Getty Honors Ann Philbin at Getty Center Celebration

Last evening, the J. Paul Getty Trust celebrated 2025 Getty Prize winner Ann Philbin, director emeritus of the Hammer Museum, at the institution’s annual dinner.

Philbin’s chosen recipients of the prize’s accompanying $500,000 pay-it-forward grant, NPR, KCRW, and LAist, were also honored. Guests included artists, philanthropists, friends of Philbin, representatives from NPR, KCRW, and LAist, museum leaders, and more.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour featuring a lively DJ set by KCRW’s Novena Carmel, followed by dinner and welcome remarks from Getty board chair Rob Lovelace. Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust then introduced the 2025 Getty Prize winner Ann Philbin and grant recipients NPR, KCRW, and LAist.

Upon accepting her award, Philbin reflected “I do believe we are facing the most pressing issue of our time—the protection of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the first amendment.” She added, “our local public stations are the soundtrack of the city. The cultural programming and stories, the killer music sets, the news from around the world from voices that we trust.” Philbin pointed out that small rural stations across the U.S. face the greatest challenges and mentioned Adopt A Station, a program that allows individuals to “adopt” a local public media station in need of support.

Remarks were also given by grant recipients NPR, KCRW, and LAist who will use the $500,000 Getty Prize grant to support arts and culture programming.

Katherine Maher, president and CEO of NPR, commented “Americans know public radio for news, but we have another founding purpose—to provide access, inspiration, discovery, and delight through freely available cultural programming.” She added, “public radio’s strength has always been about the way we connect to our communities and the way our communities connect to us, and there is literally no greater recognition than when the community chooses to give back.”

For her speech, KCRW president Jennifer Ferro reflected on Philbin’s selection of public media as the focus for the pay-it-forward grant. “Annie has built her career around freedom—the freedom of artists to tell the stories of our culture and reflect back to us what they see in their lives. One thing that’s become clear lately is that there can’t be artistic freedom if there’s no freedom for the press,” she said.

Concluding the remarks was LAist president and CEO Alejandra Santamaria who stated “one thing I like to say at LAist is we are defunded but not defeated. If anything, the outpouring of support has strengthened our resolve. This prize makes the heart of our work possible.”

During the event, Getty presented a video about the 2025 Getty Prize with interview subjects including host of AirtTalk on LAist, Larry Mantle, former CEO of NPR Jarl Mohn, and more. The evening closed with a high energy DJ set by KCRW’s Jason Bentley.

Guests included artists Lita Albuquerque, Lauren Halsey, Betye Saar, Alison Saar, Charles Gaines, Doug Aitken, Sanford Biggers, and Mercedes Dorame. Also in attendance were philanthropists Edythe Broad, Nicolas Berggruen, and Susan Nimoy, founder of LA Commons Karen Mack, designer Michael S Smith, and museum directors Zoë Ryan (The Hammer), Karen R. Lawrence (The Huntington), Joanne Heyler (The Broad), Michael Govan (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), and more. Representatives from Arts for Healing and Justice Network (2024 Getty Prize grantee) were also in attendance.

About Ann Philbin

As director of the Hammer Museum at UCLA for twenty five years, Philbin built a renowned exhibition program, a strong and distinctive institutional identity, and an international reputation for scholarly excellence and cutting-edge programming. Major programs launched during her tenure include the acclaimed Hammer Projects series showcasing young and emerging artists and the museum’s signature Made in L.A. biennial. Under her leadership, the museum developed a robust calendar of over 300 free annual public programs spotlighting provocative and creative thinkers. She also completed a $180 million expansion and renovation that added 40,000 square feet of gallery, administrative, and public space. The museum now functions as a lively cultural center in one of the most creative cities in the world, with free admission for all.

About Getty Prize

Established in 2013, the Getty Prize is Getty’s highest honor and recognizes cultural leaders whose work expands human understanding and appreciation of arts and culture. Since 2024, the award enables recipients to recognize the work of an arts or educational non-profit organization with a $500,000 grant from Getty. Nominations are reviewed and awardees determined by the Getty Trust Board of Trustees. Past Getty Prize awardees include Harold M. Williams and Nancy Englander, who were recognized for their leadership in creating Getty as it exists today, along with Frank Gehry, Thelma Golden, and Mark Bradford, Ed Ruscha, Yo-Yo Ma, Lorna Simpson, and more.