ROANOKE, VA.- The Art Museum of Western Virginia is pleased to announce today that art consultant and author Barbara Guggenheim will be the featured speaker at its annual Women’s Luncheon on November 28 at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. World renowned poet and Virginia Tech professor Nikki Giovanni will attend the luncheon to accept the Art Museum’s Ann Fralin Award.

Barbara Guggenheim is a partner in the firm Guggenheim, Asher, Associates, one of America’s best known firms of art consultants. For the past twenty-five years, Barbara has built collections for some of the country’s top corporations and numerous individuals, including many celebrities such as Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. She holds a doctorate in Art History, has taught on the college level, lectured at the Whitney Museum, and worked at Sotheby’s and Christies. Guggenheim lectures widely on all aspects of collecting, and she has been the subject of numerous magazine articles, including two profiles in Vanity Fair. In her spare time, Barbara regularly contributes humor to W and ELLE magazines and has written three books. Barbara lives a bicoastal life between Los Angeles and New York, where she has offices, and travels non-stop in search of art for her clients.

Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past thirty years, her outspokenness in her writing and lectures has brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being a “Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.” Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to fight for civil rights and equality. Always insisting on presenting the truth as she sees it, she has maintained a prominent place as a strong voice of the African American community. Her focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others. Over the course of more than three decades of publishing and lecturing, Giovanni has come to be called both a “national treasure” and, most recently, one of Oprah Winfrey’s twenty-five “Living Legends.” The author of some thirty books for both adults and children, Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.

“We are so pleased to have Barbara Guggenheim as our speaker this year, and we are elated to have the opportunity to honor Nikki Giovanni,” said Georganne Bingham, executive director of the Art Museum. “Both of these women embody the astonishing power of women to make a difference in the world, and we are delighted to recognize Nikki’s outstanding achievements and contributions in the arts and education with the Ann Fralin Award.”

The Women’s Luncheon celebrates the extraordinary power of women, art and education to improve lives and transform communities. This premier sell-out event brings together a diverse group of over 750 women, including prominent women business leaders, educators, philanthropists, artists, professionals, and community volunteers.

The Ann Fralin Award is named for Ann Fralin, a passionate supporter of the arts and education, and the inspiration for the Art Museum’s nationally important collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century American art. The Ann Fralin Award recognizes the recipient for her vision and commitment to and support of the arts, education and the quality of life in our community, and beyond. Nikki Giovanni follows artist Dorothy Gillespie and Lisa Collis, First Lady of Virginia 2002-2006, in receiving the award and further exemplifies the standard of extraordinary women that the Art Museum will recognize with the Ann Fralin Award in the future.

Proceeds from the Women’s Luncheon will benefit Art Matters, an after school outreach initiative for underserved families in the region. In the past year, the program has served the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia, Pilot Street, the West End Center, and the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority communities. The program brings visual literacy and fundamentals of art activities to these venues twice a month, providing unprecedented access to the visual arts for this audience. In addition, all children who participate in the Art Matters initiative are provided with free passes to the Art Museum so that, with their families, they can continue to experience all that the Art Museum has to offer.

“The Art Museum’s Women’s Luncheon is one of the most exciting events for women in the region. We are so pleased by the continued incredible success of the luncheon, and we are thrilled to raise $30,000 a year through the event to support Art Matters,” said Mimi Coles, co-chair of the Women’s Luncheon committee. “The luncheon truly is a testament to the power of women to make a difference, in this case by exposing children to the wonder and awe of the visual arts and enriching their lives in an unprecedented way.”

The Women’s Luncheon is presented by Fink’s Jewelers and David Yurman. The reception sponsor is the Junior League of Roanoke Valley and the media sponsor is WSLS Newschannel 10. Contributing sponsors include Bella Magazine, Brandon Oaks Retirement Community, Building Specialists, Inc., Foti Flynn Lowen & Co., Frances Kahn, Halifax Fine Furnishings, Lipes Pharmacy, Lugenis at The Art and Science of Dermatology, RSVP, Ltd., SpaVa, SunTrust Bank, The Herb Cellar, Trust Company of Virginia, Vintage Cellar, Wells Fargo Insurance Services, and Woods Rogers PLC. Tickets to the Women’s Luncheon are $50 per person or $750 for a reserved table. To purchase tickets or reserve a table, please contact Judy Bates, director of events, at (540) 857-4386.