AWARE-USA advances in the Americas the unique mission of Paris-based AWARE (Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions) - to raise the visibility and highlight the contributions to society by women artists of the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. AWARE-USA is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in New York City.
Gifts from U.S.-based donors in support of AWARE-USA are tax-deductible to the extent permissible by law.
Simona Petrova-Vassileva Executive Director AWARE-USA +1 917-346-7910 [email protected]
Mailing address
AWARE-USA Simona Petrova-Vassileva 27 East 65th Street, Suite 4EF New York, NY 10065
Founded in 2014 by Camille Morineau, AWARE aims to raise the public appreciation of the legacy of women in the arts through developing innovative content and making freely accessible to all sectors of the global community the relevant research and knowledge on its one-of-a-kind encyclopaedical website.
AWARE-USA is an essential component of AWARE's global network of support. Contributors to AWARE-USA gain deeper shared insight into each of the offered areas of knowledge and help amplify AWARE's efforts to champion interdisciplinary initiatives, special exhibitions, and education programs.
Veronique de Champvallier Parke is a collector and philanthropist. She has established a strong commitment to the arts through her leadership in many international arts organizations and initiatives, including Outset Contemporary Art Fund (Chair of Trustees), Fluxus Art Projects (Vice Chairman), Amis du Centre Pompidou (Trustee), and Member of the Tate International Council. In 2018, she co-founded LaunchPad LaB, an artists’ residency program in Charente, France. Having earned her law degree in France, an MBA from the Stern School, NYU, and an M.A. in Contemporary Art Studies from The University of Manchester, UK, Veronique has combined her professional skills with personal passions to develop a track record of nurturing both successful arts organizations and the thriving careers of artists, whose work she has collected and followed.
Simona Petrova-Vassileva
Executive Director and Board Member
Simona Petrova-Vassileva is an art collector and avid supporter and advisor to many charities and nonprofit institutions. Having spent three decades in leadership positions within the United Nations (until 2022), including as Director of the UN Secretary-General’s Executive Office, she focuses on achieving results in public sector entities. She has taken on a leadership role in a number of international art institutions, including Outset Contemporary Art Fund (Partner), co-founder of American Foundation for Bulgaria, board member of the International friends of Vienna Secession and of the International Friends of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). Since 2014 she has been a Founding Patron of the Serpentine Americas Foundation and a Champion of Serpentine’s (London) contemporary art programs. She is also a Patron of MUSIKVEREIN Vienna and of the Metropolitan Opera Guild (New York). Simona earned an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University) and certification from Harvard Business School’s Executive Education.
Rana Baladi
Board Member and Treasurer
Rana Baladi’s professional experience has been in the field of marketing and brand building. She holds an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France) and worked for multinational companies (Procter&Gamble, Bacardi, Unilever) in various locations around the world. Rana is now based in New York. She lived previously in Chicago, Madrid, Sydney, Dubai, Paris, Geneva, Washington DC, San Francisco and Beirut. As an avid supporter of the arts, Rana has always been involved with local and international art institutions wherever she lived. She serves as the President of the Board of BeMA-USA, an organization that advances the mission of the Beirut Museum of Art. She also serves on the Women’s Board of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and is a member of the Chicago Arts Club. Rana serves as a Volunteer Tour Guide at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She also supports various museums and opera houses around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and the Prado museum in Madrid. Rana is passionate about supporting the inspiring mission and projects of AWARE through the work of the AWARE-USA board, in whatever way she can.