ABOUT

Mission

Mission

 

The Harpo Foundation was established in 2006 by artist Ed Levine to support emerging and under-recognized visual artists. Through grants and residency programs, the Foundation seeks to affirm the centrality of the artist in the world of art, encourage new modes of making and thinking about art, and expand inclusivity and equitable representation in the visual arts. 

The Foundation also preserves Ed Levine’s creative legacy to provide access to the art and ideas of an unconventional thinker who extended the experience of art-making in unexpected and adventuresome ways. 

 

 

Programs

 

  • The Foundation makes grants directly to artists to support their development. The only criterion is the quality of the work and its potential to expand aesthetic inquiry. 
  • In 2020, the Foundation established the Harpo Foundation Native American Residency at Vermont Studio Center to provide residency fellowships to visual artists and writers.
  • The Foundation supports Back River Road Residency Retreat at Ed Levine’s former home and studio in South Royalton, Vermont. This new summer program enables two individual or team residencies time to reflect and space to conceptualize new work.
  • The Foundation oversees Ed Levine’s art and archives and supports the stewardship of his site-specific work in South Royalton, Vermont, with plans to make the work available to the public in 2025.

Equity Statement

The Harpo Foundation is committed to principles that address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, religion, health and ability status, political affiliation, gender identity preference, sexual orientation, or any other consideration, and will stand in opposition to any action, or omission of action, that hinders any group or individual’s ability to fully participate in society.