We are a group of artists who participated in the Artist-in-Residence program at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles, and we are deeply concerned by the lack of transparency and abrupt interruption of several programs by the current administration.
In June of this year, nearly the entire staff of Tom of Finland House was laid off. The Artist-in-Residence program was discontinued without prior communication or warning. In the absence of transparency or any public statement from the Foundation, the future of the organization is uncertain. In particular, the future of Tom House as an archive, library, community space, and artist residency is in limbo.
We believe it is essential to understand how the Foundation intends to define its future artistic and cultural direction. The Tom of Finland Foundation is not only responsible for preserving an extraordinary historical legacy; through its exhibitions, residencies, archives, and support of contemporary artists, it also plays an active role in sustaining and developing a living artistic community.
We are asking the leadership and Board of the Foundation to:
- Communicate publicly and clearly about the future of the Foundation and explain why such drastic measures were taken without any statement to the community.
- Guarantee the continuation of the Foundation’s mission, not only by preserving the legacy of Tom of Finland and his work, but also by maintaining an active commitment to new generations of queer and erotic artists through a residency program, mentorship, support, exhibitions, research, and access to the Foundation’s unique archive.
- Be transparent about the status of the archive and the future of Tom House in Los Angeles, an important community space whose future now appears uncertain.
- Clarify where Tom of Finland’s works, archives, documents, and collections are currently housed; who is responsible for their conservation and management; and what provisions are being made to guarantee their long-term preservation and accessibility to artists, researchers, and the public.
- Provide a clear statement of the Foundation’s values, mission and long-term vision, together with a roadmap for the future of Tom House, the archive, its artistic programs and the Artist-in-Residence program.
- Clarify the Foundation’s current governance and artistic leadership: who is currently responsible for defining its artistic program, exhibitions, residency program, and relationships with contemporary artists?
- Explain how future Artists in Residence will be selected. Will there be an independent selection committee or jury? Who will serve on that committee, how will its members be appointed, and according to what artistic and professional criteria will applications be evaluated?
- Clarify whether the Foundation intends to appoint an Artistic Director, curator, or another person responsible for developing a coherent artistic program, and explain what role that person would have in relation to the Board and the Foundation’s administration.
- Ensure that the selection of future residents and artists is based on a transparent, pluralistic, and professionally structured process, capable of representing different generations, practices, identities, and approaches to queer and erotic art.
- Clarify the future of the residency itself: where will artists be hosted? Who will supervise and support them? What resources will be made available to them? And what relationship will the residency maintain with Tom House, the archives, exhibitions, and the wider Los Angeles artistic community?
For those of us who have lived and worked at Tom House, the residency was never simply accommodation or studio time. Its uniqueness came from the extraordinary combination of a historic place, Tom’s work and archives, the people who have preserved that history, and contemporary artists invited to engage with it. Preserving the residency therefore means preserving this relationship, not simply maintaining the name of a program.
All of us had transformative experiences at the Tom of Finland Foundation through our residencies, and we want that artistic and community legacy to continue and develop into the future.
We believe that former Artists in Residence now constitute a valuable international community around the Foundation. We would therefore welcome the opportunity to participate in the discussion about the future of the residency program and, where appropriate, to contribute to an advisory committee or to the committee responsible for selecting future Artists in Residence.
We are eager to lend our support to the Foundation in achieving these goals.
Our intention is not simply to question the Foundation, but to help ensure that the extraordinary cultural and artistic legacy entrusted to it remains alive, accessible, independent, and open to future generations of artists.
Please accept our offer.
Signed,
Carta Monir, AiR 2022
Basil Twist, AiR 2022
Donald Shorter, AiR 2022
m black, AiR 2025/2026
Jamison Rockmore, AiR 2016
Oat Montien, AiR 2023/2024
Tristor Blue, AiR 2024
Toni Hervas, AiR 2023
Paweł Żukowski, AiR 2022
Stuart Sandford, AiR 2014
Konstantinos Menelaou, AiR 2023/2026
Jacob Love, AiR 2019/2022
Florian Hetz, AiR 2017/2018
Tero Puha, AiR 2023
Yinon Avior Philipsohn, AiR 2025/2026
FCK / