The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today the addition of 19 new affiliate sites to its prestigious Historic Artists' Homes and Studios (HAHS) membership network, representing the largest expansion of the program since its founding in 2000. This landmark expansion also comes during HAHS' 25th anniversary year and marks a historic milestone in the program's evolution.
HAHS is a peer-to-peer coalition of sites that brings these museums together to conserve the legacy of creativity in the visual arts in the United States. This network of sites leverages the knowledge and experience of individual members to benefit the entire coalition in critical areas, including historic preservation, visitor and community programming, and communications. The Affiliate category was created in 2022 in order to broaden pathways for entrance into the program for sites that may not follow traditional models of operation, interpretation, or visitation.
The acceptance of these Affiliate members into the HAHS program marks a significant benchmark in HAHS' ongoing commitment to diversifying the consortium to present a more complete picture of American artistic achievement. The new class notably includes numerous sites representing the legacy of women artists, HAHS' first sites presenting both Asian American and Indigenous artist experiences including a Japanese American and South Korean American artist couple’s former loft in lower Manhattan, and the workspaces of several generations of Native artists in both the Northwest and Plains regions. Two sites created by self- taught Black artists in western New York and in Mississippi are opening to the public. These diverse locations span multiple states and represent various artistic movements and time periods in our nation’s art history. From intimate studio spaces to expansive compounds, artist-designed buildings and landscapes to sprawling vernacular art environments, each site provides visitors with an authentic experience of the places where inspirational art was conceived and created.
These new additions bring the total number of HAHS member sites to 80, across 31 states in the nation, further strengthening the program's mission to advocate and support the preservation and interpretation of site-specific artistic heritage for the benefit of the public and future generations. Several of these new members have been part of HAHS’ extended community for years, accessing the program’s unique resources throughout preservation efforts, and the transition from private home to public museum.
“It is an honor to welcome 19 new sites into the HAHS network during this anniversary year,” said HAHS Director Valerie Balint. “This extremely diverse group represents the richness and breadth of place-based art legacy in this country. It has been a pleasure to witness some of these sites evolve from nascent preservation initiatives to spaces of meaningful public engagement and to welcome them into membership alongside other more established sites that are at important moments of new expansion, innovation, and storytelling. All these new Affiliate sites have much to offer the public audiences they serve, but also their peers within the existing HAHS coalition. As with each site within HAHS, these inspirational new Affiliates are all worth a pilgrimage to experience.”
The new sites are:
ABOUT THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately-funded nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities maintain and enhance the power of historic places. Chartered by Congress in 1949 and supported by partners, friends, and champions nationwide, we help preserve the places and stories that make communities unique. Through the stewardship and revitalization of historic sites, we help communities foster economic growth, create healthier environments, and build a stronger, shared sense of civic duty and belonging.
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The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places.
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