The award celebrates outstanding leaders in the arts and will be presented during MacDowell’s National Benefit, with evening host Sharon Washington and performances from award-winning MacDowell Fellows
Komal Shah, art collector and philanthropist, is the recipient of the 5th annual Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award, created to honor those who profoundly and uniquely support artists and advance the arts in society. The award will be presented at MacDowell’s National Benefit, an annual celebration and gathering with MacDowell artists, supporters, board members and friends, on October 28th, at New York City’s Gotham Hall.
“I am honored to receive the Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award,” said Shah. “By investing in art by women, we not only amplify and honor our universal stories but also fuel innovation and inspiration for future generations. I am committed to continuing this support and encouraging others to join in championing the transformative power of the art and women artists that shape our world.”
“Komal Shah’s dedication to supporting women in the arts and profound philanthropic impact embodies the spirit the Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award seeks to honor,” said MacDowell Executive Director Chiwoniso Kaitano. “Her remarkable contributions as an art collector have supported countless artists in their creative journeys. Through her philanthropy and advocacy, Komal has set a benchmark for excellence and generosity in the art world and MacDowell is proud to celebrate her leadership.”
In addition to awarding the 5th annual Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award to Shah, this year's National Benefit will feature dinner, drinks, and a paddle raise, as well as a performance of an in-development Metropolitan Opera commission being composed by Grammy-nominated Missy Mazzoli and testimonials from translator and vocalist Haleh Liza Gafori and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hernan Diaz. All proceeds support residencies for the more than 300 artists who come to MacDowell each year from around the world.
Since its inception, the National Benefit has been a cornerstone of MacDowell’s fundraising efforts, bringing together art lovers to champion the creative community. Since 2018, these events have raised significant funds in support of MacDowell’s mission to provide artists with the space and resources to create.
For more information about MacDowell’s National Benefit, to purchase a table, or to become a sponsor, please contact Blake Bradford at (212) 465-3215 or blake@blbnyc.com. Press inquiries should be directed to Director of Development & Communications Jericho Parms.
director of development & communications
About Past Honorees
In 2020, the inaugural award was presented to Ava DuVernay and ARRAY, a multi-platform media company and arts collective that amplifies independent films by Black artists, people of color, and women filmmakers globally. In 2021, the award was presented to Mahogany L. Browne and Urban Word NYC, one of the oldest and most comprehensive youth literary arts organizations in the country. The 2022 award honored Anonymous Was A Woman founder and MacDowell Fellow in visual arts Susan Unterberg. And in 2023, Fairfax Dorn, co-founder and artistic director of Ballroom Marfa received the honor.
About Komal Shah
Originally from Ahmedabad, India, Komal Shah migrated to the U.S. in 1991 to study computer science in California. After completing her master's at Stanford, she obtained an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at Berkeley, eventually holding positions in the executive suites of Oracle, Netscape, and Yahoo. In 2008, Shah left the tech industry to focus on philanthropic pursuits. She then began developing the Shah Garg Collection with her husband and tech entrepreneur Gaurav Garg, solidifying a vision for the collection’s emphasis on women artists in 2014. Today, they are focused on amplifying the voices of women artists and artists of color through the Shah Garg Foundation.
