WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark is one of seventy-nine museums in America to receive funding from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation to advance goal of carbon neutrality in visual arts organizations.

 

The Clark received $50,000 toward the redesign of the HVAC central plant for its Lunder Center at Stone Hill. This is the foundation's inaugural cycle of providing funding to support visual arts organizations in efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

 

"We are deeply honored to have been selected for a Climate Initiative grant from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark. "Our responsibility as stewards of our lands extends to our deep commitment to environmental sustainability on our campus and this grant will allow us to ensure that the HVAC system in our Lunder Center is operating at peak efficiency and according to the most current standards. Advances in technology, even over the short lifespan of this building, have been significant and this grant means that we will have the opportunity to take advantage of state-of-the-art environmental controls to help to minimize our carbon footprint.”

 

The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is a multi-year grantmaking program designed to advance the goal of carbon neutrality in visual arts organizations. In its 2021 grantmaking cycle, the Foundation conferred its full initial commitment of more than $5 million to seventy-nine collecting institutions across more than twenty-five states. It has also dedicated an additional $5 million to be awarded over the next two years.

 

The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative was developed in partnership with RMI, a leading global expert and advocate for clean energy, and Environment & Culture Partners consultancy, and was launched in February 2021.

 

"The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative was conceived to move art museums toward net zero, and to set an example for all institutions and citizens to follow suit,” said Fred Iseman, President of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. "We wanted to help US art institutions join the climate fray. There is a void to be filled: a crying need to provide technical know-how and financial support to art institutions to scope their needs, define problems, and implement solutions. We made a wide swath of grants in the hope that private benefactors and public policy would continue to support these and other art institutions in their climate goals.”