A HISTORY OF SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES

The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation believes in art as a cornerstone of cohesive, resilient communities and greater participation in civic life. In its mission to make art available to the broader public, in particular to underserved communities, the Foundation historically provided direct support to cultural organizations and advocates of social justice across the public and private sectors in the form of grants, as well as exhibitions and programs at The 8th Floor. Through these endeavors, the Foundation supported cross-disciplinary work connecting art with social justice via experimental partnerships, as well as extended cultural resources to organizations and areas of New York City in need.

The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation was incorporated in 1995, with initial grants to Art in Hospitals and The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence. Its early mission was to support the arts, meet urgent human needs, defend liberty, and promote social justice. The geographic areas of concern were primarily New York City and the Himalayan region of Asia. Evelyn Rich, who served from 1995 to 2004, was the Foundation’s first Executive Director. Following her departure, Bruce Payne, who served as Executive Director until 2013, oversaw a substantial increase in activity, expanding both projects and grants. Alexander Gardner became Executive Director in 2013 and served until 2016. From 2015, Sara Reisman oversaw the implementation of the Art and Social Justice initiative, ultimately serving as Executive and Artistic Director of the Foundation until Spring 2021.

In February 2022, Anjuli Nanda Diamond was announced as Artistic Director after a decade of curatorial, educational, and editorial work with the Foundation. In her tenure she has overseen the publication of An Incomplete Archive of Activist Art, a two-volume publication reflecting on the Foundation’s art and social justice initiatives since 2015, and the launch of the Foundation’s first Curatorial Open Call, a platform for curators, academics, and art historians to stage exhibitions at The 8th Floor.