Provocation Poetry: Jenny Holzer’s Unexpected Performance at the American Academy of Rome Gala

Since its founding in 1894, the American Academy in Rome has been an indispensable cultural bridge between the United States and Italy, a transatlantic handshake of artistry and intellect. By offering a residential haven for research and creativity amidst the Eternal City’s ancient splendor, the Academy has become a wellspring of inspiration for America’s brightest minds. Its alumni trophy case could rival that of any powerhouse institution: 629 Guggenheim Fellowships, 75 Pulitzer Prizes, 54 MacArthur Fellowships, 26 Grammy Awards, 5 Pritzker Prizes, 9 Poet Laureate appointments and 5 Nobel Prizes.

Where better to celebrate such a legacy than the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, a marble neoclassical ode to permanence that could easily moonlight as a Roman temple? On Thursday, November 14, the Academy’s annual gala brought over 320 guests to its stately embrace to toast this year’s honorees: boundary-pushing artist Jenny Holzer, Grammy-winning composer Terence Blanchard and legendary Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg. Each was awarded the Academy’s prestigious Centennial Medal, the cultural equivalent of a laurel crown.

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The evening’s speeches proved as rich as the menu—a feast masterminded by Alice Waters, culinary doyenne and co-founder of the Rome Sustainable Food Project (RSFP). Gala Co-Chairs Marilynn Davis and Mary Margaret Jones, themselves deeply entwined with the Academy’s legacy, led the way with eloquent remarks, followed by Calvin Tsao, board chair and 2010 resident, and Peter N. Miller, the Academy’s president and CEO. The sentiments they shared underscored the Academy’s enduring mission and paid tribute to the supporters who keep it thriving. Honorary co-chairs Katharine J. Rayner and Cary Davis lent their distinguished presence to the proceedings, as did the Italian Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, who emphasized the Academy’s unique role in fostering U.S.-Italian cultural ties.

When Jenny Holzer took the stage, she transformed her speech into an unforgettable and provocative performance—a poem that was equal parts biting commentary and wry humor, perfectly tuned to our turbulent times. Opening with the audacious line, “All right, smart, generous, kind and forward-looking people, what are we going to do now?” she set the tone for a rhythmic, almost incantatory monologue—a poetic call to arms for action, ethics and creativity.

With her trademark wit and sharpness, she continued: “While way too much burn recognize and trouble and stop it. I swear plenty recently that there has been satisfaction in identifying what must be done. So, the stupid cruelty, one of them was advantaged, and short-term gain won’t dominate. It won’t accelerate rise as that beats fears, sinking feelings, ethics, empathy, justice, equality and accountability. Our great friends with verbs work in relation to one another to halt absurd wrongs, to realize what is visionary, vital, lovely, astonishing, astonishing, in a good way. What’s urgently required. Come on, diners, let’s go, people.”

Holzer’s connection to the Academy runs deep. During her 2004 residency, she conceived For the Academy – Eternal Tiber, a city-spanning installation she aptly described as “an ephemeral project for the eternal.” This ambitious work projected her iconic, razor-sharp aphorisms from the Truism series (1977-1996) onto five of Rome’s most iconic locations: the Tiber River, the American Academy in Rome, the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, Piazza Tevere (between Ponte Sisto and Ponte Mazzini), Teatro di Marcello and Castel Sant’Angelo. Her luminous phrases cut through the Roman night, transforming the Eternal City into a canvas for Holzer’s incisive public art in a bold, sprawling takeover that elevated the Academy’s presence to an unprecedented scale and left an indelible mark on Rome’s cultural landscape.

The artist left her mark on the event in other ways, as well. Every guest at the gala received a limited-edition camouflage baseball cap designed by Holzer, emblazoned with words like “Truth,” “Eternal” and “Solve.” These caps, perfectly aligned with Holzer’s guerrilla-style, text-driven art practice, extended her ethos of infiltrating public spaces with bold, thought-provoking messages. They also subtly evoked her large-scale 2007 light installation, underscoring her signature approach to bringing art into everyday mediums.

The night’s momentum carried into an electrifying live auction led by Lydia fenet, who wielded the gavel with her characteristic charm and flair. As the former head of special events for Christie’s North and South America and now the force behind the auction house’s global Strategic Partnerships division, Fenet brought her expertise—and undeniable star power—to the room, and bids soared well past initial estimates, cementing the evening’s success.

In one memorable moment, Fenet delivered an impromptu history lesson on Pompeii, condensing its story into a few wry sentences: “It’s a city underground. There was a volcano, there’s a story, there’s dirt. You use a brush, you go somewhere, you find the city. That’s the story of Pompeii in a nutshell.” The quip set the stage for one of the night’s most remarkable lots—a behind-the-scenes visit to an excavation site in Pompeii with Tulane University Classics Department Chair Allison Emmerson, which hammered down at a striking $11,000.

Meanwhile, a silent auction offered equally tantalizing opportunities. Guests competed for a rare book collection tour hosted by Claudia and Enrico Consolandi and Valeria Napoleone, accompanied by Ilaria Puri Purini, who curated “Artists Making Books,” currently on view at the Academy. Another coveted lot came courtesy of artist, musician, and 2006 Resident Laurie Anderson, who invited the lucky bidder to her Tribeca studio for a private demonstration of her custom musical instruments.

The evening shifted into a soulful and poetic cadence as Grammy-winning composer Terence Blanchard took the stage to perform excerpts from three of his own compositions. Backed by his electrifying E-Collective and joined by the genre-defying Turtle Island Quartet, the performance also featured the rich, resonant tones of bass-baritone Nicholas Newton and the soaring soprano voice of Adrienne Danrich. The set was a masterful blend of music and storytelling, embodying the spirit of collaboration and creativity that defines the American Academy in Rome.

The night didn’t end there. Guests spilled into an after-party, where DJ BMAJR kept the energy alive with a dynamic mix of beats, ensuring the celebration carried on in high spirits. By the time the last note played and the final drink was poured, the event was more than just a memorable evening—it had raised over $1.1 million to support the Academy’s mission.