Borrowing from the ancient Greek practice of gathering for pubic discourse, At the Stoa brings together foundation leaders, artists, curators, scholars, and cultural professionals for a series of panel discussions on the most pressing questions facing the sector.
Join usWhat is the quiet power of artist residencies?
Be in the room to hear how they are shaping important shifts across the field.
Moderated by Louisa Buck
Speakers: Joël Andrianomearisoa and special guest
What happens when the artists becomes the institution? Two artists-turned-founders discuss what it means to build an institution that carries their vision, and what that leaves for everyone else.
Moderated by Hunter Braithwaite
Speakers: Bénédicte Alliot, Cité internationale des arts; Laurence Rassel, Rijksakademie; and Charles Chemin, The Watermill Center
Residencies move artists across borders. But who gets through the door, and what is that movement really for? Three institutions built on hosting artists from elsewhere ask what creative mobility gives, and who it serves.
Moderated by Hunter Braithwaite
Speakers: Cathy Leff, Bakehouse Art Complex; Sanne Luteijn, The Ekard Residency; and Akshay Pathak, Quiet Art Movement
Being an artist is a job. It comes with rent, studio costs, caring responsibilities, and no pension. Two foundation leaders look at the labour behind the art, the conditions sustain their practice and how private art foundations can support them.
In partnership with
Cité internationale des arts
18 rue de l‘Hôtel de Ville
Paris 75004
Foundation practice:
Built to evolve
One morning. One city. Leading directors of art foundations gather at OGR Torino to ask what changes when institutions deliver on their intention to collaborate — what are the real obstacles, and possibilities, when working together.
Then comes the harder question: what purpose do these foundations really serve, where do they stand within civic life, and what do they rarely admit in public?
Following a keynote celebrating Turin’s success with regional collaboration, foundation leaders take the stage to share honestly about the relevance and continuing evolution of the arts as leaders within the civic space.
The programme concludes with a light lunch, guests are then invited to a private view at Pinacoteca Agnelli, as the museum opens two new exhibitions: Alberto Savinio. Souvenir, and Laure. Chris Ofili & Édouard Manet.
29 October
10:30 Welcome coffee
13:00 Light lunch
14:30 Site visit to Pinacoteca Agnelli
Hosted by
OGR Torino
Corso Castelfidardo 22
Turin 10128
Honesty, uncertainty and the art of sustaining the future
The obligations they carry
15 September, 2026
reSOUND, DSTX, Rockefeller Center
Day One surfaced the weight of expectation now placed on private art foundations, from artists stepping into roles of civic and cultural leadership to the communities that foundations serve and the obligations that claim creates. Ultimately, it landed with values and explored the metric shift in how funders evaluate, justify and withhold support.
Speakers: Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, Ford Foundation; Christa Blatchford, Joan Mitchell Foundation; Derek Fordjour, Contemporary Arts Memphis; Kate Fowle, The Hearthland Foundation; Elise Herget, The Watermill Center; Julie Mehretu, Denniston Hill; Karen Patterson, The Ruth Foundation for the Arts; Carolyn Ramo, A&L Berg Foundation; Jennifer Rice, Forman Arts Initiative; Legacy Russell, The Kitchen; esperanza spalding, Prismid Sanctuary.
The price of responsibility
16 September, 2026
Museum of Arts & Design
Day Two reviewed what does carrying these responsibilities cost in terms of governance, money, and structural dependency? Opening with the next generation, the discussion looked at what they choose to keep, and what to change. It moved into how a foundation's investments can work against its own values, and landed on founder transition.
Building for the future
17 September, 2026
Peter B. Lewis Theater
Guggenheim New York
Day Three opened with worldbuilding naming the audience the field is building for and digital stewardship naming the infrastructure built to carry it. The conversation then landed on keeping a founding vision alive, not just intact, decades on — where the tension shows up, and how it might have to adapt.
Speakers: Myriam Achard, PHI; Simon Castets, Keith Haring Foundation; Andrew Goldstein, Dedalus Media Architects; Elizabeth Gorayeb, Wildenstein Plattner Institute; Patton Hindle, Knight Foundation; Jesse Krimes, The Center for Art and Advocacy; Kelani Nichole, FORA Consortium; Sandra Terdjman, KADIST/Afield; Marco Zappalorto, OGR Torino.
Hidden in plain sight:
Art Foundations in the biennial landscape
8 May 2026
As biennials multiply and public funding retreats, art foundations are quietly shaping the biennial landscape. With that support comes influence, dependency, and questions about artistic freedom and curatorial integrity. Moderated by Rafal Niemojewski, Biennial Foundation, the two afternoon panel discussions explore “The Funding Nobody Talks About” and “Mission-Driven Goals on a Global Stage”.
Speakers: Cosmin Costinas, 9th Yokohama Triennial; Kate Fowle, The Hearthland Foundation; Veronica Flom, Findación Ama Amoedo; Jörg Garbrecht, Alexander Stutsek-Stiftung; Michjael Joo, Contemporary artist; Chelsea Pettitt, Bagri Foundation; Durjoy Rahman, Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation; and Adama Sanneh, Moleskine Foundation.
Cultural exchange:
Learning from the Global South
11 February 2026
Concentrating on strategic partnerships and cultural exchange, the programme examines how cultural relationships areinitiated, structured, and sustained across distinct political, economic, and institutional contexts. Panel discussions address governance, leadership, and the conditions required for collaboration to endure over time. Scripted provocations and moderated dialogue reveal practical insights, test assumptions, and reflect on how cultural work is developed, resourced, and stewarded.
Speakers include: Moderator Alessio Antoniolli, Triangle Arts Network; Alain Nsiona Defise, Defise Foundation; Carolina Pelletier Fontes, Forward Art Stories (FAS); Nusrat Mahmud, Brihatta Foundation; and Hiba Saffieddine Nesr, Nesr Foundation
Risk-taking, changemaking,
and stewardship.
22 October 2025
Art foundations face a unique set of challenges. While maintaining or building a collection, commissioning work or providing access, foundation leaders must also address vital questions of purpose, accountability, and longevity amid shifting cultural, political, and economic realities. The October 22 programme lights upon emerging trends and explores the collective footprint of foundations within the broad arts ecosystem.
Speakers include: Bénédicte Alliott, Cité internationale des arts; Sharon Corwin, Terra Foundation for American Art; Andrew Goldstein (moderator), TECHNÉ Chicago; Belinda Holden, Yinka Shonibare Foundation; Margaux Huille, Fondation H; Anne Kraybill, Art Bridges Foundation; Thomas Marks (moderator) Marks Calil; Sandra Terdjman, KADIST; Philip Tinari, UCCA and Benjamin Weil, Calouste Gulbenkian CAM.
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