Philanthropist

I hadn't known of Julius Rosenwald until today when I visited the Montclair Art Museum's exhibit, A Force for Change, which features work by the recipients of the grants provided by him during the 20's, 30's and 40's.



The Rosenwald Fellows, all from the south and mostly (but not all) African-American could be compared to today's McArthur fellows. The grants were just one thousand dollars, but that amount went a long way toward allowing artists the freedom to work and study without financial pressure.

No photos were allowed but I also enjoyed seeing the work being done by children in the summer art camp downstairs. Much of it was based on or inspired by the Rosenwald Fellows' work.

Here, for example, (from the catalog), is a clay head by William Ellsworth Artis:



And here's the childrens' work:























And here's more of what the kids have been doing. Good stuff!