Celebrating 15 Years of Project for Empty Space with the Badass Art Woman Awards

On September 29, the Angel Orensanz Foundation in New York’s Lower East Side buzzed with the kind of electricity only art and community can spark. The gothic revival synagogue, with its soaring arches and candlelit ambiance, played host to the annual Badass Art Woman Awards (BAWA)—a celebration that has become one of the most spirited fixtures of the city’s cultural calendar.

This year’s event carried extra resonance: Project for Empty Space (PES) marked its fifteenth anniversary. Co-directors Rebecca Pauline Jampol and Jasmine Wahi welcomed a glittering crowd that included Mickalene Thomas, Derrick Adams, Marilyn Minter, Bevy Smith, Legacy Russell, Isolde Brielmaier, Michi Jigarjian, David Antonio Cruz, Hannah Traore, Blake Newby, Storm Ascher, and Damien Davis—a who’s who of contemporary art, fashion, and culture.

They gathered to honor three powerhouse women who have reshaped the cultural landscape: Dr. Deborah Willis, the pioneering artist and scholar who has dedicated her career to advancing African American visual culture; Ebony L. Haynes, the curator redefining gallery practice as Global Head of Curatorial Projects at David Zwirner and 52 Walker; and Helen Toomer, whose Stoneleaf Retreat, Upstate Art Weekend, and Art Mamas Alliance have nurtured community and sustainability in the artsBAWA 2025.

Guests sipped on custom cocktails and Seedlip mocktails, paired with wines from iBest, while DJ MD provided the early soundtrack. Between mingling, poetry, and beats, the honorees raised their glasses with a handpicked group of fifteen “Fellow Badasses,” underscoring the collective nature of the evening.

Radical Care in Action

The heart of the ceremony came when PES invited the honorees to extend their recognition outward. To mark fifteen years of championing artists and building nurturing creative spaces, each honoree nominated five peers they saw as their Fellow Badasses—a bold reminder that leadership is strongest when shared.

The roll call that followed was electric: Dr. Kalia Brooks, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Dr. Cheryl Finley, Jennifer Hoffman-Williamson, Rujeko Hockley, Dr. Kellie Jones, Ruba Katrib, Sophie Landres, Lauren Marinaro, Alison Matheny, Megan Noh, Meg Onli, Legacy Russell, Carla Williams, and Courtney Willis Blair.

Together, this group reflected the many dimensions of cultural labor today—curators, academics, advocates, gallerists, and thought leaders, each working to reimagine institutions and expand the possibilities for artists. Their recognition transformed the night into more than an awards ceremony—it became a chorus of voices affirming that the future of art is collaborative, intersectional, and unapologetically visionary.

Fifteen Years of Project for Empty Space

That collective ethos has guided Project for Empty Space since its inception. Founded with the mission to amplify voices historically marginalized or erased, PES has grown into a multifaceted hub spanning exhibitions, residencies, public art, and subsidized artist studios. In Newark, its PES STUDIOS and IRONSIDE galleries provide workspaces and public-facing venues. The Newark Grounds Cultural Corridor links these sites into a walkable art route, embedding culture into the city’s fabric. In Manhattan, PES FUTURES in Chinatown offers a hybrid exhibition and residency space. And with its 27-foot mobile gallery, PES takes art on the road, reaching communities nationwide.

At the gala, this history and ambition were reflected in the details. Tables glowed with limited-edition candelabras created by David Antonio Cruz, merging sculpture with philanthropy. A stirring video chronicled fifteen years of PES’s mission, while presenters Tiana Webb Evans, Heather Hubbs, and Anna Maria Horsford introduced the honorees with heartfelt tributes. Performances by Margie “Mia X” Johnson and Armana Khan threaded poetry and rhythm throughout the evening, setting the stage for an afterparty that turned the historic synagogue into a jubilant dance floor. Guests departed with fragrances by Infiniment COTY Paris—a sensory memento of a night rooted in art, advocacy, and joy.

A Future Built on Recognition

The 2025 Badass Art Woman Awards underscored what PES has modeled for fifteen years: that recognition is most powerful when it is shared. By honoring Willis, Haynes, and Toomer while also uplifting fifteen peers, the event affirmed that true badassery in art lies in building networks of care, advocacy, and possibility.

In a world where cultural labor often goes unseen, BAWA illuminated the power of women and femme-identifying leaders who refuse invisibility. As the evening closed with laughter, dancing, and community, one thing was clear: the art world’s future is not just in the hands of a few visionaries—it is in the collective brilliance of many.