PHOTOS | BAMPFA’s 2026 Art & Film Benefit

Event: BAMPFA’s 2026 Art & Film Benefit
Date: May 2, 2026
Location: BAMPFA
Photos: Drew Altizer and Mahelly Ferreira for Drew Altizer Photography

BAMPFA’s 2026 Art & Film Benefit was held on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Gala festivities began in the BAMPFA galleries at 5:30 pm with a celebratory cocktail reception. This year’s Art & Film Benefit honored two incredible women who embody BAMPFA’s values and whose influence extends far beyond the Bay Area: chef and restaurateur Alice Waters and artist and educator Stephanie Syjuco. At 7:00 pm, the 140 guests took their seats for an elegant dinner with a menu designed by Alice Waters, with reception and dinner production led by Chef Galen Vasquez and Berkeley Catering. The wine sponsors for the evening were Beaune Imports, Chez Panisse, and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. At 9:00 pm, guests headed downstairs to the Crane Forum for the Nightcap Lounge, where they danced the night away with DJ Groovemonstr from Chulita Vinyl Club.

Erica Tanov led the event’s design, with support from Max Gill Design, Got Light, and Stuart Rentals. Auctioneer Greg Quiroga led the Fund-A-Need paddle raise. The 2026 Art & Film Benefit raised nearly $675,000 from tickets, donations, and the evening’s live Fund-A-Need. All proceeds from BAMPFA’s Art & Film Benefit support BAMPFA’s mission to use the power of art and film to spark curiosity, inspire creativity, provoke meaningful conversation, and create community.
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​Notable attendees:
​Sharon Simpson – Honorary Chair and Grand Benefactor, Carla Crane – Philanthropist, Susan Swig – Philanthropist, Alice Waters & Stephanie Syjuco – Honorees, Robert Riccardi & Charmin Roundtree – BAMPFA Advisory Board Co-Chairs, Additional artists, designers, filmmakers: Sadie Barnette, Ron Finley, Marcel Pardo Ariza, Michael Pollan, Catherine Wagner, Wayne Wang