Cultural Leaders in Venice
Honour List 2026
We announced the inaugural honourees of AWITA Honours Leaders in Culture, recognising cultural leaders defined by three core pillars: Generosity & Stewardship, Visionary Perspective, and Impact & Legacy.
Marking AWITA’s 10th anniversary year, the Honours initiative highlights our role in expanding visibility and driving equity for women working within the arts. The 2026 Honours brings into focus the individuals whose leadership is redefining cultural infrastructures and future narratives.
The AWITA Honours Leaders in Culture ceremony took place at a breakfast event at SMAC San Marco Art Centre on 5th May 2026.
Sarah Harrelson, Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Cultured Magazine
Kimberly Drew, Writer, Curator, Lecturer, and Cultural Critic
Nadia Samdani MBE, Co-Founder and President of the Samdani Art Foundation and Director of Dhaka Art Summit
Melissa Gronlund, Writer on Art and Cultural Heritage
Jessica Silverman, Founder of Jessica Silverman Gallery
Valeria Napoleone, Art Collector and Patron
Same Mdluli, Senior Specialist, Curator & Manager, Standard Bank Gallery & Standard Bank Art Lab
Lang Xiao, Founder & Director, ARTouch Consulting
Camille Morineau, Curator and Founder of AWARE
Inaugural Honouree List 2026
Aya Al-Bakree, CEO of Diriyah Biennale Foundation
Manal Al Dowayan, Artist
Hoor Al Qasimi, Curator; President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation
Alia Al-Senussi, Global Cultural Expert
Sarah Arison, President of Arison Arts Foundation
Iwona Blazwick, Curator and Writer
Antonia Carver, Director of Art Jameel
Marisa Chearavanont, Social Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Jamile Coelho, Artistic Director of the Museu Nacional da Cultura Afro-Brasileira
Tera DuVernay, Deputy Director of Museum and Memorial Operations for Equal Justice Initiative
Mai Eldib, Cultural Strategist and Art Advisor
Dr. Madeleine Haddon, Senior Curator of V&A East
Maja Hoffmann, President of LUMA Foundation
Candice Hopkins, Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Forge Project
Sharlene Khan, Visual Artist and Creative Researcher
Kiran Nadar, Chairperson of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Oluremi C. Onabanjo, The Peter Schub Curator of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art
Julie Rouart, Director of Art at Flammarion
Nadia Samdani MBE, Co-Founder and President of the Samdani Art Foundation and Director of Dhaka Art Summit
Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Contemporary Art Collector, Founder and President of the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
Nancy Spector, Writer and Curator
Karole Vail, Director, Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Guggenheim Foundation Director for Italy
Sumayya Vally, Architect and Founder and Principle of Counterspace
Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF)
Marie-Cécile Zinsou, President of Fondation Zinsou
