Harpo Foundation

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 stimulate creative inquiry and encourage new modes of making and thinking about art.

Programs:

• The Foundation makes grants directly to artists to support their development and to non- profit organizations in support of new work by artists. The only criterion is the quality of the work and its potential to extend our experience of art and artmaking.

• The Foundation supports residency fellowship programs across the country in addition to a residency program, Back River Road Residency, at Ed Levine’s former home and studio in South Royalton, Vermont. This program operates two residencies each summer and arranges for tours of Ed Levine’s site-specific work to encourage a new conversation between the artist and the landscape.

• In 2020, the Foundation established the Harpo Foundation Native American Residency at Vermont Studio Center to provide two full residency fellowships each year.

• In 2020, the Foundation established the Harpo Foundation Endowment at Vermont Studio Center to provide one full residency fellowship to an artist or writer each year.

• The Foundation oversees Founder Ed Levine’s archives and art work.

Vision:

Ed Levine described the foundation “not as a philanthropic endeavor but as a way to return gifts of assistance provided to me.”

In keeping with this vision and inspiration, Harpo Foundation:

• affirms the centrality of the artist in the world of art
• supports artists who fall outside institutional networks
• extends the experience of art and art making
• We value:
• Surprise and potential
• Unconventional thinking
• Expanding inclusivity
• Unexpected outcomes