Founded in 2016 by contemporary art collector and philanthropist Al Shands (1928–2021), Great Meadows is named for the home that Al and his wife, Mary, created in Crestwood, Kentucky to house their collection and welcome visitors.
Great Meadows Foundation aims to critically strengthen and support visual fine art in Kentucky by empowering our community’s artists and other visual arts professionals to research, connect, and participate more actively in the broader contemporary art world. To this end, our current programming includes artist grants, curator grants, a Critic-in-Residence program, residency support, and organizational partnerships.
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“Artists live in a different world. They see things in a different way. And the exciting thing is to be challenged by what they see, to open yourself up to new ways of thinking and feeling. It’s a description of who you want to be as a human being.”
— Al Shands