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
Broadway legend Bernadette Peters will take the Jemison Concert Hall stage
The incomparable Broadway legend Bernadette Peters will take the Jemison Concert Hall stage, transporting us through decades of iconic music in a performance that promises to be nothing short of magical.
Celebrated as one of the most acclaimed stars in musical theater history, Peters has dazzled audiences for more than six decades with unforgettable performances in iconic productions including Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, and Hello, Dolly!. Her extraordinary career has earned her two Tony Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, a Golden Globe Award, multiple Grammy and Emmy nominations, and the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award recognizing her humanitarian contributions to the arts.
General Ticket $199
What all is included with your general ticket?
*Seating is determined based on order in which your ticket reservation is received.
- Complimentary valet parking
- Access to all pre-reception festivities and experiences.
- Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres and beverages. We are adding a specialty mocktail to the experience this year!
- Complimentary show cup
- Premium seating for Bernadette Peter’s performance in the Jemison Concert Hall.
VIP Tickets & Sponsorships
Sponsorship Levels
$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
What is included with your VIP ticket and sponsorship?
- Complimentary valet parking.
- Access to all pre-reception festivities and experiences.
- Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages. We are adding a specialty mocktail to the experience this year!
- Complimentary show cup.
- Premium seating for Bernadette Peter’s performance in the Jemison Concert Hall.
- Elegant dinner in the AEIVA galleries across the street, crafted by the award‑winning team at Helen.
PURCHASE VIP TICKETS BY SPONSORING ONLINE
We are happy to discuss customized benefit opportunities for you.
Please contact Savannah DeRieux at sderieux@uab.edu or 205.934.9900.
Preview the AEIVA Selection
Discover the two artworks that will be presented at the Gala for inclusion in AEIVA’s permanent collection.
Virginia L. Montgomery
Stargazer Luna Moth Seeks the Moon, 2025
4k digital video, 7 mins.
Courtesy of the artist
Erin Jane Nelson
Imago, 2023
Pigment prints, swamp oats, dried flowers, and resin on glazed stoneware
Courtesy of the artist; Chapter NY, New York; and Document, Chicago and Lisbon