Helene Wurlitzer Foundation

Last updated
The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico
Formation1954; incorporated 1956
Type Artist residency
Legal status501(c)(3)
PurposeTo support the artist and the creative process.
Headquarters218 Los Pandos Road Taos, New Mexico
Region served
United States; international
Executive Director
Nic Knight
Budget
$250,000/annual operating
Staff
3 to 5
Website wurlitzerfoundation.org

Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico is an artist residency program in the artists' colony of Taos, New Mexico. [1] The Foundation, which offers prize fellowships to painters, poets, sculptors, writers, playwrights, composers, photographers and filmmakers, was established in 1954 and incorporated as a private nonprofit in 1958. [2] [3] The Foundation was conceived, funded, and organized by Helene Billing Wurlitzer (1874-1963), a philanthropist from Cincinnati who relocated to Taos in the early 1940s.

Contents

History

The New Mexico iteration of Helene Wurlitzer's foundation began in Cincinnati, Ohio. Both her husband's family and her birth family had been supportive of music and visual arts organizations as well as medical research and Germanic institutions. [4] Helene's Cincinnati philanthropy included funding the development of a radio and television department at the College of Music of Cincinnati. [5] She also supported a musical scholarship program for the school. One of the recipients of her support was a young opera student from Taos, Eduardo Rael, who would later introduce her to his home town.

In Taos in 1954, Helene and Henry Sauerwein, a young intellectual from Baltimore who was new to Taos, conceived of moving the Ohio foundation officially to New Mexico, which was completed by 1956. The focus would be an artist residency program with occasional, as-needed scholarships for local youth and living stipends for artists in need. The structure of the foundation was as much Henry's vision as it was Helene's. Henry served as director, and Helene kept the activities funded. The board of trustees, at Helene's request, was always to include members of the Native, Hispanic, and Anglo communities.

The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation artist residency program is now the oldest such program west of the Mississippi, offering residency grants to creatives of national and international origin. Residents are selected by panels of jurors who specialize in the artistic discipline of the applicant; initial selection is based purely on the merit of their creative works.

Each year, three sessions (two at 12 weeks and one at 10 weeks) bring a total of 33 artists to the Taos campus. Artists in residence have no imposed expectations, quotas, or requirements during their stay. [6] Helene believed in supporting artists in their process, and understood the ripple effects that unburdened time can have on a creative life.

The Foundation's mission is to support the artist and the creative process.

The campus

In 1940, when Helene decided Taos would be her new home, she purchased property from Eduardo Rael's mother. The land was a short walk from Taos Plaza at the center of town and included three small adobe homes on acres of alfalfa fields. She lived in one of those casitas while her hacienda-style home was being built by local builder and craftsman, Arturo Vicente Martinez y Salazar. Over 20-plus years, Helene acquired property adjacent to her own land and designed and built three new casitas. The result was a campus with eleven residences and a commons house for visiting artists, writers, and composers, in addition to her home and guesthouse. [1]

The original home of Helene Wurlitzer, known as the Main House, is an example of classic Taos adobe architecture and contains a large collection of early 20th century, Hispanic, and Native American art, all collected by Helene.

The 15-acre campus consists of open fields bordered by old-growth trees, connected to a centuries-old network of acequias, a traditional means of supplying water to the Taos valley. In 2018, the foundation began restoration of the acequias network. By July 2019, for the first time in several decades, the acequias irrigating the southern part of the campus flowed again.

Leadership

The foundation's first director was Henry A. Sauerwein III (1918 – 1996). As a young academic who spoke many languages, Sauerwein had worked for the Pentagon throughout WWII before moving to Taos. He led the foundation from 1954 until his death in 1996, when the directorship transitioned to his assistant, Michael Knight. After 17 years, Nic Knight took up the mantle in 2015 and continues as executive director. [1]

The foundation functions on an annual budget of approximately $250,000, with one full-time and one part-time administrative employee. The grounds and facilities are maintained by a staff of three, with additional seasonal help. [7]

The board of directors includes seven people from the Taos community.

