{"id":166864,"date":"2023-08-22T09:14:43","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T09:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=166864"},"modified":"2023-08-22T09:14:43","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T09:14:43","slug":"helen-frankenthaler-foundations-historic-2-million-donation-to-smithsonian-american-art-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/helen-frankenthaler-foundations-historic-2-million-donation-to-smithsonian-american-art-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Helen Frankenthaler Foundation\u2019s Historic $2 Million Donation to Smithsonian American Art Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"
Explore Helen Frankenthaler Foundation makes a landmark donation of $2 million to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.<\/span><\/p>\n \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n In a significant act of philanthropy, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has bestowed a generous donation of $2 million to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). This substantial gift marks the largest donation that the <\/span>museum\u2019s<\/span><\/a> fellowship program has received in its 53-year history. Additionally, it brings a monumental $10 million capital campaign for the fellowship program to its completion.<\/span><\/p>\n The donation from the Frankenthaler Foundation will serve to establish an endowment for a fellowship, named the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Fellowship. This fellowship will be concentrated on modern and contemporary American art. The inaugural Frankenthaler Foundation Fellowship is slated to be awarded for the 2024-25 academic year, with the application deadline set for November 1, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n Positioned within SAAM\u2019s Research and Scholars Center, the fellowship is designed to be accessible to scholars at every stage of their academic journey, from Ph.D. candidates to seasoned academics. This program is envisioned as an integral component in the research necessary for scholars to complete their dissertations or publish their books.<\/span><\/p>\n Furthermore, the Foundation\u2019s $2 million donation is not solely tied to the new fellowship. It is also earmarked for professional development resources available to all fellows actively participating in the Research and Scholars Center.<\/span><\/p>\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Explore Helen Frankenthaler Foundation makes a landmark donation of $2 million to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\r\n\r\n According to SAAM Director Stephanie Stebich, the process of writing a dissertation or book can be isolating and arduous, and she sees the SAAM\u2019s fellowship program as an antidote to this solitude. “It is a nurturing space where scholars learn from each other, deepening and expanding their thinking,\u201d Stebich mentioned in a communication with ARTnews.<\/span><\/p>\n Appointed as SAAM\u2019s director in the spring of 2017, Stebich initiated the $10 million capital campaign the subsequent year, leading up to the fellowship program\u2019s 50th anniversary in 2020. She emphasized the museum\u2019s \u201coutsized impact as an educational and research institution\u201d and articulated the need for augmented funding to sustain its scholarly initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n In a detailed interview, Elizabeth Smith, the Executive Director of the Frankenthaler Foundation, underlined the alignment of the Foundation\u2019s donation with its enduring commitment to <\/span>American art<\/span><\/a>\u2014a field that was pivotal to Frankenthaler herself. Smith passionately described SAAM\u2019s fellows as representing \u201can exciting cross-section of the best of the field.”<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n
Frankenthaler Foundation Fuels the Future of American Art with $2 Million Donation<\/b><\/h2>\n
Sowing Seeds for the Next Generation of American Art Scholars<\/b><\/h2>\n
A Remedy for Academic Isolation and a Pathway to Collaborative Growth<\/b><\/h2>\n
Philanthropy Reflecting a Legacy of Influence in American Art<\/b><\/h2>\n