People ‘Solving Problems Through Art’: Agnes Gund on Diversity in the Art World and the Future of MoMA The renowned philanthropist spoke to artnet News's Andrew Goldstein about how she brings art and money together for progressive causes. May 22, 2017 The art patron Agnes Gund. Photo by Annie Leibovitz. How central to the heartbeat of New York City’s art community is Agnes Gund?

"During the 1970s, I read an article in the New York Times about how the city’s public schools were cutting back on all the art programs, especially in the elementary schools, because of the economic downturn. I didn’t know it at the time, but there had been a huge boom in school art funding in the 1960s, where teachers had built kilns and even a photography studio for the children, and that was one of the things that caused the city to cut the funding, because the equipment was so expensive and they thought it was a frill—that it wasn’t academic, and that it didn’t really do anything for children. They also cut athletics at the same time.

At the time, my friend Pat Hewitt—who is still on the board of Studio in a School—ran something called Joint Foundation Support, which was a pass-through foundation for small grants..."

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