Notable residents

Notable Grantees, [7] 1954-2000

Ansel Adams

Agnes Martin

Andrew Dasburg

Earl Stroh [8] [9] [10]

Emil Bisttram

Percy Tsisete Sandy, Kai-Sa (Red Moon) [11] [12] [13]

Patrocino Barela

N. Scott Momaday

Artists who have been awarded more recent residencies at the foundation include: David Noon, Harryette Mullen, Regina Hansen Willman, Philip Gambone, Emily Warn, Robert Chesley, [14] Paul Elwood, Mary Crow, Carol Bergé, Jon Berson, [15] Conrad Richter, Judith Arcana, Jonathan Blum, and J. Timothy Hunt.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taos, New Mexico</span> City in Taos County, New Mexico, United States

Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Nuevo México Governor Fernando Chacón to act as fortified plaza and trading outpost for the neighboring Native American Taos Pueblo and Hispano communities, including Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, El Prado, and Arroyo Seco. The town was incorporated in 1934. As of the 2010 census, its population was 5,716.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taos art colony</span> Art colony founded in Taos, New Mexico, United States

The Taos art colony was an art colony founded in Taos, New Mexico, by artists attracted by the culture of the Taos Pueblo and northern New Mexico. The history of Hispanic craftsmanship in furniture, tin work, and other mediums also played a role in creating a multicultural tradition of art in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art colony</span> Place where artists live and interact with each other

Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission-driven planned communities, which administer a formal process for awarding artist residencies. A typical mission might include providing artists with the time, space, and support to create, fostering community among artists, and providing arts education, including lectures and workshops.

Paul Iserman Elwood is an American composer, banjo player, inventor, and improvisor.

Robert Chesley was a playwright, theater critic and musical composer.

Lavonne J. Adams is a published poet and writer living in Durham, North Carolina. Adams grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, but has called NC her home for over 30 years. Adams taught and was the MFA Coordinator in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millicent Rogers Museum</span> Museum in Taos, New Mexico, United States

The Millicent Rogers Museum is an art museum in Taos, New Mexico, founded in 1956 by the family of Millicent Rogers. Initially the artworks were from the multi-cultural collections of Millicent Rogers and her mother, Mary B. Rogers, who donated many of the first pieces of Taos Pueblo art. In the 1980s, the museum was the first cultural organization in New Mexico to offer a comprehensive collection of Hispanic art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwood Museum of Art</span> Art museum in Taos, New Mexico, US

The Harwood Museum of Art is located in Taos, New Mexico. Founded in 1923 by the Harwood Foundation, it is the second oldest art museum in New Mexico. Its collections include a wide range of Hispanic works and visual arts from the Taos Society of Artists, Taos Moderns, and contemporary artists. In 1935 the museum was purchased by the University of New Mexico. Since then the property has been expanded to include an auditorium, library and additional exhibition space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art of the American Southwest</span> Visual arts of the Southwestern United States

Art of the American Southwest is the visual arts of the Southwestern United States. This region encompasses Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. These arts include architecture, ceramics, drawing, filmmaking, painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, and other media, ranging from the ancient past to the contemporary arts of the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwood Foundation</span> United States historic place

Harwood Foundation is a non-profit organization in Taos, New Mexico that was listed as a National Register of Historic Places in 1976. For seventy-five years, serving as a public library, museum, auditorium, classrooms and meeting rooms, the Harwood was at the heart of the social and artistic life of Taos, New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dora Kaminsky</span> American painter (1909–1977)

Dora Deborah Kaminsky (1909–1977) was an American artist.

