Founded in 1995 by late photographer Robert Frank in memory of his daughter, the foundation supports the work of artists and non-profit cultural and educational organizations working in photography, video, film and other visual arts. AFF announced the grants on Nov. 9, on what would have been Frank’s 97th birthday. Frank, who died in 2019, is best known for his book The Americans (Grove Press, 1959).
In addition to the IAS grant, the foundation has pledged an additional $1 million matching grant to the photography nonprofit and publisher Aperture to establish its first-ever endowment, and additional funds to support 16 other arts organizations across the country. Among the recipients are the Brooklyn Rail, the Anthology Film Archives in New York, the Addison Gallery of American Art in Massachusetts, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Ross Museum at Ohio Wesleyan University. Those grants will be put toward exhibitions, fellowships, residencies and educational programming, and publishing initiatives at each institution.
The IAS employs graduate student curatorial fellows, education fellows, and undergraduate interns who are all instrumental in the development of our exhibitions and events. IAS student fellows and interns gain valuable and meaningful experience and professional skills that serve them in future work in arts institutions and museums. Several undergraduate IAS interns have gone on to obtain paid internships and positions at prestigious institutions such as the Broad Museum, LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions), the deYoung Museum, and Frieze Fairs, and others have joined graduate programs at Goldsmiths, University of London, Claremont Graduate University, California College of the Arts, New York University, and Carnegie Mellon to name a few.
Programs and exhibitions at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences also serve our student body more broadly. In the 2020-21 academic year, in partnership with the college core classes, 5,000 first-year students and 4,000 other students participated in IAS events.
By: Lindsey Tavares-Sabido, IAS Program Coordinator
