Philanthropy

Artist-Endowed Foundation Leadership Forum

December 9, 2015  • Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative/AEFI

On Friday, October 30th, 2015, 78 senior leaders of artist-endowed foundations gathered for an invitational symposium addressing key issues and innovations in practice and policy that are influencing the field’s charitable impact in art stewardship and cultural philanthropy. Foundations from across the US as well as those based in the UK, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, were represented.

The event took place in New York City and was presented by The Hoffman Forum, sponsored by The Aspen Institute Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative/AEFI in cooperation with The University of Miami School of Law, and hosted by The Museum of Modern Art. The day’s keynote conversation featured Los Angeles-based contemporary artist and MacArthur Fellow, Mark Bradford, Co-Founder, Art + Practice Foundation, and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker, in a wide-ranging discussion about artist-endowed foundations’ opportunities for charitable impact. The conversation was moderated by AEFI Project Director Christine Vincent and introduced by Charles C. Bergman, Chairman and CEO, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Honorary Chair, AEFI Advisors.

The aim of the annual Artist-Endowed Foundation Leadership Forum is to foster collegial exchange among the field’s senior leaders nationally and internationally and inform the research, publication and knowledge sharing programs of the Aspen Institute’s Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative/AEFI. Sessions are designed to incorporate presentations and discussions among foundation leaders, scholarly experts, artists and thought leaders. Topics for the 2015 program included:

  • Issue Briefing: CAA Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in the Visual Arts Spotlight
  • Innovations in Artist-Endowed Foundation Practice
  • Keynote: Charitable Impact – Art Stewardship and Cultural Philanthropy
  • The View from Abroad: Resale Royalties, a Charitable Resource?
  • Leadership Perspectives: Critical Junctures in the Foundation Life Cycle
  • Updates on Art Authentication and Attribution: Policy and Technology