Rebecca Salsbury James (1891–1968) was a self-taught American painter, born in London, England of American parents who were traveling with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. She settled in New York City, where she married photographer Paul Strand. Following her divorce from Strand, James moved to Taos, New Mexico where she fell in with a group that included Mabel Dodge Luhan, Dorothy Brett, and Frieda Lawrence. In 1937 she married William James, a businessman from Denver, Colorado who was then operating the Kit Carson Trading Company in Taos. She remained in Taos until her death in 1968.

Robert Ray was an American artist, active in the middle to late twentieth century.

Marilyn Gayle Hoff, also known as Marilyn Gayle, is an American author, songwriter, teacher, and activist. Her writing includes the novels Dink's Blues, Rose, and Free Ride, as well as the co-authored book Bring Out Your Own Book: Low Cost Self-Publishing.

Juanita Jaramillo Lavadie is a contemporary weaver, textile scholar and muralist based in New Mexico. Her art is centered on the acequia system in Taos County, Northern, New Mexico and is influenced by traditional Hispano and Indigenous cultures. Her work primarily focuses on water rights in Taos County.

Olivia Romo is an American poet, spoken word artist, and water rights activist from Taos, New Mexico. Her work centers on the cultural significance of water within Northern New Mexico's agricultural communities, particularly focusing on the acequia irrigation system. Romo's upbringing in a family that valued land, culture, and history deeply influenced her creative journey. With a dual degree in English and Chicana and Chicano Studies from the University of New Mexico, she is well-equipped to blend her artistic expression with social advocacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helene Billing Wurlitzer</span>

Helene Valeska Billing Wurlitzer (1874–1963) was notable for her philanthropy in the arts in both Ohio and New Mexico. Helene was born in Salt Lake City to German immigrant Gustav Billing (1840-1890) and Henriette Schneider Billing (1849-1939), a Cincinnati physician’s daughter. Helene’s parents were in Utah establishing a mining smelter funded by Ohio investors. She was the first of two children; her sister being born in 1888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynnette Haozous</span> Native American artist

Lynnette Haozous a Native American painter, printmaker, jeweler, writer, and actor. She is an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and of Chiricahua Apache, Navajo, and Taos Pueblo ancestry. Haozous works in acrylics, watercolors, spray paint, jewelry, screen-printing, writing, and acting on stage and in film. She is known for her murals and uses a blend of art and advocacy to bring attention to social conditions and injustices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Tsisete Sandy</span> American (Zuni) artist

Percy Tsisete Sandy, was a Zuni artist. His native name was Kai-Sa ; he is also known as Percy Sandy Tsisete. His paintings were signed with the name Kai-Sa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Stroh</span> American artist (1924–2005)

Earl Stroh (1924-2005) was an American artist who was affiliated with the Taos Moderns group of painters.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico". Wurlitzer Foundation. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico". The Composers.
  3. ↑ Hulbert, Dory. "Agnes Martin's early years honored at Taos museum". No. 25 February 2012. Taos News. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Palkovic, Mark (2015). Wurlitzer of Cincinnati. Charleston SC: Charleston SC: The History Press.
  5. ↑ Skolle, John (1959). The Lady of the Casa: the Biography of Helene V.B. Wurlitzer. Santa Fe: Rydal Press Santa Fe.
  6. ↑ "Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico". Guidestar by Candid.
  7. 1 2 "Cause IQ". Cause IQ.
  8. ↑ "Earl Stroh (American, b.1924, d.2005)". McNay Art Museum. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Earl Stroh American, 1924-2005". Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
  10. ↑ "Earl Stroh: Still Life with Shells" . Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Percy Tsisete Sandy Artist from Zuni Pueblo, 1918–1974". Delaware Art Museum. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Percy Tsisete Sandy". Gilcrease Museum. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "Percy Sandy (Percy Tsitete Sandy/Kai-Sa [Red Moon]), A:shiwi (Zuni), 1918-1974". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Foundation. "Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Foundation - Home".
  15. ↑ Brady, Thomas (14 September 1997). "A Snippet Of Conversation Leads To A Novel". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.