The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has received a major grant from board of trustees member J. Tomilson Hill and Janine Hill on behalf of the Hill Art Foundation to support the Guggenheim Teens program, which launched in 2017. For the next three years, from June 2021 to May 2024, the funds will expand the reach of Guggenheim Teens by increasing opportunities for New York City high school students to have in-depth experiences with the museum and develop their collaboration, communication, and leadership skills. Participating students will receive a stipend while they work in departments across the institution, including conservation, digital experience, curatorial, and education. The continuation and expansion of the program meets a significant educational objective of the Guggenheim’s Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) Action Plan to diversify audiences and construct a more inclusive workforce for museums while providing greater awareness of possible careers in the arts.
Mr. Hill said, “The pledge to build Guggenheim Teens programming reflects my commitment not only to support arts and culture, but to nurture and empower a new generation of arts leadership. Diversifying the future of the field begins with offering access to art and museum professionals active today. Each year, Guggenheim Teens will engage a talented group of students from across New York City in a collaborative learning experience at this dynamic cultural institution.”
Guggenheim Teens invites students to explore possible careers while gaining an understanding of the museum field through this paid learning opportunity. The program has hosted 15 students per year, totaling approximately sixty students to date. With Mr. Hill’s gift, Guggenheim Teens will host at least thirty participants from June 2021 through May 2022 and sixty participants each subsequent year. Among other responsibilities, students will curate virtual exhibitions, develop digital and social media content for their peers, and help design virtual programming for communities across New York City. Teens will have the opportunity to network and collaborate with their peers and with emerging arts leaders.
The Guggenheim Teens program will deepen engagement with young people throughout New York City. Beginning with the spring 2021 cohort, the Guggenheim will work with the Department of Education to identify candidates that represent the city’s demographics. Additionally, the relationship between the Guggenheim Teens program and the Guggenheim’s paid collegiate summer internship will be formalized to create a model of tiered mentorship, connecting students to like-minded peers for sustained investment in their academic training and growth.
Cyra Levenson, Deputy Director and Gail Engelberg Director of Education and Public Engagement, stated, “Young people are the expert voices that we must listen to if we are to create a future where art museums play a role in creative life and civic dialogue. The Guggenheim Teens program provides students the opportunity to shape the fundamental work we do as curators, educators, and collection stewards, and therefore it is essential that this group reflects the diversity of New York City. To have the support of our trustees as we invest in students and ask them to invest in us is invaluable. We look forward to welcoming the new cohort of Guggenheim Teens this summer.”
Underwriting for the Guggenheim Teens Program has been generously provided by Mr. and Mrs. J. Tomilson Hill and Hill Family Foundation.
Additional support for Teen programs has been provided by a grant from The Pinkerton Foundation.
J. Tomilson Hill
Mr. Hill has been a member of the board of trustees since March 2019. A founding member of the Guggenheim Director’s Council and an experienced leader in business and philanthropy, Mr. Hill is a committed collector and patron of the Guggenheim. He founded the Hill Art Foundation in 2019 and currently serves on the Investment Committee of the Smithsonian Institution and the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art among numerous philanthropic positions.
About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The international constellation of museums comprises the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. An architectural icon and “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is among a group of eight Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the United States recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. To learn more about the museum and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org.
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