Future-Proof Honorees Petra Cortright + Paul Chan

Last night in the New Museum's Sky Room, Rhizome hosted Future-Proof, a sold-out benefit for Rhizome honoring Petra Cortright and Paul Chan & Badlands Unlimited. Mixing with the elements of Laurel Schwulst's lead design, cellist Isabel Castellvi opened the evening with a performance during cocktails. After, guests mingled and dined, and Rhizome Executive Director Heather Corcoran, Board Chair Greg Pass, and New Museum Director Lisa Phillips welcomed all and launched special editions by Lynn Hershman Leeson and Joel Holmberg.

Tributes to the honorees punctuated the evening. Rhizome Artistic Director Michael Connor celebrated Cortright's digital painting process by demonstrating how a work comes together Photoshop-layer-by-layer. Lauren Cornell, New Museum Curator, Triennial 15, narrated Paul Chan's inquisitive career and Badlands' continued prodding of publishing after the internet.

Congrats to Petra, Paul, and the Badlands crew: Ian Cheng, Micaela Durand, Matthew So, Cassie Raihl, Jessica Jackson, Nickolas Calabrese, and Karen Marta.

Photos from the evening are below, generously provided by Billy Farrell Agency (All photos taken by Madison McGaw, unless credited otherwise).

Badlands Unlimited


Rhizome Artistic Director Michael Connor and Mary Evangelista 


Cellist Isabel Castellvi


Marc Horowitz, Petra Cortright, and Jon Rafman


Body by Body (Melissa Sachs and Cameron Soren)


Anne Palmer, William Palmer, Sima Familant, and Travess Smalley


Special Editions by Lynn Hershman Leeson and Joel Holmberg


Laurel Schwulst and Kaela Noel


Yukari Matsuzawa, Rhizome Board Chair Greg Pass, and New Inc. Director Julia Kaganskiy


Vera Alemani and Katja Novitskova


Fred Benenson and New Museum Deputy Director Karen Wong


Executive Director Heather Corcoran welcomes the crowd


Rhizome Founder Mark Tribe at dinner

Lisa Phillips, Oliver Frankel, Ebony L Haynes, and Chrissie Iles at dinner


Megan Newcome, Sara Ludy, Annie Werner, Heather Corcoran, and Lindsay Howard (Photo: Lindsay Howard)