S8E3: Maxwell Anderson

Maxwell Anderson is the president of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation and Community Partnership.

Souls Grown Deep, which documents, preserves, and promotes the artwork of African American artists from the South such as Thornton Dial, Lonnie Holley, and the quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend, Alabama.

Museums have celebrated the work of these artists in exhibitions, Anderson says, but that wasn’t sufficient to integrate them into the story of American art. And although the foundation could give away artwork

I proposed to the board that we embark on a gift purchase program. Because to me, having boards and directors commit to purchasing at a 50% discount in value works of art from this collection would put their head in the game. Gifts of works of art sometimes can be overlooked. They can become seen as something that’s accepted and not dealt with directly. But if you’re putting money down on the table, you’re likelier to have a literal investment.

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