Mission

Senior Artists Initiative serves visual artists and museums in the Philadelphia region through educational programming at its website and by producing videos that document the lives of exhibiting artists and artists with unique aspects to their work or lives.

Mission Fulfillment 

Senior Artists Initiative will concentrate its efforts on the following projects. 

A website that provides educational programming to inform established and emerging artists with essential business knowledge for a career in the visual arts including inventorying and valuation of artwork, estate preparation, planning for the future, business planning, retirement planning, artists rights, and working with museums.

A video program that features Philadelphia regional artists who have distinguished themselves by some unique features of their work or by having contributed to social change, or other recognition that deviates them from the norm.

A video production service that assists Philadelphia regional art museums to present documentaries about exhibiting artists, which will be used in conjunction with future exhibits and for other museum purposes. 

All video productions will explore significant moments in an artist’s life, the approach to work and techniques, and insights into a life in the visual fine arts universe. 

History

SAI began its public activity in 1998 with a series of panel discussions that informed artists about need to and benefit of organizing their art and the legal and tax issues faced by artists and heirs. Over time SAI has grown in both achievement and stature as an educational nonprofit serving the needs of artists. SAI has produced seminars, publications, and oral history videos of prominent senior artists to help preserve the Philadelphia Regions artistic heritage. 

In 2018 SAI concluded its twenty year long Inventory and Oral History Project that was a major part of its mission fulfillment. Through that project SAI produced 97 artist oral history videos which are accessible for viewing at the SAI website. Simultaneously SAI initiated its Artists Heritage Museum Project, which produces videos that document Artists careers, and which are to be used by the museums in conjunction with exhibits or for other purposes. 

SAI, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, has no membership. It is supported by foundation grants, institutional sponsorship, and individual donations.  Contributions to SAI are tax deductible.  All the members of its Board of Directors are volunteers, and SAI has no paid employees.