In collaboration with Human Rights Watch, the international non-profit space White Box will be presenting Ai Weiwei with the first 2011 White Box Arts and Humanity Award for his distinguished contributions to world art and culture. Due to the urgency of Ai Weiwei’s continued detainment, White Box has decided to honor the artist on June 7, 2011 in conjunction with its Spring Benefit.

The award pays tribute to Ai Weiwei as an unparalleled defender of freedom of speech and recognizes his brilliant career as a Chinese patriot, an artist, architect, global citizen and activist.

At the June 7th 2011 Benefit, White Box together with Human Rights Watch will present WHERE IS AI WEIWEI? – a panel, exhibition and fundraiser event to benefit equally Human Rights Watch and White Box’s Global Outreach program. There will be screenings of selected videos by Ai Weiwei as well as an excerpt from Alison Klayman’s documentary, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.

The panel, video screenings and benefit exhibition and event will take place at White Box on 329 Broome Street in the Bowery/Lower East Side art district, New York City. A select group of artists with social/political conscience will be invited to contribute works that in some measure may respond to Ai Weiwei’s incarceration.

6PM PERFORMANCES by Margaret Leng Tan and Lutz Rath 7PM SYMPOSIUM moderated by Jerome A. Cohen 8PM BENEFIT ART SALE (PREVIEWS JUNE 6-7 11AM-6PM)

Suggested donation $50 RSVP to [email protected]