NEW SERIES ALERT!
We are delighted to announce the inaugural installment of our newest program, Collectors Series, a behind-the-scenes dive into what it means to collect contemporary art.
Join us for a conversation between artist Genevieve Gaignard, collectors Tina Perry-Whitney & Ric Whitney, and MCASB Chief Curator Alexandra Terry. Following Gaignard's recent exhibition at MCASB, they will discuss the relationship between artists and patrons, the impact of Black collectors, collecting artwork by artists of color, and more!
Genevieve Gaignard is a mixed media artist whose work addresses stereotypes of race, class, gender, and beauty through self-portraiture, installation, sculpture, and collage. Gaignard, born to a black father and a white mother in a small and predominantly white town, was faced with imposing feelings of not knowing how she fit in, or where she belonged. Gaignard reflects her experience and identity utilizing persona, popular culture, historical imagery, selfie culture, and humor to portray contrasting and blended realities. Outside Looking In brings together several bodies of work made between 2016 and 2019 that confront antiquated ideas pertaining to intersections where blackness, whiteness, femininity, and class collide and examine the complexities of self-presentation.
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Tina Perry-Whitney was named president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in 2019, overseeing all operations and creative areas of the network and reporting to Chairman and CEO Oprah Winfrey. Her leadership drives the force behind the network’s ongoing evolution to become the leading destination for Black audiences and oversees OWN’s digital division including the Watch OWN app and its growing podcast business.
Perry was instrumental in OWN’s successful launch into scripted programming and oversees the continuing success of the network’s lineup of unscripted hits. Perry spearheaded the development of OWN’s first food programming block of cooking shows and the first holiday movies on OWN. Perry also spearheaded the creation of the OWN Spotlight programming that tackles important issues affecting Black women today.
Perry has a passion for art and serves on the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) Board of Trustees, Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center Advisory Board, and is a founding board member of The Mistake Room, LA’s independent, non-profit global platform for contemporary art and ideas. Most recently, Perry was honored at the Multichannel News Wonder Woman Awards in 2020, as one of the Cablefax 2020 Most Powerful Women “Wavemakers” in 2020.
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Ric Whitney is a seasoned media executive whose experience has placed him at the forefront of media and entertainment’s tremendous digital growth. He has served in several capacities across media, entertainment and technology companies firmly planted in the Hollywood (LA), Silicon Valley (Bay Area), and Madison Avenue (NYC) trifecta.
Ric currently owns and operates two media and entertainment entities – Curation (talent management) and Sound Sculpture (music publishing & distribution).
Ric completed graduate studies at the University of Southern California (USC) where he received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Marshall School of Business and a Master of Arts (MA) from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He also holds a Bachelor of Journalism (BJ) and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou).
Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Ric has resided in Los Angeles, California since 2002. Nicknamed “Ricky Media” by friends and colleagues, Ric serves on the Board of Directors of LAXART and Friends of Levitt Pavilion. He is also a loyal sports fan, music, television and film lover, news and pop culture junkie, and passionate contemporary art collector.