Our Values:
Artadia is a nonprofit grantmaker and nationwide community of visual artists, curators, and patrons. We elevate the careers of artists at pivotal moments in their practice and help strengthen their communities through a proven combination of recognition, grantmaking, community support, and advocacy. Since its founding in 1999, Artadia has awarded over $6 million in unrestricted funds to 393 artists in 8 cities.
Founded by Christopher E. Vroom and a group of arts leaders in San Francisco, Artadia was built on the belief that visual artists play a foundational role in shaping society and the arts economy, both as storytellers and as civic leaders. In dialogue with the artists’ communities they intended to support, Artadia launched an awards program that now encompasses seven major U.S. cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Over two decades, Artadia has offered programs that reflect our mission to not only support artists, but remain informed by them. The Awards program identifies culturally underrepresented artists through a competitive process that convenes a rotating committee of curators as jurors, and annually supports at least 22 visual artists with $15,000 each in unrestricted funds. In addition to strengthening our core Awards program, we have developed the Artadia Network—an innovative platform for meetings and workshops that will unite artists across geographies, disciplines, and generations, increasing their access to the expertise of Artadia’s colleagues—and to one another. Also, as cofounder of Artist Relief, Artadia joined a coalition of arts grantmakers to offer immediate aid to artists throughout the United States working in many disciplines, who experienced extreme financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. A total of $25 million as part of this joint effort, supporting 4,682 artists with $5,000 emergency relief grants from April 2020 to June 2021.
Artadia continues to build collaborations and partnerships with renowned entities—including Frieze New York, Phillips, and 21c Museum Hotels—further amplifying its legacy of supporting groundbreaking artists of our time through unique initiatives.
Through our collaborative work across artists’ communities and institutions, Artadia continues to create conditions necessary for artists from all backgrounds to thrive and succeed.
Interim Executive Director
Senior Development Officer
Development Advisor
Program Director
Assistant Manager of Development
Program and Communications Assistant
Ian Alteveer
Boston
Susan Bridges
Atlanta
Nick Cave
Chicago
Joelle Connolly
San Francisco
Aurele Danoff Pelaia
Los Angeles
Co-Chair
Oliver Frankel
New York
Eugene Fu
Chicago
Marjory Graue
San Francisco
John Guess, Jr.
Houston
Tony Karman
Chicago
Naima J. Keith
Los Angeles
Lucy Kim
Boston
Olivia Marciano
Los Angeles
Karen Mehiel
New York
Treasurer
Kes Narbutas
San Francisco
Judy Nyquist
Houston
Laura Roberson Fisch
New York
Co-Chair
Marie Samuels
New York
Jessica Shaefer
San Francisco
Franklin Sirmans
Miami
Christopher E. Vroom
New York
Founder
Summer Wheat
New York
Secretary
Jennifer Williams
Dallas
Grant Withers
Los Angeles
Richard Ziegelasch
New York
Laurie Ziegler
Los Angeles
Margot Ziegler
New York
Vice-Chair