Abby Pullicin
The International African American Museum (IAAM) is excited to reveal that acclaimed television personality and fashion influencer Venita Aspen (pictured) will serve as the Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the 2025 Jubilee Soiree, its signature fundraising event and the museum’s second anniversary celebration, taking place on Saturday, June 21. This year's Jubilee Soiree, themed "Celebrating a Century of Black Beauty," will be an unforgettable evening dedicated to honoring the diverse and enduring expressions of Black beauty from 1925 to 2025.
A fifth-generation Charlestonian, Aspen is a nationally recognized creative director, model, content creator, and television personality known for blending Southern heritage with modern sophistication. With a career rooted in storytelling through style, food, and culture, Aspen brings a fresh yet reverent energy to this year’s celebration. Poised, powerful, and deeply connected to the cultural fabric of Charleston, Aspen embodies the spirit of this milestone moment for the museum and the community it serves.
Adding to the evening's distinguished honors, Ms. Lana Turner, a renowned Harlem native, will be presented with the 2025 IAAM Culture Award for Spirit (Icon). This prestigious icon award, personally selected by IAAM CEO Dr. Tonya M. Matthews, recognizes an individual who embodies the spirit of cultural preservation and artistic expression.
Turner is quintessential Harlem, a landmark unto herself. She has earned the endearing title of "Queen of Harlem" by many. She works as a real estate professional, archivist, preservationist, and producer. Turner is the co-founder and chair of The Literary Society, a Harlem-based book discussion group of 100 members founded in 1982. For more than 40 years she has produced major events, the most recent being six public discussions with 24 moderators on Jeffrey Stewart's The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke. Turner is a member of the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, and as an archivist, Turner has worked with the private estates of choreographer Geoffrey Holder and jazz musicians Frank Foster and Rahsaan Rolan Kirk. Her institutional clients include the Appollo Theater and the Julian C. Madison Building in Detroit.
Turner has shared her keen insight into various elements of Harlem's history in numerous documentary films and television programs. An avid swing dancer, she has supported lindy hop history by curating Harlem walking tours through the lens of 1920's Whitey's Lindy Hoppers Frankie Manning and Norma Miller.
A doyenne of mid-20th century fashion, and muse of the late New York Times street style photographer Bill Cunningham, Turner appeared over 28 years in his ‘Evenings Out’ and ‘On the Street’ columns. Most recently, she was a panelist on A Stitch in Time prior to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gala introduction of its Spring 2025 Exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. Her highly recognized collection of vintage clothing, including more than 600 hats, has been featured in both galleries and museum exhibitions.
The Jubilee Soiree promises an evening of celebration, inspiration, and fundraising to support IAAM's vital mission of the telling the untold stories of African Americans and African Diaspora.