Performers
Location
About
Art Omi Upstate Benefit 2026
When: Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 5:30–10 PM
Location: Pocketbook Hudson | 549 Washington Street, Hudson, NY 12534
Ages: All ages
Join us for the annual Art Omi Upstate Benefit on Saturday, September 26 from 5:30–10 PM as we honor philanthropist, art collector, curator, and photographer Jack Shear. Jack lives and works in Spencertown, NY, and is President of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Executive Director of the Ellsworth Kelly Studio.
TICKETS
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This year's benefit takes place at Pocketbook Hudson Hotel and Baths, a hotel, restaurant, and cultural complex in a historic 1885 textile factory.
Schedule
- 5:30 PM — Cocktail party with libations, hors d'oeuvres, and live music from FlamenKora.
- 7:00 PM — Argentine feast prepared by Ambos Executive Chef Norberto Piattoni, followed by a live auction and paddle raise hosted by Jacqueline Towers-Perkins.
- The evening concludes with dessert.
About FlamenKora
FlamenKora draws on decades of study in West African music, jazz, and flamenco. Led by trumpeter and composer Volker Goetze with kora master Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko and flamenco guitarist Roberto Monteiro, the group interweaves improvised trumpet and flamenco guitar with traditional mandinka kora and vocals from Senegal to create multicultural music.
“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)
About Jacqueline Towers-Perkins
Jacqueline Towers-Perkins is an international auctioneer and CEO and Founder of Towers & Co, an auctioneer agency and fundraising consultancy. Her clients have included international royalty and figures in entertainment and business. She has auctioneered at galas and benefit events globally and previously held senior positions at major auction houses, including Sotheby’s New York.
About Jack Shear, Our 2026 Honoree
Jack Shear has supported local organizations in Columbia County and the arts globally. In 2022 he donated a collection of 75 Tibetan Thangka paintings and objects to Skidmore College, Vassar College, and Williams College. He serves on the executive committee of MoMA’s International Council and the board of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies.
He has built a collection of over 2,000 works on paper and was honored by The Drawing Center in 2020. He serves on the Drawings and Prints Committee at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. As a photographer, he has published books including Knot, with poems and prose by Forrest Gander. His work is represented in the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Albany Institute of History and Art.
In 2023, to celebrate Ellsworth Kelly’s centennial, Jack donated 207 artworks by Ellsworth Kelly to 22 American museums and oversaw related exhibitions and publications.
About Art Omi
Art Omi is home to five international residency programs for architects, artists, dancers, musicians, and writers. The 120-acre Sculpture & Architecture Park contains more than 60 artworks on view at any time, with rotating exhibitions in the Newmark Gallery. Art Omi offers arts education programs—from summer camps to public school partnerships and weekend workshops—bringing hands-on art experiences to kids and families across the region.
Your support at any level makes this evening, and Art Omi itself, possible. We can't wait to celebrate with you!
Questions? For more information, email Lux Krueger, Associate Director of Development, at [email protected]