The Heckscher Museum of Art Benefit
October 16, 2025
Oheka Castle
Huntington, NY
6:30 pm
Benefit Co-Chairs Richard T. Cunniff, Jr. & Elizabeth Halpern
The Heckscher Museum of Art is pleased to announce the 2025 Honorees for its annual Benefit. The Bagley Family, Bank of America, and Deborah Buck embody the creative and philanthropic spirit that drives The Heckscher Museum’s mission.
This year, the Benefit will take place at historic Oheka Castle and will celebrate the exhibition Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History.
The Bagley Family
Joan and Milton Bagley are philanthropists, passionate collectors, and patrons of the arts. They have been generous supporters of the Museum and part of Huntington’s cultural community for over 30 years.
Over more than three decades, Joan, Milton, and the Bagley family have developed an impressive collection of paintings and sculpture by artists across Latin America that is notable for its range, depth, and rich variety of visual expression. The Heckscher Museum was fortunate to exhibit their family’s collection, including masterworks by Fernando Botero, Diego Rivera, and more in the 2018 exhibition Rivera and Beyond: Latin American Art from the Joan and Milton Bagley Collection.
Most recently in 2024, a transformative gift from the Collection of Joan and Milton Bagley was made to the Heckscher Museum’s permanent collection of artworks by Francisco Zúñiga, Roberto Matta, Julio Larraz, and Ignacio Iturria, leaving an important legacy that will allow the Museum to share the family’s treasured art with the community in perpetuity.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving clients and local communities on Long Island. A partner of more than three decades, the bank has supported The Heckscher Museum since 1991.
The bank’s Art in our Communities program, established in 2009, offers museums and nonprofit cultural institutions the opportunity to borrow complete or customized exhibitions from Bank of America’s art collection at no cost. In 2019, the Museum’s popular exhibition In a New Light: American Impressionism: Works from the Bank of America Collection was lent through this program, sharing important American Impressionist works with Long Islanders.
In 2024, the bank underwrote free admission to the Museum, providing visitors and families with access to the Museum’s art collection and exhibitions at no cost through 2025.
Deborah Buck
Deborah Buck is an artist, designer, and tastemaker whose work has been internationally recognized by publications such as Elle Decor, The New York Times, and Architectural Digest.
In 2019 she founded the Deborah Buck Foundation to support institutions that elevate women’s voices in the arts—past and present. Deborah brings both insight and urgency to this mission, continuing to advocate for a more inclusive cultural landscape. In pursuit of this mission, the Foundation has generously supported The Heckscher Museum, including the Museum’s exhibitions Salt Life: Arthur Dove and Helen Torr and Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History.
As a young artist, Deborah was mentored by Abstract Expressionist Clyfford Still, who recognized her independent spirit and sent her to the Skowhegan School. She studied Fine Arts at Trinity College, embracing a broad liberal arts education that continues to inform her practice. Her work defies trends and embraces bold, intuitive expression. Deborah’s work They Had Stars in Their Eyes, is part of the Museum’s permanent collection and was recently exhibited in The Rains are Changing Fast: New Acquisitions in Context.
Your Gift Will be Matched!
This is an unprecedented opportunity for your gift to have extra impact! In addition to supporting the exhibition and the Museum’s year of arts education and public programming, your Benefit sponsorship contribution will help us unlock an incredible 50% matching gift from a philanthropic Anonymous donor. For more information, visit Heckscher.org/benefits/2025 or Contact: Caitlynn Schare at Schare@Heckscher.org.
