Name: 75th Anniversary Gala
Start: 2026-01-16T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-16T23:00:00-05:00
Location: 1515 Main Street, Columbia, SC, United States, South Carolina 29201

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On January 16, the Columbia Museum of Art invites you on an unprecedented journey — a world tour through 75 years of artistic excellence, shown through a new lens and under a brilliant new light.
This isn't just a gala. It's an immersive voyage across continents, where each gallery becomes a destination, every corner holds a discovery, and the entire museum transforms into your personal gateway to the world.
After a yearlong lighting renovation and reinstallation of the CMA Collection, the museum has never looked more breathtaking. The second-floor galleries reopen just in time for this celebration, bathed in illumination that honors each artwork's true brilliance. This is a museum reborn — and you're invited to its grand reveal.
Be the first to see these galleries as you journey through the museum’s collecting pillars: Asian, European, American, and modern and contemporary art, discovering how global movements have influenced artistic evolution and how the CMA celebrates these legacies in dazzling new ways.
This travel-themed evening features catering from City Grit and Scott Hall, themed bars with specialty cocktails from Twist Bartending, and florals from WAS Design Works. Entertainment includes live painting, special guest appearances, and live music from The Root Doctors — dubbed “the funkiest band around” — bringing their signature party sound with covers new and old.
$200 / $175 for members.
The Gala is the Columbia Museum of Art’s largest fundraiser of the year and raises significant funds to support the museum’s award-winning arts education and community enrichment programs.
This event is made possible with the support of generous contributions from our sponsors. America Sponsor: Dominion Energy. Asia Sponsor: BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Europe Sponsor: Lexington Health. Art of Arrival and Valet Sponsor: McDaniels Porsche. Craft Celebration Sponsor: Joseph Bruce. Globe Trotter Sponsors: Aflac; B106.7FM; Barbara Boyd; Theodore and Margaret Anne DuBose; Therese Griffin; The Post and Courier Columbia; Hannah and Ron Rogers; UBS; USC Center for Civil Rights History and Research. Frequent Flyer Sponsor: LS3P. Additional support from many others.