Unbroken Chain: Art + Philanthropy Still Overlap at Great Meadows

By Kevin Murphy Wilson Photos By Verena Gerlach 

Earlier this year the Great Meadows Foundation unveiled an exquisite new book (with contributions from Natalie Weis, Julien Robson, John Yau, Peter Morrin and others) showcasing the substantial footprint of Louisville legends, Mary and Al Shands. 

That tome, “Rounding the Circle,” which is available for purchase locally at Carmichael’s Bookstore, KMAC, and at Great Meadows Foundation’s Logan Street headquarters, perfectly captures the flavor of the contemporary art collection initially amassed by the couple at their estate in Crestwood, Kentucky (where they often held court, breaking bread with likeminded folks from near and far). 

As such, many artists of note appear in this chronicle: Sandra Charles, Petah Coyne, Tony Cragg, Francesca DiMattio, Olafur Eliasson, Adrian Esparza, Wayne Ferguson, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Zaha Hadid, Alex Hartley, Anish Kapoor, Nina Katchadourian, Mel Kendrick, Sol LeWitt, Maya Lin, Elizabeth Murray, Ernesto Neto, Odili Donald Odita, Judy Pfaff, Jaume Plensa, Ken Price, Eva Rothschild, Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Susana Solano, Vian Sora, Monika Sosnowska, Summer Wheat, Peter Williams, and Betty Woodman, to name a few. 

Perhaps even more importantly, though, “Rounding the Circle” also sheds a spotlight on the Shands’ legacy of providing support and encouragement to artists, critics, curators, and arts organizations, particularly those with ties to the Bluegrass State. The book suggests that their big-time backing began at least as early as the 1980s when Mary Shands was involved in the efforts to establish the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, which eventually evolved into KMAC Museum. And for his part, Al Shands was a steadfast Trustee of the Speed Art Museum, and also completed stints on the Boards of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York as well as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. 

That being said, and as “Rounding the Circle” attests, in recent years much of the couple’s (now posthumous) support for the arts has been funneled through the aforementioned Great Meadows Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Al Shands (roughly 8 years ago) that continues to foster the creative community here in the Commonwealth, with more than $1.25 million in grants given to Kentucky artists to date, according to a recent press release. 

These impactful grants have afforded regional practitioners (and other visual arts professionals) such as Joyce Ogden, Lori Larusso, Rebecca Norton, Shohei Katayama, and countless others, one-of-a-kind travel and research opportunities. Louisville-based visual artist and educator Andrew Cozzens—who primarily researches time subjectivity and its effect on human experience and aging—said that it was largely through the support of the Great Meadows Foundation that he was able to travel to Taiwan, Mexico, Japan, and elsewhere. “Each of these places greatly informed the direction of my work in different ways,” Cozzens recalled. “And that kind of ongoing validation from the Great Meadows Foundation is a huge reason for artists to remain in Kentucky.” 

For Julien Robson, Director of the Great Meadows Foundation, there’s no doubt that “Al and Mary Shands’ extraordinary vision for art and artists has left an indelible mark on Kentucky’s cultural landscape.” To him, the Shands’ collection amounted to much more than a “gathering of remarkable works.” It also spoke volumes about their sense of art as a vehicle for connection and continued growth. “Through Al’s thoughtful bequests to museums across the state, the creation of the Mary and Al Shands Art Preserve, and the enduring work of the Great Meadows Foundation, their legacy continues to inspire and support artists and communities alike. Al’s commitment to fostering creativity and bringing art into the lives of others is a gift that will go on, enriching generations to come,” Robson said in a statement celebrating the book. 

For more information about “Rounding the Circle: The Legacy of Mary and Al Shands,” or to apply for a travel grant, visit greatmeadowsfoundation.org.