Hammer Museum’s Post

The Mohn Art Collective (Hammer Museum, LACMA, MOCA | The Museum of Contemporary Art), partnered with East West Bank Foundation, joins a coalition of major arts organizations and philanthropists in L.A. led by the J. Paul Getty Trust to create the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, a resource for artists and arts workers across disciplines who have lost residences, studios, livelihoods, or have otherwise been impacted by the devastating Los Angeles fires. This fund—supported by national and international institutions—has launched with $12 million and is continuing to grow. Beginning Monday, January 20, artists and arts workers can apply for an emergency grant through the Center for Cultural Innovation, which will administer the fund. We are following other similar initiatives and we understand this fund is one step in a long road to recovery for our creative communities. Our hearts go out to all who have been displaced, lost residences and studios, and now face enormous challenges caused by this tragedy. For more information on the fund and how to apply, visit https://bit.ly/3WkjVwO.

"A coalition of major arts organizations and philanthropists in Los Angeles led by the J. Paul Getty Trust, including the Mohn Art Collective (Hammer, LACMA, and MOCA) partnered with East West Bank, today joined with the Mellon Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Qatar Museums, Ford Foundation, and other national and international institutions to announce the creation of the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, an emergency relief fund for artists and arts workers in all disciplines who have lost residences, studios, livelihoods, or have otherwise been impacted by the devastating Los Angeles fires. The fund will be administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, a longstanding intermediary providing funding, advocacy, and research support on behalf of individuals in the arts." https://lnkd.in/gJE6EWE8

The Phelps Mansion Museum announced today a grant award totaling $25,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the nonprofit arts and culture sector. Through New York State’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA has awarded $82 million this year to 509 artists and 1,497 organizations across the state. We are grateful for the support from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)

The Tulsa Artist Fellowship (TAF), launched in 2015 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), is a charitable organization founded by billionaire philanthropist George B. Kaiser in 1999. From the TAFs inception, its mandate of supporting the arts in Tulsa has created an infrastructure for the arts through housing, subsidized studio spaces, funding for studio assistance, health care stipends, and a $150,000 award for 10 new fellows every year. This sense of community building with an ecosystem for the arts is demonstrated consistently over the weekend of Tulsa Artist Fellowship Open House. Kicking off the weekend is the opening night exhibition “Earthbound: A Dark Sky Exhibit” at TAFs Flagship public project space. While it’s being used for the exhibition tonight, it also operates as a communal space for uses as varied as literary readings, performances, sound installations, screenings, discussions, talks and interviews, workshops and more. The exhibition is in partnership with “Space for Us”, an organization dedicated to making STEAM resources and careers in space sciences more visible and accessible to underserved communities, while promoting dark sky protection and advocacy. I wrote about the TAF and exhibition for Whitehot Magazine #Art #Artists https://lnkd.in/eGHimE-m

The British Museum's newly appointed director, Nicholas Cullinan, defending the institution’s decision to accept a £50m donation from bp has me in a bind. This bind goes beyond financial necessity—cultural institutions are faced with a profound responsibility of balancing much needed funding with ethical considerations of the source of the money. “I think the debate has changed, but what hasn’t changed are the two criteria against which you weigh up donations and sponsorship,” he told the The Times. “One is: was the money legally acquired? The other is: will accepting it cause us reputational damage? I think you have to have very good, clear reasons for turning down money that would help to keep the British Museum free to the public.” Ok, but what about the broader consequences? BP’s environmental track record has left deep scars and while Cullinan believes that accepting this donation doesn’t tarnish the museum’s reputation, what message is it sending? I feel that it’s endorsing the actions of a company whose legacy contradicts the values of stewardship and preservation the museum claims to uphold. Not trying to be on a high horse, after my studies I have some insight into how difficult it is to wrangle funding for cultural institutions and balancing that with integrity, but this really made me squirm. I know it’s £50m and the museum is on the cusp of a huge renovation but it’s still BP. It’s worth noting that one of the trustees had to declare a conflict of interest and abstained from voting (because BP is a client of his investment banking firm lol). Two other trustees—one, the vice-chair of BlackRock (one of the top shareholders in BP) and the other, a chair of Schroders (which holds investments in BP)—pointed out their interests but claimed that “it would not constitute a conflict of interest.” I don’t know, maybe that's enough said. Xoxo Almost Art Girl 🔗 Piece by Richard Morrison on The Times https://bit.ly/4gt09r1 📸 The British Museum's great court. Photo by Nicolas Lysandrou #culturalheritage #culturalfunding #britishmuseum #sustainability

I always look forward to these reports from the American Alliance of Museums. A couple takeaways that really stuck with me: This statistic drew my eye and fills me with some amount of unease heading into 2025: "One in ten museums (11 percent) report donors withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to exhibit and/or program content related to topics such as diversity, race, gender, and sexuality. Seven percent of museums report government entities withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to such content." I feel this statistic in my bones: "Forty percent of museums are creating more exhibits in-house as compared to five years ago." HAI continues to shift its business strategy as in-house teams complete work in which we would have participated. It's not a bad thing to stay agile in the field and to know what you're up against.

Museums are packed with incredible stories! From the history of a piece of art …to your visitor’s experience. Your museum should be capitalizing on its deep reservoir of stories to drive excitement and donations. Check out these 5 fun video story ideas you can implement with footage you already have…or can easily get! 1.A “Making Of” Video told from the perspective of the artist! 2. A highlights video on a featured exhibit or work of art. 3. For children’s museums… share a video of kids describing what they learned and the fun they had at your museum! 4. Does your museum have something cool in the works? Share your exciting new plans and the need for your support. 5. The walls of a museum are inherently rich. Share with people the parts they don’t see with tour video showcasing all of the cool nooks, crannies and points of interest in your museum. #nonprofit #museums #associations #videostorytelling #videostorytellingformuseums #videostorytellingfornonprofits

For artists and arts workers in all disciplines who have lost residences, studios, or livelihoods or have been impacted by the devastating LA fires—a new emergency fund led by the J. Paul Getty Trust, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, and other generous institutions.

Charitable Assets at Work: Supporting LA’s Arts Community J. Paul Getty Trust, in collaboration with a coalition of foundations, arts organizations, and individuals, announced the creation of the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund. This fund will aid artists and arts workers impacted by the devastating fires in #LosAngeles. 👩🎨 We are inspired by the powerful role philanthropic capital plays in addressing crises and uplifting communities. Learn more and how to contribute here: https://gty.art/firerelief #Philanthropy #Art #Investing #Foundations

In the wake of the devastating fires across Los Angeles, we’re heartened to share a vital source of support for our creative community. This week, a coalition of arts organizations and philanthropists, led by Getty and including the Mohn Art Collective (Hammer Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and MOCA | The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles), The Broad, and other national and international partners, announced the creation of the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund. This $12 million emergency relief fund will provide critical support to artists and arts workers across all disciplines who have been impacted by the fires. The fund will be administered by the incredible team at the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). Starting Monday, January 20, affected artists and arts workers can visit the CCI arts website to apply for emergency grants. CCI staff are prepared to offer guidance and ensure a streamlined application process to get funds into the hands of those in need as quickly as possible. For more details, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gbSYPsDs