The website says the -
"Lannan Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to cultural freedom, diversity and creativity through projects which support exceptional contemporary artists and writers, as well as inspired Native activists in rural indigenous communities.
The foundation recognizes the profound and often unquantifiable value of the creative process and is willing to take risks and make substantial investments in ambitious and experimental thinking. Understanding that globalization threatens all cultures and ecosystems, the foundation is particularly interested in projects that encourage freedom of inquiry, imagination, and expression."
and of the founder -
"In 1960 J. Patrick Lannan, Sr., entrepreneur and financier, established Lannan Foundation. A self-educated scholar and liberal thinker, he believed strongly in the social importance of charitable programs and in the cultural importance of innovative and controversial forms of visual and literary art."
The Audio Archives contain hundreds of talks, readings and interviews with poets, writers and artists. I was looking for information on the poet Mary Oliver and came across 5 links in the audio archives.
The Bookworm with Michael Silverblatt audio archives might be a good place to start exploring the audio files.
There's a lot of useful and interesting information on the website. It takes a little while to get used to the layout, but as an example the Lannan Foundation - Art Resources has a list of artist in residence or grant possibilities for art projects. It includes links to pages like Paul G. Allen Family Foundations. This foundations stated goals are -
and goes on to say,
"Nurturing the arts and cultural endeavors;
Engaging children more deeply in the learning process;
Responding to the needs of vulnerable populations; and
Advancing scientific and technological discoveries that expand our understanding of the universe."
"We believe these priorities are fundamental to building healthy communities and advancing social progress. In addition, our intent is to transcend existing boundaries of knowledge and inspire new ways of thinking."Sounds great...and it's nice to think about people using their wealth to do good for others.
