Mission Statement

Humble Arts Foundation is a 501c3 dedicated to supporting and promoting new art photography. The New York-based non-profit serves the international art community by way of exhibition and publishing opportunities, bi–annual artist grants, and educational programming.

Founded in 2005 by amani olu and Jon Feinstein, Humble has been a pioneering hub for new art photography, and serves as an international resource for collectors, curators, artists, art professionals, educators, and the public.

Brief History and Programs
Humble Arts Foundation made its debut in 2006 with group show, a monthly online gallery exhibiting the work of 18–24 emerging art photographers. Each exhibition included a single work per artist, a link to their website, and short biography. The purpose for exhibiting a single work per artist was three-fold: we wanted to introduce a large number of emerging art photography to the visual arts community, encourage them to research artists whose work they found interesting, and if they were a decision maker or person of influence, to consider them for future opportunities. After several web-based shows, group show quickly became popular enough to warrant the creation of, solo show, a monthly online project featuring photographs and an interview from a single artist.

In December 2006, just eight months after our first online group show, Humble organized its first “brick-and-mortar” exhibition titled New in Town. Since then, we have curated over 24 large-scale exhibitions that utilize the “group show” format. Our most popular exhibition is the biennial 31 Women in Art Photography.

In 2007, Humble created the bi-annual New Photography Grant, a $1,000 project grant for one artist whose work ushers in new ways of understanding the medium. To date, we have awarded nine grants.

In addition to our exhibitions and grants, Humble also publishes The Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography, a 216-page biennial sourcebook that highlights some of the most challenging and innovative new photographic work from 100 photographers internationally. Humble’s co-founders, amani olu and Jon Feinstein edit The Collector’s Guide, which made its debut in March 2009. We launched the second volume with a book party and 4-week exhibition curated by Vanessa Kramer, Director of Photographs, Phillips de Pury & Company at the Chelsea Art Museum on March 4, 2011. Similar to our other initiatives, The Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography Vol. 2 is a resource for collectors, gallerists, curators, art professionals, educators, and the public.

Dialogue around our exhibitions and contemporary art is crucial, so we host up to four panel discussions and curator led tours annually.