Beirut’s Ashkal Alwan is an organization that supports emerging and established artists by providing opportunities for the production exhibition and circulation of art and ideas through robust regional and international networks. It was founded nearly 25 years ago by Christine Tohme, whose expansive vision still guides it today. Its programs include an international gathering of artists and cultural practitioners, Home Works Forum, presented every three years; video production grants and mentoring for emerging artists; a residency; a publishing initiative and an experimental tuition-free educational platform for artists, Home Workspace. All of these activities are administered out of its facility in Beirut, which opened in 2010 and contains a multimedia research library, artists’ studios, an exhibition space, and a theater.
The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts, Ashkal Alwan
2007
The Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program was launched in 2007 in celebration of the Foundation’s 20th Anniversary. This unprecedented program donated over 28,500 photographs by Andy Warhol to educational institutions across the United States. More than 180 college and university museums, galleries and art collections throughout the nation participated in the program, each receiving a curated selection of original Polaroid photographs and gelatin silver prints.