The Clark Art Institute has received a grant of $600,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that provides three years of programmatic support for the Institute’s Research and Academic Program (RAP) to strengthen scholarship in art history and visual studies. The funding specifically enables RAP to pursue new initiatives while also continuing support for key programs established with earlier support from the Foundation.

The Clark is one of only a handful of institutions globally with a dual mission as both an art museum and a distinguished center for research and higher education, dedicated to advancing and extending the public understanding of art. The Clark’s Research and Academic Program has long been recognized as a world leader in international programs devoted to art history, critical theory, and visual studies. The Mellon Foundation has supported the Clark’s efforts in this area, having previously funded RAP initiatives in East-Central Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The new grant allows the Clark to explore global partnerships in Latin America and on topics related to countries in the region. In addition, the Mellon funds will support participation by international scholars in RAP’s ongoing series of programs in Williamstown.

"The prospect of executing a variety of programs that address the continuing challenges of studying visual art in national and international forums is most welcome.  Christopher Heuer, associate director, and I are as honored to have received new Mellon funding for these initiatives as we are indebted for the Foundation's past support," said Michael Ann Holly, RAP Consulting Director and Starr Director Emeritus.

Over the past decade, RAP has earned international recognition as a convener of programs that bring together leaders in the fields of visual studies and art theory. The new Mellon grant provides funding to create a series of three colloquia (one each year) addressing a fundamental aspect of the field, with an emphasis on key changes, crises, opportunities, and long-term responses. One of these programs, for example, will focus on technology's contested place in the humanities. Another will explore the state of art history in Latin America.

Additional funding for RAP fellowships is another key component of the grant. The Mellon award provides for two semester-long Mellon Decade Fellowships targeted at supporting the work of emerging scholars who have held a PhD for approximately ten years. Further, support for the Clark's Summer Collaborative Working Group (SCWG) will create an opportunity for scholars to apply for group projects.

“We deeply appreciate the Mellon Foundation’s support of our Research and Academic Program,” said Francis Oakley, the Clark’s interim director. “Their commitment to fostering international conversations about important issues in the field is critical and is so closely aligned with RAP’s mission to encourage the exchange of new ideas and enhance greater cross-cultural awareness and collaborations among art historians, curators, artists, and scholars from all fields.”