Generous support for Slought Foundation and the 2008-2009 season received from:

Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
Austrian Consulate General /
Cultural Affairs Section
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
U.S. Department of State
CEC ArtsLink
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies
in the Fine Arts
PARC Foundation
Philadelphia Music Project, an initiative of the
Pew Charitable Trusts
University of Pennsylvania, School of
Arts and Sciences

Additional grant support provided by:

Argosy Fund for Contemporary Music
Bernice Gersh Foundation
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Helena Rubenstein Foundation
New York Council for the Humanities,
a state affiliate of the National Endowment
for the Humanities
Philadelphia Cultural Fund
Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative /
Pew Charitable Trusts
Roy and Niuta Titus Foundation
Samuel S. Fels Fund
Shimkin Foundation

Media Partners:

The Architect's Newspaper
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Slought Foundation ('Sl-aw-t') is a not-for-profit cultural organization based in Philadelphia that highlights inventive and interdisciplinary practice by collaborating with leading artists and architects in an intimate and participatory environment. We encourage new forms of sociability and activism through public programs that are purposely critical and provocative, and invite audiences to consider criticality itself as a source of dynamism and enjoyment.

Since opening in Philadelphia in 2002 adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania, Slought Foundation has featured international figures such as Dennis Oppenheim, Werner Herzog, Helene Cixous, Hermann Nitsch, William Anastasi, Arakawa + Gins, and Braco Dimitrijevic. The Foundation is situated at the forefront of cultural production in North America and has presented hundreds of exhibitions, events and performances, trade publications, and a significant internet presence featuring extensive audio recordings. Our primary activities in Philadelphia are frequently complemented by international projects in cities such as New York, Berlin, and Paris. All of these programs demonstrate our commitment to contemporary cultural life, and the importance we place on cultivating cross-cultural collaborations that enrich and expand our understanding of contemporary practice.

Rather than conceiving of our public as homogeneous, we undertake each Slought Foundation project with the intent of engaging and establishing relationships with new and emerging publics. We seek to present a provocative curatorial agenda that responds to the particular challenges confronting Philadelphia, and we envision our activities as a bridge between different socio-economic and cultural communities. Our planning process and programming emphasizes collaboration, visitor interaction, and critical feedback as generative principles. Our projects implicitly respond to questions and concerns such as: How do cultures select what they mean by culture? For whom and to what end do we protect, preserve and present culture in a globalized world? How can we mitigate conflict by promoting cultural dialogue and exchange? What should peripheral organizations aspire to in relation to the prevailing economic and educational focus of major cultural institutions and funding platforms? Many of the individuals we present emphasize research as a fundamental component of their work, and they challenge us to reconsider the politics of exhibition display and prevailing curatorial approaches by evading clear distinctions between artist, critic, and curator.

Our recent selection by the U.S. Department of State to represent the United States in 2008 at La Biennale di Venezia is not only an enormous honor for our small West Philadelphia organization, but also recognizes a new spirit of community activism and inclusiveness across the country. See our upcoming calendar for more information on our exhibition, entitled Into the Open: Positioning Practice, which was on display at the U.S. Pavilion as part of the 11th International Architecture Exhibition. In the absence of major public and private support for social and cultural organizations that challenge conventional wisdom, the local site and cultural practice are becoming newly empowered. Please join us in exploring and generating new forms of sociability and activism and share information about our activities with friends and colleagues. Look for coverage of Slought Foundation in national and international media including Artforum, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Art in America, and The International Herald Tribune.

2008 Annual Report [PDF; 2MB]