The Board of Directors of The Sam and Adele Golden FoundationSM for the Arts, Inc. recently celebrated its 10th year by awarding grants to ten cultural organizations. Family members formed the Golden Foundation in 1997 as a way to give back to the artist community that had been such a great support for so many years.

“I am delighted to announce the ten organizations chosen by the Board of Directors to receive an award from The Sam and Adele Golden FoundationSM for the Arts,” said Mark Golden. “These cultural organizations are valued for their outstanding commitment and capacity to provide services to artists.”

Vermont Studio Center received a full fellowship to support a 4-week residency for an artist working in paint. The Center is the largest and most international artists’ residency program in the U.S.
The fellowship includes a private studio, housing, meals, and interaction with the visiting artists.

Triangle Arts Association sponsors an annual series of workshops, a national and international residency program and exhibition opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists in New York City. The Foundation Award will provide support for a New York based artist working in paint.

CUE Art Foundation, located in NYC was founded in 2002 to provide a substantial, ongoing transformation in the careers of gifted, but still under-recognized artists. The award will serve to support visual artists who work in paint participating in CUE’s 2007 Solo Exhibition Program and Studio Residency Program.

Women’s Studio Workshop (WSW) maintains an artist’s workspace in Rosendale, NY. WSW encourages the voice and vision of individual women artists by providing professional opportunities and employment for artists at various stages of their careers. The Golden Foundation Award will support an artist-in-residence working in paint.

Weir Farm Art Center, located in Wilton, CT was designated as a National Historic Site in 1990. It was founded to protect the farm, home and studio of American artist J. Alden Weir. One of its core programs is the Artist in Residence. The majority of its resident artists are painters. The award will support stipends for four contemporary painters.

Chicago Artists Coalition, a service organization for visual artists, received an award on behalf of its work with painters, including career development workshops that teach painters how to promote their work, document it in the technology age, and create strategic plans for the future of their careers.

A Gathering of Tribes, located in the Lower East Side of New York City has evolved into a meeting place for artists in a multi-cultural environment where artists exchange ideas, create peer relationships and find mentorship. Their gallery features mature artists as well as emerging ones, often displaying work that would not be seen in mainstream galleries. The award will assist with a series of art shows called “The State of Painting in the 21st Century”.

ArtsNow is a new initiative of Edmonds Community College in Seattle, Washington. Based on a lack of professional development opportunities, especially for visual artists ArtsNow was created to meet this need. The Golden Foundation Award will provide funding to implement the infrastructure for a database to disseminate information about workshops, exhibits, special art events and will also help build ArtsNow as a sustainable benefit to visual artists.

Asian American Arts Center takes pride in serving Lower Manhattan with art programs for 32 years. For the past five years they have sponsored ‘Art Slams’ for emerging Asian American artists and artists significantly influenced by Asia. The ‘Art Slams’ provide a rare opportunity for artists to show and discuss their work with peers, art critics, collectors, curators, professors and the public. The Golden Foundation Award will provide support for the artists’ and moderators’ honorariums participating in ‘Art Slams’.

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) received a sponsored project award from the Golden Foundation to provide early support for artist Jackie Battenfield. Ms. Battenfield is developing the materials from her professional practices classes and workshops into a comprehensive resource book for visual artists. Written from a working artist’s point of view, this book will provide the information and techniques necessary for developing and sustaining a professional life. This investment will give artists the tools they need and is critical at this time.