Member Spotlight on Rasmuson Foundation
During the months of November and December, GIA's photo banner features artists and projects supported by Rasmuson Foundation.
Established in 1955 as a private family foundation, Rasmuson Foundation has a proud history of grantmaking in Alaska, including a major focus on support of arts and culture throughout the State. The Foundation directs support in the cultural sector through several channels, including direct financial support of individual artists, arts in education, museum collections and conservation, arts and cultural organization sustainability, performing and visual arts exhibition touring, and capital project support. It is also committed to strong national partnerships, including United States Artists and ArtPlace America.
In 2012 its Foundation Trustees renewed a multi-year funding commitment to the arts with direct program funding exceeding $3 million annually. With this support in hand, the Foundation launched several new programs that emphasize the value of directly investing in artists, an aim toward improving arts organization sustainability, and creating stronger ties for Alaska’s youth with their own cultural heritage.
One such program, the Rasmuson Foundation Artist Residency Program, was created to form partnerships between arts organizations in Alaska and in different communities in the Lower 48 states to support two-month residencies for artists. Using an “exchange” model, artists develop work in residencies between the following communities: Anchorage & Charlotte, NC; Fairbanks & Santa Fe, NM; Homer & Cleveland, OH; and Sitka & Woodside, CA. The first series of nine artists-in-residence is just wrapping up this November, and the results have been incredible.
Another highlight in 2014 has been the launch of New Pathways | Alaska; a program to promote long-term sustainability of Alaska’s arts organizations through the lens of “innovation.” The goal is that selected organizations will become oriented toward adaptive change, develop a concept for organization innovation, and fully implement an innovation project with capital funding made available through the program. New Pathways is a collaboration of Rasmuson Foundation, EmcArts, the Foraker Group, and the Alaska State Council on the Arts.