Harmon_Foundation
William E. Harmon Foundation
American philanthropic foundation
The Harmon Foundation was established in 1921 by white real-estate developer William E. Harmon (1862–1928).[1] The Foundation originally supported a variety of causes, including playgrounds and nursing programs, but is best known for having funded and collected the work of a large group of African-American artists, many of whom would go on to become widely recognized. After 1947, the foundation expanded its work in the arts to include supporting African and Afro-diasporic artists. The foundation was among the first organizations in the United States to support opportunities for contemporary African-American and African artists to travel between the United States and Africa to study, exhibit their work, and meet other artists.[2] Mary B. Brady was the director of the foundation from 1922 until 1967.[3][4]
It offered awards for distinguished achievements in eight different fields: literature, music, fine arts, business and industry (such as banker Anthony Overton in 1927), science and innovation, education (for example, educator Janie Porter Barrett in 1929), religious service, and race relations. It also sponsored traveling art exhibitions. Beyond offering support directly to outstanding individuals in the Black community, its educational outreach included films and books.
The foundation faced several controversies during its operation, including: criticism over its perpetuation of racial segregation and paternalism through all-black exhibitions and mostly or all-white juries, with notable condemnation by artist Romare Bearden;[3] unsubstantiated allegations made by several black artists and scholars that it received funding from the State Department as part of the agency's anti-Communist cultural programs during the Cold War;[5] and public disputes over director Mary Brady's decision to remove portraits of W. E. B. Du Bois and Paul Robeson from an exhibition. Robeson's portrait was removed due to his support of the Communist Party, and the foundation claimed that Du Bois' portrait was removed due to space considerations, but many African Americans viewed both removals as politically motivated.[6][7]