We are less than a week away from the fifth annual PAMM Art of the Party on March 9, 2018, the museum’s largest fundraiser event of the year presented by Valentino. This year, PAMM has the privilege of honoring artist Christo, whose work spans over a monumental six decades, alongside Miami philanthropists Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst.

PAMM believes art has the power to enrich the lives of all people, and is an integral part of the development of all students, but when it came to helping the institution’s robust education program flourish, Dorothy Podhurst was at the forefront. In 1983, Dorothy realized that the Center for Fine Arts (CFA) did not offer field trip opportunities to local students. Determined, she visited various schools to educate their faculty about what CFA offered. Shortly after, Aaron Podhurst joined the Board of Trustees. Celebrate with the honorees and purchase your tickets here.

We caught up with PAMM Art of the Party honoree Aaron Podhurst before the big night.

PAMM’s mission is to be a leader in the presentation, study, interpretation, and care of international modern and contemporary art, while representing Miami-Dade and cherishing the unique viewpoint of its peoples. What would you consider some of the ways the institution has made a lasting impact on the city’s cultural history?
PAMM is clearly the large public art museum for Miami-Dade County. For years, we were one of the few large metropolitan areas without a large public art museum.  Today, PAMM reaches out to all of South Florida to bring art to all of our citizens, both at the museum and in all of the areas of the county.

Our institution is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. What are the challenges of the museum in the 21st century?
The challenges for the 21st century are to build an adequate endowment so that we can support our outreach programs and exhibitions, which will benefit all of the citizens of Miami-Dade County. PAMM also needs to be at the cutting edge of the modern and contemporary art scene as it evolves in the 21st century.

From Center for the Fine Arts to Miami Art Museum to PAMM, this institution has been a catalyst for arts in the Magic City for over three decades. What are some of your favorite arts and culture memories in Miami?
There are many wonderful memories of the journey of PAMM, from the Center for the Fine Arts to Miami Art Museum to PAMM. It is wonderful to recall the successful capital campaign that raised well over 100 million in dollars in private funds, exceeding our promise to the County and City.

We had many wonderful memories of exhibitions and programs throughout the 35 years, including the grand opening of our new beautiful building.

What are you looking forward to most for this year’s Art of the Party?
I look forward to recognizing the accomplishments of PAMM in becoming a vital part of the culture of Miami-Dade. I have so enjoyed being a part of it for 35 years.

What does it mean to you and Dorothy to be honored at Art of the Party?
While it is nice for Dorothy and me to be honored, it is a bit overwhelming also.  The reality is that it takes a village to accomplish what PAMM has accomplished, and I feel like Dorothy and I are just a small part of the story and figureheads for many great people, including all of the past Boards of Trustees, professional staff, directors, outside professionals, contributors, Darlene and Jorge Pérez, Franklin Sirmans, and of course, the Mayors and the Commissioners of the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County.