MoAD Afropolitan Ball 2026

Event: MoAD Afropolitan Ball 2026
Date: October 3, 2026
Location: San Francisco Ferry Building
Photos:  Drew Altizer, Mahelly Ferreira and Dave Ortega for Drew Altizer Photography

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) held its 2026 Afropolitan Ball at the San Francisco Ferry Building on October 3, raising more than $1 million for the museum, its programs, and its mission to center artists of the African diaspora. The evening also marked the culmination of the largest Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week since its 2024 launch and introduced the inaugural MoAD Vanguard Award, honoring Bay Area artist Dewey Crumpler for his artistic vision, cultural leadership, teaching, and mentorship. The program included Foxtail Catering & Events, a live auction, dancing, and a vinyl set by DJ Jihaari.

The Ball anchored the third annual Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week, which featured more than 100 artists and over 200 exhibitions, open studios, programs, and immersive experiences across the region. MoAD opened new fall exhibitions including Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages, After the Island: Ornament and Ceramic Practice in the Jamaican Diaspora, and Calling All Cats! by Dorian Reid. Nexus also expanded its Bay Area–Southern California connections with programs including Art eXodus: From North to South, The Coast and A Call Home: Bay to LA.

The evening opened with a performance by Michael Wayne Turner III, presented by George McCalman, highlighting A March Through Time. MoAD Board Chair Eric McDonnell and Ball Co-Chairs Charles & Cheryl Ward spoke about the museum’s role in advancing contemporary art and Crumpler’s impact on the Bay Area. Salesforce President and Chief Operating and Financial Officer Robin Washington highlighted Salesforce’s six-year partnership with MoAD, while Executive Director and CEO Monetta White emphasized the museum’s role as a meeting place for artists and communities across the African diaspora.

Following a jazz performance by the Ashley Jemison Quartet, White and MoAD Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs Key Jo Lee presented the inaugural MoAD Vanguard Award and its $10,000 prize to Dewey Crumpler. Crumpler reflected on the long-held dream of creating an institution devoted to Black artists and the African diaspora. Benefit Auction Specialist Naomi Lewis then led a live auction featuring a Caviar Dream and Brown Estate experience and a private dinner at MoAD with White and Lee, helping drive the evening’s fundraising total past $1 million.

The 2026 Afropolitan Ball featured a variety of notable attendees and guests from art, entertainment, academia, and philanthropy. In attendance were MoAD leadership including Executive Director and CEO Monetta White, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs Key Jo Lee, Board Chair Eric McDonnell, Vice Chair Peggy Woodford Forbes, and Afropolitan Ball Co-Chairs Charles & Cheryl Ward; notable figures including San Francisco Arts Commission President At Large Chuck Collins, Ethan Beard & Wayee Chu, Debra Chase, Mia & Danny Conway, Tina M. Davis, Cheryl Finley, Freda Isingoma, Wright Lassiter III, George McCalman, Leigh Raiford, V. Joy Simmons, and Robin Washington; artists, institutional and gallery figures including Natasha Becker, Bonita Buford, Adrian Burrell, Owen Christoph, Laetitia Coustar, Dewey Crumpler, Ashara Ekundayo, Jac Forbes, Marta Thoma Hall, Mildred Howard, Ayana V. Jackson, Karen Jenkins-Johnson, Bradley McCallum, Emma McKee, Helina Metaferia, Jessica Monette, Dorian Reid, Mari Robles, Esteban Samayoa, Shinique Smith, Jeremy Patricia Stone, and Lava Thomas.