Ava DuVernay’s Cutting-Edge Arts Collective ARRAY Wins Peabody’s Distinguished Institutional Award

Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY has been honored with the prestigious Peabody Institutional Award for Peabody’s 81st annual awards ceremony. The Institutional Awards spotlight institutions, organizations, and varied programs for their steadfast body of work and the impact that it generates within the media and the public at large. 

ARRAY, which was formed a decade ago by DuVernay, is an arts and social advocacy collective that is dedicated to highlighting the creative talent and work of people of color and women. 

Oprah Winfrey virtually presented the award to DuVernay on Tuesday. 

“It was 10 years ago when Ava DuVernay created a unique, multi-platform arts and social impact collective dedicated to narrative change,” said Winfrey. “Now this vision manifested into a production organization led by a quartet of mission driven entities. The film distribution arm, ARRAY Releasing. The content company, ARRAY Filmworks. The programming and production hub, ARRAY Creative Campus. And, the non-profit group, ARRAY Alliance.” 

She continued by noting how ARRAY is designed to “amplify the voices and work by people of color and women,” and this is achieved by ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table, from on-screen to the behind-the-scenes crew.  

In DuVernay’s acceptance speech, she spoke about how she cherishes the Peeabody and its authenticity. “Unlike the Hollywood awards, there is no campaigning, no billboards or ads to get attention. And the body that decides this honor is diverse in cultural background but also in professional expertise and area of interest. It’s just a beautiful honor and it’s deeply felt by me and all of us at ARRAY today as we gratefully accept the Institutional Award in our tenth anniversary year,” said DuVernay. 

Tune in for the multi-day virtual celebration of the 81st annual Peabody Awards from June 21st through June 24th, which will be streamed live from the Peabody’s official social media platforms.