2018 Seminar on Strategy for Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders
The 2018 Seminar on Strategy for Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders took place in New York the week of April 29 – May 4. Presented collaboratively by the Aspen Institute Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative (AEFI) and University of Miami School of Law (UMSL), the Seminar supports the professional development of individuals who currently have, or will have, policy-setting and leadership responsibilities for artist-endowed foundations—directors, officers, trustees, board members, senior staff—as well as those supporting an artist’s legacy planning with respect to a potential foundation.
Twenty leaders from nine states participated in the 2018 Seminar, with daily sessions hosted by the Dedalus Foundation, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, and The Gordon Parks Foundation. The Seminar Opening Dinner was hosted by Athena Foundation/Mark Di Suvero Studio and Dedalus Foundation hosted the Seminar Reception.
The Seminar on Strategy for Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders educates leaders about the characteristics of these distinctive charitable organizations, including foundations’ complex business models, diverse philanthropic practices, influential art historical role, and manifold governance and stewardship requirements. Curriculum segments focus on: Legacy Stewardship and Artist-Endowed Foundations; Organizational Viability; Economic Sustainability; Cultural Asset Stewardship; Philanthropic Impact; Foundation Operations; and Communications/Reputational Assets.
The Seminar is based on findings of AEFI’s National Study of Artist-Endowed Foundations and subsequent research publications, which are viewable at www.aspeninstitute.org/aefi, and focuses specifically on the strategic concerns of leaders orienting themselves to the field. By building the capacity of foundation leaders, the Seminar advances AEFI’s mission to strengthen the charitable impact of the emerging artist-endowed foundation field and its work in cultural philanthropy and art stewardship.