Annual gala recognizes Lee and Mike Cohn as inaugural recipients of the PhxArt Luminary Award
PHOENIX (May 7, 2026) — Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) celebrated a historic evening at its 2026 pARTy in the Garden gala and afterpARTy on April 10. Chaired by Catherine and Jim Tuton and Matthew Boland and Christopher Greulich, the event featured the presentation of the inaugural PhxArt Luminary Award to Lee and Mike Cohn, longtime supporters of the institution’s exhibition, collection, and educational programs. More than 400 community leaders, philanthropists, and arts advocates also enjoyed a cocktail reception, seated dinner, and exclusive viewing of the special-engagement exhibition Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection. The 2026 pARTy in the Garden raised $1.3 million in support of the Museum’s exhibitions, arts-education programs, free-access initiatives, and vital operations.
“We are deeply grateful to our chairs, supporters, and community for making this year’s pARTy in the Garden such a tremendous success,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “We were especially honored to celebrate Mike and Lee Cohn as the inaugural recipients of the PhxArt Luminary Award, in recognition of their extraordinary generosity and leadership, and to announce publicly for the first time their landmark gift to the Museum’s endowment. As the largest single contribution in the institution’s history, this transformative support will significantly strengthen our ability to grow and care for our contemporary art collection for generations to come. Over the past two decades, the Cohns’ unwavering support has expanded educational programs, championed Arizona artists, and enriched the cultural vitality of our state in lasting and meaningful ways.”
The PhxArt Luminary Award is a new annual honor recognizing individuals and organizations whose leadership, vision, and profound support have helped shape the Museum’s evolution into the global institution it is today. As the inaugural recipients, Lee and Mike Cohn were celebrated for both their enduring impact and their latest transformative gift. Over the years, their support has included foundational and sustained investment in the Museum’s Arizona Artists Awards program, the establishment of a dedicated curatorial position advancing contemporary and community-based art initiatives, and support for the Museum’s first ASU–LACMA Fellow.
Building on this legacy, the Cohns’ most recent major gift establishes the PhxArt Cohn Care of Collection & Acquisition Funds, Gift from Cohn Fund for Arts & Culture at The Arizona Community Foundation, Inc. These new endowment funds will directly support the care, conservation, and expansion of the Museum’s contemporary art collection, ensuring its continued vitality for future generations. In recognition of this auspicious gift, the Museum also unveiled the newly named Cohn Family Patio, located in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden, during the gala festivities.
The pARTy in the Garden ended with a surprise performance by award-winning singer Carolina Rial. Rial’s powerhouse performance was the perfect segue to The afterpARTy, which featured exclusive access to Florentine Baroque, custom craft cocktails, live music and entertainment, and late-night bites.
The success of the evening was made possible in part by the generosity of the event’s sponsors, whose support continues to advance the Museum’s mission.
2026 pARTy in the Garden Sponsors
Kimberly + Nariman Afkhami
Shelley + *Ruben Alvarez
*APS
Milena + °Tony Astorga
*Alice + Jim Bazlen
Charlene Berge + Dr. Lorrie Henderson
°Matthew Boland + Christopher Greulich
Victoria + Frank Boucher / The Boucher Group
Samantha + *Alexander Bradley
The Carl and Renee Cohen Foundation
Lee + *Mike Cohn
*Jenna + John Condas
Jennifer + *Andrew Cooper
*Gloria + Philip Cowen
Denise+ Robert Delgado
Nissa Dell + Terry Glomski
The °Ellman Foundation
°Carter + Suzanne Emerson
*Michele + Matthew Feeney
Diana + °Mark Feldman
Jay Franke + David Herro
Cynthia + *Martin Galbut
Gensler
*Jeannine + Ben Gillikin
*Judy + Bill Goldberg
*Sara + Arthur Gordon
The °Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation
*Nancy Hanley Eriksson + Ronald Eriksson
Sharon + *Oliver Harper, MD
Justine Hurry + Jim Kovacs
Jackson Family Foundation
*Lindsay Jewell + Charles Morrow
Donna + Steve Johnson
°Jane + Malcom Jozoff
*Ellen Katz
Jill Krigsten
*Sally + Richard Lehmann
Cathie Lemon
Mick Levin, PLC
Joan + Rick Levinson
Carol + Todd Lociecero
Lynne K. Love
Hugh and Barbara Lytle Foundation
*Beth McMullen
Men’s Arts Council
Chad + *Jeanne Miraglia
The Moreno Family Foundation
Neiman Marcus
*Barbara Noble Howard + Christopher Howard
Diane + Patrick O’Malley
*Doris + Hong-Kee Ong
The *Opatrny Family Foundation
Osborne Jewelers
*Rose + Harry Papp
*Pope Family Foundation
Lisa + *Blair Portigal
Bea Rocklin
Thomas Carlton Rogers II
*Terry + Stephen Roman
*Jordan Rose Walton + Rob Walton + Rose Law Group
*Vanessa Ruiz and Samuel Alpert
*Iris + °Adam Singer
*Snell & Wilmer
*SRP
T.W. Lewis Foundation
*TruNorth Advisors
*Catherine + Jim Tuton
DeeDee + Ken Vecchione
Christine + David Watson
Patricia Watts
Womble Bond Dickinson
*Current Trustee/ °Past Trustee
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art of our region and world. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, PhxArt creates spaces of exchange and belonging for all audiences through dynamic exhibitions, collections, and experiences with art. Each year, 300,000 guests on average engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern, and contemporary art and fashion design, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. PhxArt also presents live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education programs and workshops, a monthly live-music series, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.
