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SNF supports new community space at Rothko Chapel

May 08, 2024
The Rothko Chapel, a nonprofit public space in Houston adorned with the work of 20th-century abstract painter Mark Rothko, is restoring and expanding its campus to deepen its community engagement programming.

A recent $1 million grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) supports the creation of the SNF Forum for Community Engagement, a space for public and community events at Rothko Chapel's new program center.

“The community and education space in the new Program Center will transform the depth and breadth of our community engagement, and will further learning, civic discourse, and activism focused on societal transformation,” says Christopher Rothko, Chairman of the expansion campaign and the late artist’s son. “We are greatly appreciative of this generous grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and its support in achieving these goals.”

“This grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation will support the Chapel’s dual mission as a space of both contemplation and action,” says Rothko Chapel Executive Director David Leslie. “When Phase Two [of the campaign] is completed, we hope our campus will become an even more important global destination and center for thoughtful reflection, cultural engagement, and expansive dialogue among our growing community.”

The Rothko Chapel’s mission focuses, as the organization describes it, on the intersection of art, spirituality, and human rights. This was the topic of a recent collaborative event cohosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s SNF Paideia Program.