Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
The Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative | AEFI hosts five signature programs.
National Study of Artist-Endowed Foundations
The National Study of Artist-Endowed Foundations, AEFI’s principle research endeavor, is the first effort to define and describe the field of private foundations created by visual artists in the U.S. Though a small portion of all private foundations, these distinctively endowed entities are growing in number and as such, represent a potential force shaping cultural philanthropy and stewarding this country’s postwar and contemporary art heritage.
Seminar on Strategy for Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders
Presented biennially, the Seminar on Strategy for Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders supports the professional development of individuals who currently have, or will have, policy-setting, governance, management, and leadership responsibilities for Artist-Endowed Foundations as well as those supporting an artist’s stewardship planning efforts with respect to a potential foundation.
An invitational symposium, the Forum convened senior staff and board leaders of artist-endowed foundations to discuss key issues and innovations in practice and policy that are influencing the field’s charitable impact in art stewardship and cultural philanthropy as its members navigate the multiple crosscurrents that mark this moment in time.
The Artist-Endowed Foundations (AEF) Consortium Advancing Next-Gen Leaders in the Visual Arts is a national collaborative of AEFs whose members provide paid summer internships/fellowships to college students from backgrounds under-represented in the visual arts who are interested in careers in this field.
Initiated in 2023, Conversations on Artists, Legacy, & Philanthropy gathers Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders for in-person events featuring prominent contemporary artists in conversation with leading philanthropists and art curators, reflecting on the topic of artists, legacy, and philanthropy.
