For Immediate Release
Contact: Joel Wachs, President; Pamela Clapp, Program Director (212) 387-7555
MARCH 29, 2006
Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Announces $330,000 in Additional Grants for Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Bringing Total to $1,080,000
In response to the continuing needs of artists and arts organizations recovering from the catastrophic effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is pleased to announce an additional $330,000 in grants, bringing the foundation’s total support for Gulf Coast art communities to over one million dollars. The grants, like those made in January, directly benefit institutions serving artists in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Joel Wachs, President of the Warhol Foundation, noted that the foundation’s on-going commitment to organizations striving to re-establish themselves in the wake of disaster is born of the belief that arts and culture can play a significant role in re-building communities in times of crisis.
Before the first round of grants was released in January 2006, the foundation conducted extensive studies to determine how best to respond to the needs of the devastated arts communities. Once the immediate chaos had subsided and the area’s infrastructures had begun to be re-built, $750,000 was distributed among eight key organizations serving artists in the tri-state region.
As part of their sustained interest in the recovery process, program staff traveled to the Gulf Coast in February to visit grant recipients. It was immediately clear that although the organizations were recovering, reorganizing and re-building, they desperately needed more support if they were to be able to carry out necessary long-term stabilization projects. The $330,000 will be awarded as follows:
Craft Emergency Relief Fund $50,000 supplementing the prior $50,000 grant
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council $30,000 supplementing the prior $50,000 grant
Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art $50,000 supplementing the prior $100,000 grant
Mississippi Arts Council $25,000 supplementing the prior $50,000 grant
Ogden Museum of Southern Art $100,000
Acadiana Arts Council $75,000
Four additional organizations received grants in January:
Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans $100,000
Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston $100,000
The Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation $100,000
New Orleans Museum of Art $200,000
Regarding the Warhol Foundation’s renewed support for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Program Director, Pamela Clapp pointed out, “When any one arts community is silenced for any reason, the country as a whole suffers from that missing voice. We are determined to fortify the foundations of artistic expression in the Gulf Coast so that the region can continue its vital contributions to our national culture.”