A Night of Living Legends: Inside the High Museum’s Driskell Gala and Afterparty

<img decoding="async" class="lazyload size-full-width wp-image-1582504" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://observer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/GettyImages-2236165052.jpg?quality=80&w=970" alt="20th Anniversary David C. Driskell Prize Gala At The High Museum Of Art" width="970" height="647" data-caption='Alison Saar. <span class=”lazyload media-credit”>Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for High Museum of Art</span>’>

As the sun began to set and the golden hour light was just right, the High Museum of Art’s annual David C. Driskell Prize Gala got underway. Established in 2005, the Driskell Prize is awarded annually to a scholar, curator or artist who has made significant contributions to the field of African American art. Notable past recipients include Naomi Beckwith, Rashid Johnson and Amy Sherald. Alison Saar, this year’s honoree, is the latest addition to that list of luminaries.

The evening began with a cocktail hour, as guests arrived via a red carpet that led into the atrium of the Stent Family Wing. Floating between three open bars and servers carrying trays of hors d’oeuvres, guests as illustrious as the evening itself mingled. We spotted art collector Hassan K. Smith, media executive Kenny Burns, curator Storm Ascher, artists Honey Pierre and Chase Hall and actress and producer Ambyr Michelle McWilliams.

Lively conversation filled the air until one voice rose above the rest. Caroline Maddox, the High’s deputy director of philanthropy, took the microphone to introduce a surprise performance by the Spelman College Glee Club. A few soprano voices sliced through the din before the full ensemble broke into a soaring multi-part harmony. Standing on the second-floor balcony and clad in black robes, the group resembled noir angels—celestial beings who descended to hush the crowd into stunned silence. Their virtuosic performance left the audience riveted, and their swift retreat into the upper levels of the atrium was met with thunderous applause.

The evening’s proceedings continued in the Taylor Lobby of the Wieland Pavilion, where dinner would be served. But first came a tribute to the night’s honoree. Saar, an American sculptor, is best known for artworks that metabolize the effects of the African diaspora, influenced by African, Caribbean and Latin spiritual traditions. These themes were outlined by High Museum of Art director Rand Suffolk in his opening remarks. Saar, who received the prize in the form of a sculpture designed by David Yurman (also in attendance), was welcomed to the stage with a standing ovation.

It was during Suffolk’s time at the dais that the evening’s biggest surprise arrived. He stated that, like many, he was distraught by the censorship of Sherald’s artworks by the Smithsonian—the next institution slated to host her exhibition “American Sublime”—and expressed admiration for Sherald’s decision to withdraw the show. Within an hour of reading the news, Suffolk said, he was on the phone with colleagues, determined that the High Museum should step in. And that is exactly what he was proud to announce: in May 2026, the High Museum of Art will become the next institution to host “American Sublime.”

The announcement was followed by a three-course dinner, which proved something of an appetizer for one of the night’s true highlights—a performance by legendary musician and producer John Legend. Dressed in a tuxedo with a cream-colored jacket and seated at a grand piano, Legend performed an intimate suite of solo songs. Playing selections including his critically acclaimed single “Ordinary People,” he wooed the audience, who joined in for the choruses.

By then, the official program had concluded—but the party was far from over. Back in the Stent Family Wing, DJ D-Nice had set up his tables and launched into a celebratory set. Mixing classic hits and inventive mashups, he kept the crowd moving as the night wore on. Guests eventually trickled out of the museum with full stomachs, relaxed demeanors and, certainly, a few good memories.