The Ford Foundation’s Darren Walker will be interviewed by André Leon Talley on a zoom call Thursday, February 11th at 7:00 pm EST hosted by the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD).
The Ford Foundation’s president Darren Walker and fashion icon André Leon Talley join MAD Interim Director Terry Skoda for a Black History Month special edition of MAD Moments, exploring Walker’s path to the Ford Foundation, his vision for the future of philanthropy, and the role of museums in reimaging who has a seat at the table and a voice in the room.
Closed captioning provided.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
André Leon Talley was the indomitable creative director at Vogue during the magazine’s rising dominance as the world’s fashion bible. Over the past five decades his byline has appeared in Vanity Fair, HG, and The New York Times. He began his career as an assistant to Diana Vreeland at The Metropolitan Costume Institute, later working at Interview magazine, and as Paris Bureau Chief for Women’s Wear Daily. He is the author of books including two autobiographies, The Chiffon Trenches and ALT, as well as Little Black Dress, A.L.T.:365+, MegaStar, and Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style. He is also the subject of the documentary The Gospel According to André. Mr. Talley received his MA in French Studies from Brown University and served on the board of trustees for the Savannah College of Art and Design for twenty years.
Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $13 billion international social justice philanthropy. He is co-founder and chair of the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. Before joining Ford, Darren was vice president at Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing global and domestic programs. In the 1990s, he was COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization. Darren co-chairs New York City’s Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers, the New York City Census Task Force, and the Governor’s Commission and serves on The Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform and UN International Labour Organization Global Commission on the Future of Work. He serves on many boards, including Carnegie Hall, the High Line, VOW to End Child Marriage, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the recipient of 16 honorary degrees and university awards, including Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal. Educated exclusively in public schools, Darren was a member of the first Head Start class in 1965 and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. He has been included on Time’s annual 100 Most Influential People in the World, Rolling Stone’s 25 People Shaping the Future, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, and OUT Magazine’s Power 50.
