New Dickinson Visual Arts Endowment
T
he school is pleased to announce the addition of a new endowment at Harker to benefit Harker’s visual arts department and visual arts students. The Dickinson Visual Arts Endowment was launched this year and is made possible by the generosity of Pam Dickinson, Office of Communication director and parent of Casey Near ’06. This endowment recognizes the school’s impressive K-12 visual arts department by providing resources to inspire and enhance the educational experience of Harker’s visual art students.
“This endowment brings much-deserved recognition and support to the incredible visual arts department that has always been a strong and vital part of Harker’s academic program. We are excited by the opportunities that this will afford our students and our school community,” said Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs.
“This endowment will strengthen our school’s connection to the global community.” — Joshua Martinez, visual arts department chair Photos provided by Britta Clausnitzer
“This endowment will strengthen our school’s connection to the global art community by facilitating the expansion of our artist residency program,” said Joshua Martinez, visual arts department chair. “Our students will be able to work with a diverse group of artists who will open them up to new and exciting perspectives. We are so thankful for this generous gift!”
“When I was a child, I devoted more time in school making elaborate report covers and displays than on the projects themselves,” laughed Dickinson, who has also been a graphic designer and photographer in her career. “I have always loved art and the way it moves and transforms us. It’s actually a gift for me to have this opportunity to give some heartfelt love to Harker’s art department and art students.”
The endowment’s inaugural event will be the residence of Britta Clausnitzer in January 2022. She is an artist, curator and museum educator living and working in Berlin, and will be at Harker for one week, giving talks and leading the middle and upper school arts students in a collaborative project that is part painting and part performance.
The Dickinson Visual Arts Endowment joins the following Harker endowments: The John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund, est. 2009; The Mitra Family Endowment for the Humanities, est. 2011; the Raju & Balu Vegesna Foundation Teacher Excellence Program, est. 2015; the Chen Lin Family Endowment in the Humanities, est. 2020; the Rothschild Family Financial Aid Endowment Fund, est. 2020; The Mohammed Family Endowment for Creative Opportunities for the Upper School Humanities and Journalism Faculty, est. 2020; the Alumni Scholarship Endowment Fund, est. 2021; the Zhu Family Endowment in Support of the Humanities, est. 2021; and The Ron Chen and Fiona Griffiths Family Endowment in Support of the Humanities, est. 2021. For more information on establishing endowments or to support an existing endowment, contact Kim Lobe, director of advancement, at kim.lobe@harker.org.
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