Saturday, May 9, 2026
6:00–9:00 pm
Memorial Art Gallery
500 University Ave
Honoring
Hugo McCloud: Outstanding Artist
Abby and Doug Bennett and The Sands Family Foundation: Visionary Champions
M&T Bank: Community Partner
Individual tickets will go on sale in April!
Be a Catalyst for Arts Access
MAG Gala 2026 proceeds support expanding access to the arts, including education, exhibitions, programming, and more, benefiting the Rochester community and beyond.
Sponsorship Levels
Patron: $20,000
(tax-deductible portion: $18,250)
- Ten gala tickets with reserved dinner table
- Reserved space during cocktail hour
- Full-page recognition in event program
- Verbal and printed recognition day of the event
- Recognition in post-event communications
- Recognition on MAG’s wall of donors and annual report
- Private behind-the-scenes tour for ten (scheduled post-event)
- Complimentary MAG rental of M&T Bank Ballroom for up to 200 guests (based on availability, valid through June 30, 2027. Staffing and security costs may be incurred depending on event needs).
Champion: $15,000
(tax-deductible portion: $13,600)
- Eight gala tickets with dinner seating reserved together
- Reserved space during cocktail hour
- Full-page recognition in event program
- Verbal and printed recognition day of the event
- Recognition in post-event communications
- Recognition on MAG’s wall of donors and annual report
- Private behind-the-scenes tour for eight (scheduled post-event)
- Complimentary MAG rental of Bausch and Lomb Parlor for up to 50 guests (based on availability, valid through June 30, 2027. Staffing and security costs may be incurred depending on event needs)
Stakeholder: $10,000
(tax-deductible portion: $8,950)
- Six gala tickets with dinner seating reserved together
- Three quarter-page recognition in event program
- Recognition in post-event communications
- Recognition on MAG’s wall of donors and annual report
- Private behind-the-scenes tour for six (scheduled post-event)
- Complimentary MAG rental of Lynne Lovejoy Parlor for up to 30 guests (based on availability, valid through June 30, 2027. Staffing and security costs may be incurred depending on event needs)
Partner: $5,000
(tax-deductible portion $ 4,300)
- Four gala tickets with dinner seating reserved together
- Recognition on all materials promoting the gala and at the event
- Half-page recognition in the event program
- Recognition in post-event communications
- Recognition on MAG’s wall of donors and annual report
Ally: $2,500
(tax-deductible portion: $2,150)
- Two gala tickets with dinner seating reserved together
- Recognition on all materials promoting the gala and at the event
- Quarter-page recognition in the event program
- Recognition in post-event communications
- Recognition on MAG’s wall of donors and annual report
Friend: $500
(tax-deductible portion: $500)
- Business card sized ad in the event program
- Recognition in post-event communications
Please note: Gala tickets are sold separately and are subject to availability.
Please note: If you are paying for your sponsorship using a donor-advised fund (DAF), the fair market value of the gala tickets must be paid separately. Please contact the Memorial Art Gallery for assistance with DAF payments.
For more information, contact: Jamie Beers, Director of Advancement, jbeers@mag.rochester.edu, 646.489.7777.
About Our Honorees
Hugo McCloud
Outstanding Artist
Born in Palo Alto California in 1980, Hugo McCloud is one of the most exciting artists working today. Self-taught with a background in industrial design, McCloud’s practice is unrestricted by classical, academic tenets. He has gravitated toward materials that could be considered abject – roofing materials, solder, and presently, single-use plastic bags. Unifying themes in his work are the economics of labor, the environmental impact of plastic, and a preoccupation with finding beauty in the everyday.
McCloud has been featured in exhibitions at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the Brooklyn Museum, New York, the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, and The Drawing Center, New York, and is in the collections of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the Detroit Institute of the Arts, and, the Brooklyn Museum, among others.
He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York and Tulum, Mexico.
Abby and Doug Bennett and The Sands Family Foundation
Visionary Champions
The Bennetts and the Sands Family Foundation are long-time supporters of the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester. Visionary philanthropists and civic leaders, they have made extraordinary investments in the Rochester community and have played a transformative role in advancing MAG’s mission. The Bennetts are members of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society. They provide sustaining annual support to MAG and Simon Business School, and they are also generous supporters of Golisano Children’s Hospital. In addition to his role as a trustee for the University and MAG, Doug is a member of the Simon Campaign Advisory Council and the MAG Board of Managers, and he chairs the MAG component of the For Ever Better campaign.
The Sands Family Foundation, led by cochairs Richard Sands, a University trustee emeritus, and Robert Sands, supports projects and organizations focused primarily on serving the health, educational, and cultural needs of the community. Each now serves on the board of directors of Constellation Brands, the company their family founded and grew into a leader of the beverage alcohol space. The foundation, its leaders, and the family have provided a variety of support to the University over the years, including at MAG, Simon, and the Medical Center.
In 2022, the Bennetts, the Sands Family Foundation, and Constellation Brands also provided leadership funding to expand MAG’s Centennial Sculpture Park, which is always free and open to the public.
M&T Bank
Community Partner
Schedule of Events
6:00 pm | Cocktails and Museum Viewing
7:45 pm | Welcome and Dinner
Enjoy an art-inspired dinner, curated by Julia K Caters
8:30 pm | Awards and Remarks
Header image credit: Hugo McCloud, detail of For a Moment, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York