Patrons are individuals who are passionate about the arts and humanities and the interdisciplinary, international context of the American Academy in Rome. Patrons benefit from a rich and exclusive program of events in New York and Rome drawn from the work of Fellows and Residents. Patrons’ dues provide leadership support of the Fellows, Residents, and AAR programs. Participation is at three levels: Director’s Council, President’s Council, and Chairman’s Council.

Events for Patrons of the AAR take place in both the United States and Italy.

Download a list of all supporters who made a gift to the American Academy in Rome between February 1, 2023, and January 31, 2024.

Director’s Council

$5,000

Enjoy benefits such as:

• Private tours, talks, and performances in New York and Rome with leading artists, authors, designers, scholars, architects, and composers
• (NEW) Annual breakfast with the Academy Director discussing issues in the arts and humanities
• Day trip in Rome or its surroundings with Academy Director, Fellows, and Advisors
• Select Academy and Fellow publications

President’s Council

$10,000

Enjoy all of the above, plus benefits such as:

• Reception following the Rome Prize Ceremony in New York with an opportunity to meet the latest Rome Prize winners

Chairman’s Council

$25,000

All of the above, plus invitations such as:

• Annual Trustees’ Week, with exclusive visits to private collections, homes, and estates in Rome, a robust program of Walks and Talks with Rome Prize winners, insider access to Fellows’ studios, and the opportunity to join the McKim Medal Gala at the Villa Aurelia honoring important contributions to Italian culture**
• Trustees’ Trip to museums and sites in Italy following Trustees’ Week. This weekend excursion is led by the Academy’s President and key experts**
• Annual Chairman’s Council dinner in the US with a range of Rome Prize Fellows working in the arts and humanities

All Patrons also receive benefits of Friends of the Academy at the highest level, including:

• Invitations to the Fall Reception to welcome new Rome Prize Fellows, Summer Garden Party, and private tours of AAR exhibitions
• Insider access to Academy scholars and artists via virtual programming
• Private guided tour of the McKim, Mead & White Building and Villa Aurelia with complimentary coffee in the Academy Bar
• Exclusive dinners and receptions in Rome with artists, composers, writers, and scholars
• Visits to unique sites, private collections, and artists’ studios in Rome
• Unique Roman walking tours (Walks and Talks) with Academy scholars and artists
• Rome Sustainable Food Project buffet lunch with the AAR community*
• Access to all Academy resources, including the Arthur and Janet C. Ross Library, the Archaeological Study Collection, and the Photographic Archive

*Buffet lunches and items at the Academy Bar are subject to an additional fee. Buffet lunches are available Monday–Friday. The Academy Bar is open Monday–Friday. 
 

**Trustees’ Week meals and programming are included; however, travel and accommodations are the responsibility of the individual. For the Trustees’ Trip, the cost of meals, accommodations, and travel are included in the trip fee. 
 

Past Patrons events have included:

• Cocktail reception and viewing of The Mile-Long Opera: a biography of 7 o’clock at the High Line with the composer David Lang (1991 Fellow, 2017 Resident, AAR Trustee)
• Progressive dinner celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Rome Sustainable Food Project with the chef, restaurateur, and RSFP founder Alice Waters and the artist Ann Hamilton (2017 Resident)
• Private tour of Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art led by the curator Carmen C. Bambach (1994 Fellow, 2005 Affiliated Fellow)
• Dinner with the author Ayad Akhtar (2018 Resident) and AAR President and CEO Mark Robbins (1997 Fellow) following Conversations/Conversazioni: The Body Politic

A benefit for Patrons at the Chairman’s Council level, Trustees’ Week showcases the unique interdisciplinary environment of the Academy while providing an opportunity to interact with the Fellows and see their work up close. At the heart of this five-day program, held in June, are the Walks and Talks: tours of sites and monuments throughout Rome that showcase the Fellows’ work and offer entirely unique ways to explore Rome’s multifaceted history, art, architecture, and culture. In addition to these walking tours of the city, Patrons are invited to tour Fellows’ studios during Open Studios, an annual event also featuring poetry readings and musical performances.

Trustees’ Week offers exclusive visits to private collections, homes, and estates in Rome. Past events have included a private cocktail reception in the Sistine Chapel, dinner at famed Antinori vineyard, Fattoria di Fiorano, and lunch at Palazzo Orsini, a Renaissance palace built atop the arches of the first-century Teatro di Marcello.

Patrons are able to join the McKim Medal Gala, a special evening at the stunning Villa Aurelia honoring important contributions to Italian culture.