Rowdy Rainmakers

Art + Advocacy raises a joyful noise — and half a million bucks

Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Supporters bid on works donated by local galleries such as Conduit, HollyJohnson, Craighead Green and Barry Whistler.
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Art + Advocacy raised more than $500,000 for Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.
Photo by Robert Bostick

There is no more heart-warming way for art to align with charity than at the annual Art + Advocacy benefit. Highlighting the unique role art therapy plays in healing child abuse victims served at the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, this annual event, held this year at Fashion Industry Gallery, tends to evoke a particularly emotional response from attendees.

This year the stakes were even higher, as the center is moving to spacious new digs on Samuell Boulevard in 2013. Works of mixed media, oil, pencil and photography from established and emerging artists donated by galleries such as Conduit, Craighead Green, Kirk Hopper, Holly Johnson, and Barry Whistler drew frenzied bids in both the live and silent auctions.

An anonymous donor contributed $25,000 on the day of the event, and auctioneers Ed Beardsley of Heritage Auction Galleries and Gail Sachson of Ask Me About Art didn’t have much trouble convincing the crowd to participate in a “Call for Cash” that this mysterious benefactor promised to match. The effort drew donations of $2,500 a pop as the seconds ticked by.

For Courtney Sinelli, who attended with her husband, Which Wich founder Jeff Sinelli, the cause had a personal resonance. “When I was a lawyer, I volunteered to do the family violence cases,” she said. “We lost almost every case because the victims wouldn’t testify. This cause has always been close to my heart, and I want to work to dedicate more time to it.”

The event was so festive that the crowd needed a reminder to stop socializing and pay attention to the final moments of the auction. One attendee made a generous offer of $50,000 in return for relative silence until the auction’s end.

For the center’s art therapist, Julie Espey, the evening was a success beyond the more than $500,000 final tally. “By integrating art into therapy, you can recognize the resiliency and healing that take place with each child,” she said. “Art is a profound natural form of communication.”

Supporters of the Children’s Advocacy Center included Tamara and John Bickel, Brian Bolke, John Clutts, Ginny and Mark Fein, event chairs Lindsay and Chuck Jacaman, Patricia Meadows, Laura Noble, Marlene and John Sughrue, Lisa and John Runyon, Ree and Jason Willaford, and Cris Worley.

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Gala preview

Dallas' most glam fall gala to honor Hollywood superstar Charlize Theron

Universal Pictures Presents "The Odyssey" Paris Premiere

Photo by Pierre Mouton/Getty Images for Universal Pictures

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Hollywood star Charlize Theron will be the guest of honor at one of Dallas' hottest-ticket galas of 2026: She will receive amfAR's Award of Inspiration at the organization's black-tie ball on October 24.

For a second year, the glamorous fall fundraiser will take place at the home of Kathleen and Scott Kirby, a release says. Taking over where Dallas' TWO x TWO gala left off when it ended in 2024, the amFAR gala has quickly become one of Dallas' marquee social events, drawing philanthropists, collectors, and high-profile guests in support of amfAR's mission to end HIV/AIDS.

Theron, who won an Oscar for Monster, is currently on a worldwide press tour ahead of her starring role in one of the summer's biggest movies, The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated adaptation of the Homer epic (opening July 17).

Beyond her film career, Theron serves as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), which supports organizations focused on youth health, HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, and combating gender-based violence across Southern Africa.

"Charlize Theron’s longstanding support of amfAR and HIV/AIDS care and prevention through her own foundation make her an inspiration to us all," said amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford in a statement. "We are grateful to her for her tireless work and are thrilled to be able to recognize her at our event in Dallas this year."

According to amfAR, programs supported by CTAOP have reached more than 4.8 million young people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Theron and the foundation also launched the Together for Her campaign with CARE and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to address gender-based violence, and later partnered with the Ford Foundation to advocate for global vaccine equity.

Founded in 1985, amfAR has invested more than $950 million in research grants supporting HIV/AIDS and other diseases in which viruses and the immune system play a significant role. Over the past 26 years, supporters in North Texas have raised more than $66.5 million to advance amFAR's ongoing HIV research and global health initiatives, the organization says.

This year's gala will feature cocktails, a seated dinner, musical performances, and a live auction offering luxury goods, travel experiences, and contemporary art. Tickets and table sponsorships are now available, starting at $2,500.

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Gala preview

Dallas' most glam fall gala to honor Hollywood superstar Charlize Theron