Open Letter from New Jerome Foundation President Ben Cameron
Submitted by Steve on January 8, 2016
Ben Cameron has just taken the position of president of the Jerome and Camargo Foundations, succeeding Cindy Gehrig, who held that position for 38 years. He begins his tenure with this open letter:
As we all know, much has changed in the arts and the United States arts landscape since these Foundations were created. Just as I have encouraged every arts organization to understand the value it brings to its community in the present day—regardless of whatever value it may have offered in the past—we at the Jerome Foundation are entering a period of self-scrutiny. We will be working in 2016 to understand, not only the value our programs have had and are having, but also the current and future needs of artists and arts organizations in Minnesota and New York City. In 2017, we will both be affirming our commitment to those past programs and priorities that will continue to be critical to future artistic vibrancy and health, while making final investments in those that we no longer intend to support. We will also be introducing new grants programs and business practices later that year, with the goal of establishing a clear and full profile by the end of 2018.
In the short term, this means that the profile of Jerome as it has operated will remain largely unchanged in 2016. Let me assure you that I deeply understand the disruptive impact that abrupt termination of programs and priorities can have on artists, organizations and communities. We will be transparent in our work, will report periodically on how our thinking is evolving, and give ample advance warning about any program or initiative that we intend to sunset. - See more at: http://www.jeromefdn.org/node/698488#sthash.tgvR0VSo.dpuf