Event Celebrates IWC’s Commitment to Advancing Women’s Representation in the Arts. Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
(MIAMI, FL — September 23, 2026) — Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is pleased to host its annual International Women’s Committee (IWC) Luncheon on October 14, 2026, from 11am–2:30pm. This year, the museum will honor María C. Bechily for her longstanding dedication to the arts, philanthropy, and Miami’s cultural community. The event brings together IWC members and patrons from the fields of art, business, fashion, and philanthropy.
The mission of IWC is to create a platform that celebrates women in the visual arts and advances more balanced representation among artists, institutions, collectors, gallerists, and philanthropists. Membership fees and donations to IWC support exhibitions by women artists at PAMM, which include Yayoi Kusama, Teresita Fernández, Simone Leigh, Liliana Porter, and Calida Rawles.
“María has a remarkable ability to turn her passion for art and community into meaningful action,” said Darlene Boytell-Pérez, chair of PAMM’s International Women’s Committee. “Her generosity, curiosity, and commitment to creating opportunities for others reflect so deeply what the IWC stands for. We are thrilled to honor María this year and to celebrate not only her extraordinary contributions to Miami’s cultural life, but also the example she sets for the next generation of women supporting and shaping the arts.”
Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Bechily came to the United States in 1961 through Operation Pedro Pan, the historic airlift that brought more than 14,000 Cuban children to the country without their parents. At age 12, she arrived first in Miami before spending two years in foster homes in the Chicago suburbs and eventually reuniting with her family. The experience shaped her lifelong commitment to community service and creating opportunities for others.
After moving to Miami in 2014, Bechily quickly became an active participant in the city’s arts community. She joined PAMM’s Board of Trustees and has chaired both the museum’s Development Committee and an ad hoc Endowment Committee. She also serves on the boards of ArtesMiami, Locust Projects, Women Photographers International Archive, and the Dora Maar Cultural Center, while continuing to support organizations including the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Bakehouse Art Complex, Lowe Art Museum, and Oolite Arts.
“PAMM is deeply grateful for María’s steadfast commitment to the arts and to the communities that sustain them,” said Franklin Sirmans, Sandra and Tony Tamer director at PAMM. “Throughout her life, she has understood culture as both a source of connection and a public responsibility. We are proud to recognize the lasting impact she has made in Miami and beyond, including through her and Scott Hodes’s generous gift of the Christo Drawings, which made possible PAMM’s 2023 presentation of works by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The gift not only enriched the museum’s collection but also offered our audiences an opportunity to engage with a pivotal dimension of the artists’ practices and legacy.”
Pérez Art Museum Miami’s IWC hosts events throughout the year, including receptions, gallery and collection visits, artist-led tours, the annual luncheon, and a spring tea. The IWC Luncheon is one of several year-round programs that engage and recognize women in the community who have made a significant impact on the arts.
The 2025 IWC Luncheon honored Alexa Isbell Wolman, a longtime member of PAMM’s Board of Trustees and supporter of the museum’s committees and fundraising initiatives. Past honorees have included Sarah Arison, Carol Damian, Gloria Luria, Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Debra Scholl, and Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. The IWC Steering Committee is chaired by Darlene Boytell-Pérez and includes Trixie Belo-Osagie, Carol Damian, Mireille Chancy Gonzalez, Jill Ginsberg, Alexandra Lane, Kristina Newman-Scott, Mindy Solomon, and Tish Squillaro.
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ABOUT MARÍA C. BECHILY
María C. Bechily is a philanthropist, communications pioneer, arts advocate, and community leader. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, she came to the United States at age 12 through Operation Pedro Pan. She spent two years in foster homes in the Chicago suburbs before reuniting with her family, an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to service. Bechily earned degrees from Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago. She later founded one of Chicago’s first public relations firms devoted to multicultural and Spanish-language communications, helping major companies, nonprofits, and public institutions connect with Latino communities. She also hosted a Spanish-language television program on Univision Chicago. Her civic leadership has included work with the Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Goodman Theatre, and The Chicago Community Trust, where she co-founded Nuestro Futuro, now the nation’s largest Latino affinity fund dedicated to philanthropy. After moving to Miami in 2014, Bechily became deeply involved in the city’s arts community. She joined the Board of Trustees of Pérez Art Museum Miami, where she has chaired the Development Committee and an ad hoc Endowment Committee. She also serves on the boards of ArtesMiami, Locust Projects, Women Photographers International Archive, and the Dora Maar Cultural Center. An avid collector alongside her husband, Scott, Bechily has built a collection reflecting her Latin American heritage and enduring belief in art’s ability to strengthen communities.
ABOUT PAMM
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), led by Franklin Sirmans, Sandra and Tony Tamer Director, promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture, and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. The 42-year-old South Florida institution, formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, on December 4, 2013, in Downtown Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab, and classroom spaces.
