Jeffrey Inaba's firm INABA has produced "Donor Hall" a large-scale installation about the global culture of philanthropy which will open to the public this week in conjunction with the inauguration of the New Museum of Contemporary Art building design by SANAA. Click here for images and info in the Gallery | Previously | Free tix


Cultural philanthropy is an expansive field that offers many distinct conceptions of what constitutes ‘culture’ and what purposes it serves. Culture can be a form of enlightenment, entertainment, politics, and even a weapon. The diverse forms of cultural donations reveal a multitude of conceptions about its value and role.

Donor Hall provides a picture of global giving, and raises the question of who are the constituencies of cultural philanthropy and what are the specific relations between cultural givers and the audiences that they benefit. Using publicly available information about contributions to arts and culture around the world, drawn from sources such as tax filings, corporate annual reports, newspapers, and research papers, Donor Hall suggests the contours of global generosity through annual contributions.

The piece arranges organizations and individual donors into categories ranging from national governments to private foundations, media conglomerates to populist movements. The categories do not suggest that a common ideological position is advanced or that the givers share a similar motive for cultural investment, but rather they allow the viewer to read and access the modes of giving that the donors practice. Despite their different missions, what unites these groups is an evident belief in the value and power of culture and a desire to use their resources for its support.

The categories of donors are arranged as pie charts. They are overlaid onto large-scale photographs of actual pies and other foods, as a qualitative counterpoint to the ruthlessness of statistical representations. Accompanying the donor information is a ‘mini-text’ of quotes on philosophies of giving.