GHENT, NY, June 2022 — Art Omi is pleased to announce it is the recipient of an unrestricted grant award of $20,000 from the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, a new grantmaker dedicated to meeting the evolving needs and lived experiences of artists, communities, and arts organizations. Ruth Arts, established in 2022, is supported by a bequest from the late Ruth DeYoung Kohler II. In this inaugural funding cycle, the Foundation awarded a total of $1.25 million to 78 nonprofit arts organizations.

“We are honored to receive this award from the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, and welcome them to the landscape of arts philanthropy,” said Gavin Berger, Co-Executive Director of Art Omi, “Their unique, artist-driven nomination process makes receiving this grant especially gratifying for our organization.”

To select the initial round of grant recipients, Ruth Arts turned to a group of nearly 50 artists from across the country and at all stages of their careers. Artists were asked to propose organizations they felt had deeply influenced their own engagement with art, presented visionary community programming, and connected deeply with artists’ processes. Art Omi was nominated by Sarah Braman, who is recognized for her large-scale sculptures that serve as monuments to everyday life. Braman lives and works between New York and Amherst, Massachusetts; and her work, Day Trip, has been installed in the Sculpture & Architecture Park since 2019.

Since its founding in 1992, Art Omi has hosted more than 2000 artists from over 140 countries in its five distinct residency programs (Art Omi: Architecture, Art Omi: Artists, Art Omi: Dance, Art Omi: Music, and Art Omi: Writers). All five programs provide artists with room and board, workspace, and direct engagement with other artists and experts in their respective fields at no cost to the artist.

Commemorating its thirtieth anniversary in 2022, Art Omi has grown into one of the premier venues for contemporary art in the upper Hudson Valley. A significant economic engine in Columbia County, the organization draws more than 45,000 visitors annually to its 120-acre Sculpture & Architecture Park.

Read the New York Times article about the launch of the The Ruth Foundation for the Arts here: nytimes.com/2022/06/29/arts/design/ruth-foundation-for-the-arts.html

About The Ruth Foundation for the Arts
The Ruth Foundation for the Arts (Ruth Arts) is a new grantmaker based in the Midwest and
dedicated to meeting the evolving needs and lived experiences of artists, communities, and arts organizations. Based in Milwaukee and national in scope, the Foundation reflects the culture and spirit of the Midwest, which long inspired its namesake and benefactor Ruth DeYoung Kohler II. A responsive and adventurous new force in the realm of arts philanthropy, the Foundation which was founded in 2022 distributed its first grants in 2022, providing 78 arts organizations with $1.25 million to date.

About Art Omi
Art Omi presents large-scale works in nature, as well as indoor exhibitions in a 1,500 square foot gallery. The Sculpture & Architecture Park currently offers more than 60 works by artists and architects on view. Art Omi has five distinct residency programs, and a thriving education program which serves people of all ages and abilities with contemporary art and ideas in a stimulating and dynamic community.

For additional information, high-resolution images, or interview requests,
contact Nancy Welsh, Communications Director at media@artomi.org.