The Art Connection
539 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
617.338.7668
© JoAnn Rothschild, "Untitled," oil on linen. Gift from the artist to Roxbury Community College in 2005.
"The Art Connection is a vital demonstration of the generosity and social commitment of artists who know that works of art fire the imagination, inspire possibilities, and simply make better the landscape for all kinds of living. Sharing their works of art, these artists are in active dialogue with audiences too frequently omitted from the conversation.
-Jessica Hoffmann Davis, former Director of the Arts in Educational Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Art Connection is a nonprofit organization that expands public access to visual art through a unique art donation and placement program. Working with artists and collectors who wish to donate artwork to public and nonprofit organizations, The Art Connection acts as an art clearinghouse, simplifying the donation process and offering a wide range of original works for selection by qualifying nonprofit agencies in Greater Boston.
These recipient agencies have limited or no funding with which to acquire original art. They include community centers, children's programs, schools, shelters for the homeless or battered women, rape crisis centers, and housing services. The Art Connection identifies artists willing to donate their work, catalogs the works for presentation to prospective recipients, helps agencies access the appropriate work, and teaches them to care for the art. These works of art become the permanent property of the recipients.
In their new environments, art stimulates dialogue, creativity, learning and healing. Sometimes, just one painting or sculpture can make a difference. This simple but powerful idea has resulted in hundreds of installations into scores of organizations, giving those who often have the least access to art direct contact in their own communities.
The artists are delighted to exhibit their work in places that attract a large number of visitors. Organizations find that original artwork enlivens spaces and connects them to their constituents in profound ways. Ours is an enriching creative collaboration on all counts.