Art Omi Upstate Benefit 2026

Art Omi Upstate Benefit 2026

Join us for an evening of celebration as we honor artist, collector, and philanthropist Jack Shear at the annual Art Omi Upstate Benefit on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Festivities begin with a cocktail hour at 5:30 PM with live music from the timeless and enchanting FlamenKora at Pocketbook Hudson Hotel and Baths.

Every year, the Upstate Benefit aims to raise vital funds to ensure Art Omi continues fostering acceptance and respect, inspiring innovation, and igniting positive change by providing meaningful opportunities for diverse creative voices. This year, we honor Jack Shear for his vision, generosity, and lifelong dedication to the arts.

• Type: Benefit
• Ages: All Ages
• Date & time: September 26, 2026 at 5:30 PM
• Location: Pocketbook Hudson | 549 Washington Street, Hudson, NY 12534

Our 2026 honoree

As a philanthropist, Jack Shear has generously supported local organizations throughout Columbia County that improve the lives of residents and provide opportunities for civic engagement, while also displaying tremendous support for the arts across the globe. In 2022, Jack initiated an innovative collaboration among three college art museums with the donation of his collection of 75 Tibetan Thangka paintings and objects to Skidmore College, Vassar College, and Williams College. He currently serves on both the executive committee of the MoMA’s International Council and the board of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies.

With a lifelong passion for collecting art, Jack has built a collection of over 2,000 works on paper ranging from Old Masters to contemporary artists. In 2020 he was honored by The Drawing Center for his achievements as a collector, and he serves on the Drawings and Prints Committee at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

As a photographer, Jack has published a number of books including his most recent, Knot, in which his photographs are paired with poems and prose from the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Forrest Gander. Jack’s work is represented in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Albany Institute of History and Art.

As the husband of Ellsworth Kelly, Jack continues to honor his legacy with extraordinary dedication as President of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Executive Director of the Ellsworth Kelly Studio. In 2023, to celebrate the centennial of Ellsworth’s birth, Jack donated 207 artworks by Ellsworth Kelly to 22 American museums and oversaw a globe‑spanning network of exhibitions and publications highlighting Ellsworth’s landmark achievements, including substantial presentations at the Museum of Modern Art, Glenstone Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

FlamenKora

By sensitively and skillfully interweaving improvised trumpet and flamenco guitar with traditional mandinka kora and vocals from Senegal, FlamenKora creates timeless and enchanting multicultural music; a welcome balm in these troubled times.

Volker Goetze’s evocative trumpet lines dance gracefully with the soulful vocals and kora of his newest duo partner, the esteemed master of traditional Mande music– Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko. Up-and-coming Rio de Janeiro and Madrid based flamenco guitar maestro Roberto Monteiro is the newest band member, adding authentic Spanish flair with driving rhythms and subtle, imaginative colors. As the group’s founder and producer, Goetze brings a special wisdom to FlamenKora, acquired not only through decades of devotion to West African Mande music, but also through a deep mastery of jazz composition and arrangement, and a recent deep dive into the melodic and rhythmic traditions of flamenco and maqam.

“FlamenKora exudes a remarkable sense of cultural diversity... showcasing an uncanny ability to listen and respond to one another, resulting in an exquisite musical beauty.” – JAZZIZ (US)

Venue

Nestled in a historic textile factory built in 1885, Pocketbook Hudson—the preferred hospitality partner of Art Omi—blends history, design, art, and cuisine to create an experiential hotel that serves as a cultural hub for Upstate NY, offering a communal bathhouse, an open-fire restaurant, café and bar, a subterranean nightclub, galleries, and a street-level market.

For more information and early access to tickets, please email Lux Krueger, Associate Director of Development, at Lkrueger@artomi.org.