Friend of Holt/Smithson Foundation Membership

From our base in New Mexico, Holt/Smithson Foundation works internationally with artists, scholars, museums, universities, writers, and researchers. We initiate exhibitions and publications, support new scholarship, care for artworks and archives, and create opportunities for new generations to encounter the art and ideas of Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson.

The Foundation was established as a new model for an artist foundation: time-bound and grounded in generosity, collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge. Rather than holding knowledge close, we believe in putting it to work: creating connections, supporting new thinking, and making research available to others. We are here to build knowledge, relationships, and resources that will extend far beyond the life of the Foundation.

At the center of our work is a commitment to access. Our research and digital resources are freely available, and we work with partners around the world to bring the work of Holt and Smithson into new contexts. As a foundation without a cash endowment, your support makes this possible.

There are several ways to support this work: by becoming a Friend, visiting our Bookshop, and through donations.

Become a Friend of Holt/Smithson Foundation

This fall, Holt/Smithson Foundation launches our Friends Program: a close community of supporters who share our commitment to advancing the creative legacies of Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson and ensuring their ideas remain active in the world.

Friends are invited to join an annual small-group trip personally led by the Foundation’s Executive Director, offering a rare opportunity to encounter places central to Holt and Smithson through her specialist knowledge of the artists and their work. In May 2027, our first Friends trip will take us to Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty.

A close relationship with the Foundation

The Friends are intentionally a small group, enabling each Friend to develop a personal relationship with the Foundation and a close understanding of the work their support makes possible.

As a Friend, you will:

• be invited to our annual Friends trip, with a specially developed program centered on a place important to the work and thinking of Holt and Smithson.

• receive personal invitations from the Foundation’s Executive Director to special conversations, visits, and gatherings;

• be brought closer to the Foundation’s research, exhibitions, publications, and partnerships as they develop;

• learn directly from the Foundation’s team and collaborators about the work and ideas of Holt and Smithson;

In 2027, we will visit Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty on Saturday, May 22, gathering in Salt Lake City on Friday, May 21, for a special Friends dinner. The Executive Director will lead the visit to Spiral Jetty, sharing her knowledge of the work, its histories, and the landscape in which it is situated. The weekend will include a specially developed program of visits, conversations, and events, tailored to the group and drawing on the Foundation’s relationships and expertise. Full details will be shared with Friends.

In June 2028, we will visit Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels.

In 2029, we will travel to the Netherlands to visit Robert Smithson’s only earthwork outside the United States, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill.

Participation in the annual trip is optional, and trip costs are separate from annual membership. The Foundation will make group arrangements, with full details and costs shared with Friends in advance. Places are limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Become a Friend

The donation for a one year membership is $5,000 which commences on date of purchase.

Holt/Smithson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The Foundation will provide an acknowledgment of your contribution for tax purposes.

We would be delighted to welcome you as a Friend of Holt/Smithson Foundation.

To join us, or to talk with us about becoming a Friend, please contact Jess Zeglin, Research Assistant, at programs@holtsmithsonfoundation.org.

If you are interested in joining one or more of the planned Friends trips, please let us know when you get in touch. Places are limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.