Press Release The Warhol to Receive Ford Foundation and Walton Family Foundation Grant

For immediate release

Thursday, November 30, 2017

The Andy Warhol Museum, along with 19 other museums nationwide, are recipients of a multi-year grant from The Ford Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, as part of their Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative. The grant will support creative solutions to diversify curatorial and management staff at art museums across the United States. The Warhol will create a multi-tiered pipeline project including a youth outreach program, internships, and alumni and mentoring programs.

“We’re working to cultivate an inclusive and equitable workplace culture and continuous opportunities for staff growth, from paid internships and fellowships to professional development and mentoring,” said Danielle Linzer, The Warhol’s director of learning and public engagement. “This transformative funding marks the start of reimagining the museum’s education and outreach initiatives not just as fostering arts engagement and creative expression across our community, but as helping to develop a diverse new generation of museum leaders.”

Recent studies have shown that the staff and leadership of art museums do not adequately reflect the socio-economic and racial demographics of the country. According to a national study developed by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in partnership with the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) and research firm Ithaka S+R, only 16 percent of art museum leadership positions were held by people of color, despite the fact that 38 percent of Americans identify as Asian, Black, Hispanic or multi-racial.

“The Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative perfectly aligns with The Warhol’s mission to enlighten and inspire through Warhol’s life and art,” said Patrick Moore, director of The Warhol. “Young people who, like Andy, do not come from privileged backgrounds will be given the opportunity to build skills and careers in the very institution dedicated to his legacy. The Warhol, the Pittsburgh community and the entire museum field will be richer for supporting these promising young people.”

Through the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, the Ford Foundation and Walton Family Foundation will support innovative strategies and programs to advance diversity across the sector, including hiring professionals from under-represented populations and offering fellowships, mentorships, and other career development options. The funded initiatives will affect curatorial and programmatic decision-making in the museums, as well as managerial choices, and lead to long-term benefits for the participating museums and the field as a whole.

“The arts play an essential role in our society by inspiring people of all ages to dream and to imagine new possibilities for themselves, their communities, and the world. To ensure the future health and vibrancy of the arts in America, we need more arts leaders who understand and relate to the deeply varied perspectives and life experiences that weave the rich fabric of our nation,” said Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation.

The Warhol receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; and The Heinz Endowments. Further support is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

The Andy Warhol Museum

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the place of Andy Warhol’s birth, The Andy Warhol Museum holds the largest collection of Warhol’s artworks and archival materials and is one of the most comprehensive single-artist museums in the world. The Warhol is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Established in 1895 by Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a collection of four distinctive museums: Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum. The museums reach more than 1.4 million people a year through exhibitions, educational programs, outreach activities, and special events.

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