Foundation and Government Support
Grants from foundations and government agencies support all parts of the Whitney’s programming and operations, including exhibitions, education, research, conservation, general operating support, special projects, and more. We would welcome discussing how your philanthropic goals might align with the Whitney Museum’s vision and activities.
Contact giulia_nicita@whitney.org to learn more.
Untitled (America), 1994, by Felix Gonzalez-Torres installed in the Whitney’s grand stairwell. © The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Program Support
Installation view of Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection, Apr 27, 2016–Feb 12, 2017. Photograph by Ron Amstutz.
Exhibitions
Each year, using its unparalleled collection of 20th- and 21st-century American art as a touchstone, the Whitney’s curators develop a slate of exhibitions—ranging from thematic shows drawn from the collection to retrospectives and experimental projects by emerging artists to the famed Whitney Biennial—intended to reflect not only the art of our time, but the American experience in all of its complexity and richness.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby speaking to high school students from the Lower Manhattan Arts Academy about her work in the Whitney’s public art installation series, March 2016. Photograph by Patrick McLeod.
Education and Access
The Whitney’s education and access offerings expand upon content presented in the exhibition program, maximizing opportunities for all visitors—from families to K–12 students, to deaf and visually impaired visitors, to recent immigrants, to the LGBTQ community, to seniors—to be inspired by artists through structured dialogues, artmaking activities, and community partnerships.
The Bucksbaum, Learsy, Scanlan Conservation Center at the Whitney. Photograph by Matt Skopek.
Conservation
The Whitney’s conservation department—staffed by specialists in the conservation of painting, sculpture, paper, and time-based media—has become a leader in the field by engaging artists directly around the preservation of their work. Through better understanding the materials, processes, and intent of artists, Whitney conservators stay abreast of current trends, leading to continual innovation and groundbreaking research.
Installation view of Open Plan: Cecil Taylor (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 15–April 24, 2016). Photograph by Paula Court.
Performance
Beginning with Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s support of avant-garde composers in the 1930s through today’s showcases of artists blending movement, video animation, and new theatrical modes, performative art and artists have always had a home at the Museum. The integration of music, dance, and the spoken and written word within the exhibition program places them on equal footing with all other art forms and advances the Museum’s mission to present the full spectrum of this country’s artistic expression.
Whitney Independent Study Program orientation at the Frances Mulhall Achilles Library at 99 Gansevoort Street, September 2015. Photograph by Monica Crozier.
Research Resources
Research Resources collects and makes accessible to staff, artists, students, and researchers a variety of assets, including the Whitney’s institutional archives, special collections, documentation of the permanent collection, and the holdings of the Frances Mulhall Achilles Library. Integrating these resources both digitally and physically, this new department helps make the new Museum an extraordinary one-stop research destination.
General Operating Support
The Whitney accepts and appreciates all unrestricted grants, which allow funds to be applied across all aspects of the Museum, including accessibility, conservation, education, exhibitions, library, publications, and other areas of need. These grants permit the Whitney and its staff to carry out the fundamental mission of the institution: to support artists wherever they lead and to create meaningful dialogue between art, artists, and audiences.
Pay-What-You-Wish Friday night at the Whitney, October 28, 2016. © Matthew Carasella Photography.