About Us
Mission and History
Joy of Giving Something Foundation (JGS) is committed to advancing the art of photography through support for residencies, museums, schools, and community-based organizations. We envision a future of cultural equity, access, and sustainability for visual arts education at every stage of learning.
HISTORY
Joy of Giving Something Foundation (JGS) was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1998 by financier Howard Stein –one of the pioneers of the mutual fund industry – as the philanthropic framework for an extensive photography collection. Over several decades, Mr. Stein acquired significant works by nineteenth and early twentieth century masters, as well as a wide range of works by contemporary artists. Understanding the profound historical impact of photography and its potential to influence every sphere of human endeavor, Stein envisioned JGS’s role as an advocate for the medium, and to support future generations of image makers.
Widely recognized for its breadth and significance, works from the JGS collection were offered on loan to major museums across the world. JGS created initiatives to make contemporary photography accessible to as wide an audience as possible. The “JGS Corridor Shows,” were a series of compact, economical, photography shows that Included videos of the artist at work, published books, and exhibition prints. This program offered smaller museums and galleries easy access to new and exceptional talent at minimal cost.
In the earliest years of the Internet, JGS put much of its collection of photographs online, making it one of the first cyber-museums on the web. This was followed by the creation of the Forward Thinking Museum, a virtual gallery for showcasing new artists.
JGS also created the photography journal Witness, distributed by Nazraeli Press. Each issue was guest-edited by a contemporary artist whose photographs and writing are featured in that issue. Witness editor/artists have included photographic luminaries Stephen Shore, Daido Moriyama, Martin Parr, Lee Friedlander, Eduardo del Valle and Mirta Gomez, Joseph Mills, and Todd Hido.
JGS has produced a number of original video series, including The Observer Observed, which documents the artistic process of twenty-four contemporary photographers. The series Art and Science explores the use of photography in scientific research, while Careers in Photography spotlights alternative ways of making a living with a camera.
Significant portions of the JGS collection have been donated to prominent museums including the Peabody Essex Museum, The Yale Center for British Art, Harvard Art Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Museum of the City of New York.
In recent years, JGS has shifted its focus to improving and expanding access to arts education in under-served communities in New York City through grants to public schools, after school programs, and community based organizations.
Working in collaboration with New York’s Beacon and Cornerstone programs, JGS offers professional development opportunities for after school instructors, as well as training in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and a curriculum for youth photography developed by International Center of Photography (ICP).
JGS has established scholarships in partnership with museums and educational organizations, including Appalshop, Imagining America, The Studio Museum in Harlem’s Expanding The Walls program, PAL Project at Syracuse University, ICP Teen Academy, and Harlem School of the Arts.