Mission:
The advancement of the visual arts.

Background:
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established in 1987, after the artist's sudden death at age 58. The foundation believes that freedom of artistic expression is fundamental to a democratic society and must be vigorously protected. It fosters innovative artistic expression, and supports work that is challenging and experimental, and curatorial research leading to new scholarship in the contemporary art field. In 1994, it helped establish the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, donating more than 3900 works of art. It also funded the preservation of all Warhol's film and video work by the Museum of Modern Art in New York; helped establish Creative Capital, an organization dedicated to supporting individual artists (the foundation has recently renewed its commitment to Creative Capital with a ten-year, $10 million gift); and launched the Warhol Initiative, a multi-million-dollar, capacity-building effort for smaller visual arts organizations. In recent years, the foundation has increased its cash grantmaking by 29 percent. After 9/11, it created a special fund for New York City visual arts groups located below Fourteenth Street (the area most affected by the attack), and by January 2002 had distributed almost $700,000 to thirty-two organizations. The foundation also has policy efforts aimed at improving the conditions under which American artists live and work, such as access to affordable housing and health insurance.

Outstanding Features:
Each section of the Andy Warhol Foundation colorful, easy-to-navigate Web site presents images of the artist's work and accompanying text. Site highlights include a biography of Warhol; the history of the foundation; a calendar of current and upcoming Warhol solo exhibitions; a series of papers on arts, culture, and society; answers to frequently asked (intelligent) questions; grants guidelines and recently awarded grants; and a list of current and upcoming exhibitions partially funded by the foundation.