Artist foundations are historically rooted in the stewardship of an artist’s own works, but more and more artists are choosing inventive approaches to make a greater impact. Moderator James Bewley, Senior Program Officer at the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, examines these models with Yona Backer, Director of Third Streaming which oversees the Alvin Baltrop Trust, Anthony Huberman, Director of Giorno Poetry Systems, Kéwé Lô, Director of Kehinde Wiley’s organization Black Rock Senegal, and Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.
Kéwé Lô (b.1992) is the founding Director of Black Rock Senegal, having joined the organization when it opened in 2019. She has been responsible for developing the infrastructure of residency management, overseeing artist experience and programming and spearheading cultural initiatives. She sees Black Rock Senegal as a unique place for creation and dialogue and hopes her work continues to support artistic practice in Senegal and create initiatives for community building and creative collaborations. Before working with Black Rock, Kéwé managed production for the textile company, Aissa Dione Tissus and worked closely with traditional weavers from South Senegal. She also assisted Galerie Atiss with curation and exhibition installation for gallery shows, art fairs, and special projects during the DAK'ART Biennale. Kéwé is also a trained dancer who has studied Fine Arts at Olivier De Serres and Modern Dance at RIDC. Throughout her career, she has worked with visual artists and choreographers such as Richard Siegal, Kader Attia, Emmanuel Tussore, Russell Maliphant, and Andreya Ouemba. Kéwé lives and works in Dakar, Senegal.