The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), celebrated its 18th anniversary of serving the community through the arts with its 3rd annual MoCADA Masquerade Ball held on Wednesday, October 25th, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Lepercq Ballroom.
The annual Spring Gala fundraiser is aligned around a capital campaign to raise monies for community programs and to continually fund the development of their new larger museum in Brooklyn.
The MoCADA Masquerade Ball celebrated individuals who have positively influenced the Contemporary African Diasporan Arts and the community, including Rashid Johnson for the Artist Advocacy Award, Shantell Martin for the Emerging Artistic Voice Award, Opal Tometi for the Social Justice Advocacy Award and The Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) for the Corporate Advocacy Award. The MoCADA Masquerade Ball additionally featured honorary Gala Chair: Maxwell. Celebrity guest attendees included Lion Babe, Gina Belafonte, Sharon Carpenter, Mashonda Tifrere and MORE.
The MoCADA Masquerade Ball was underwritten by several generous corporations committed to supporting the community. The evening’s sponsors included HBO, Gartland & Mellina Group, Habana Outpost, infor, 1800 Tequila, Cholula Hot Sauce and Viacom.
MoCADA uses art to strengthen community, both locally and internationally. Through exhibitions and programming, MoCADA incites dialogue on pressing social and political issues facing the African Diaspora, and fosters a dynamic space for the creation and continuous evolution of culture. Serving both youth and adults, MoCADA challenges the traditional definitions of the “museum”, using art to impact lives both within its physical walls and throughout the wider community.
Singer Maxwell arrives on the red carpet at MoCADA’s 3rd Annual Masquerade Ball at Brooklyn Academy of Music on October 25, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
Jillian Hervey (Lion BABE) graces the red carpet at MoCADA 3rd Annual Masquerade Ball at Brooklyn Academy of Music (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
(L-R) Emil Wilbekin, Tai Beauchamp, and Director of MoCADA James Bartlett (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images )
Actress Gina Belafonte attends the MoCADA (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
Artist Rashid Johnson honoree, receives the Artist Advocacy Award (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
Opal Tometi accepts the Social Justice Advocacy Award onstage (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)
Shantell Martin accepts the Emerging Artist Award (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)
Executive Director of the Council of Urban Professionals Chanda Gibson (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)
Mashonda Tifrere (L) and Legendary Damon (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images
About MoCADA – www.MoCADA.org
The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) was established in 1999 as Brooklyn’s first and only museum dedicated to the creation and interpretation of contemporary Black arts and culture. Starting from humble beginnings on the fourth floor of a Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone, MoCADA has since expanded from a grassroots startup with a social justice mission, to an internationally-recognized arts institution. Now located in Fort Greene, the museum has established a reputation for cutting-edge exhibitions and programs that cross artistic disciplines and create opportunities for emerging artists. MoCADA has produced over 60 exhibitions and 500 public programs, expanding from the museum’s main gallery to the streets, parks, schools, and public housing of Brooklyn and beyond, challenging the boundaries of the traditional museum to build community and increase public access to the arts.
