Maria Ponce.

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

Yesterday's buzzing Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Visionary Award Luncheon at the Four Seasons honored artist Amanda Williams, who shared a conversation with MCA curator Jamillah James about her work, the attention her art has received in the last decade and her forthcoming exhibition planned for April 2027 at the museum.

The annual event celebrates women artists and arts philanthropy in Chicago. This year’s announcement also recognized MCA Pritzker Director Madeline Grynsztejn’s 18 years leading the museum while announcing a $5 million endowed gift from Leslie Bluhm on behalf of the Bluhm Family to support exhibitions and acquisitions of work by women artists. Named for the outgoing Director in a nod to other famous women who need only go by a single name, the Madeleine Fund for Women Artists recognizes Grynsztejn’s leadership and provides continuing support for a commitment she helped establish at the museum.

“I am truly honored to have this gift endowed in my name,” Grynsztejn said. “The MCA has championed equity for nearly 60 years, but this fund takes a remarkable step toward codifying gender parity into the museum’s activities for decades to come.”

The new endowment builds on the MCA’s Women Artists Initiative. In 2015, the museum committed to parity for women artists across its galleries and stages, including exhibitions, talks and performances. It formalized that commitment through a philanthropic fund in 2020.

According to the museum, women artists were the focus of 54 percent of its solo exhibitions between 2020 and 2025. The commitment also extends to acquisitions, with the MCA reporting that works by women account for half of its acquisitions annually.

Recent exhibitions supported by the Women Artists Initiative include Faith Ringgold: American People, Nicole Eisenman: What Happened, Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, Firelei Báez and From the Center: Looking at Lucy Lippard. Acquisitions of work by Andrea Bowers, Janine Antoni and Rebecca Morris also reflect the initiative’s priorities.

Jamillah James, the MCA’s Manilow Senior Curator, said the endowment would help sustain both exhibition programming and collection development.

“With this support, we will be able to continue doing the important work of championing and platforming exhibitions featuring women artists and building our collection as one reflective of our ideals and commitments as an institution,” James said.

Bluhm, a Chicago-based social entrepreneur and longtime MCA board member, described the gift as a recognition of Grynsztejn’s influence at the museum and across the field.

“By championing the work of women artists, Madeleine has helped move the art world toward greater parity and influenced the course of art history,” Bluhm said. “We are thrilled to name this important endowment for her.”