Guests will be immersed in a full Night of Arts experience while raising vital funds that directly support AEIVA, Alys Stephens Center, ArtPlay, and Arts in Medicine at the UAB Center for the Arts.
Join us for an unforgettable Night of Arts experience, created to showcase the best of our programming.
Your evening begins with a pre-reception, featuring passed hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and a contemporary art gallery experience where you will help select the next work added to AEIVA’s permanent collection. You will also see AIM in action and enjoy a special performance by ArtPlay’s talented young artists, who will open the show in the Jemison Concert Hall.
After the headlining performance, sponsors will be treated to an elegant dinner in the AEIVA galleries, crafted by the award-winning team at Helen.
Honoring
Dr. and Mrs. Ray Watts
Dr. Ray Watts, UAB’s longest-serving president, has since 2013 led the university to unprecedented heights in all pillars of its mission, including tremendous strides in the arts. Dr. and Mrs. Watts are longtime patrons and champions of the arts at UAB, generously providing their time, resources, and involvement to promote the arts on campus and throughout our community.
Both serve on the Corporate Board of UAB Center for the Arts, with Dr. Watts as chair since 2019. The couple has worked closely with Board members, the Center for the Arts team, faculty, staff, students, donors and friends to dramatically advance arts programming, education and outreach. Mrs. Watts has been an active ambassador for the arts, hosting functions to showcase new programs and share their impact.The Center for the Arts was established under Dr. Watts’s leadership as a strategic realignment of UAB’s arts entities—the Alys Stephens Center, the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA), ArtPlay, and Arts in Medicine (AIM). This innovation and vision for the arts has fostered even greater collaboration, synergy and success.Dr. Watts also played a central role in the launch of AIM, which celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2024. He and Mrs. Watts, a retired R.N., continue to support this innovative and effective program at the intersection of patient care and the arts. We are pleased to honor Dr. and Mrs. Watts for their generous support and advocacy in advancing the growth, visibility, and impact of the UAB Center for the Arts.
Cannot attend, but would like to make a tribute in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Watts?
Chairs
Jay Ezelle
Cardwell Feagin
Valerie Collins Thomas
Who Will Take the Stage?
Stay tuned…our headlining performer will be announced soon.
Sponsorship Levels
VIP Tickets include access to the pre-reception festivities, seated dinner, and performance.
$25,000 // Presenting Sponsor: Includes up to 10 VIP Tickets plus prominent recognition on promotional material and at the Gala.
$15,000 // Sponsorship Table: All tables seat 8 VIP guests
$10,000 // Honorees’ Circle: Includes 2 VIP Tickets (Support the arts at an increased level)
$1,500 // Single VIP Ticket
We are happy to discuss customized benefit opportunities for you.
Please contact Savannah DeRieux at sderieux@uab.edu or 205.934.9900.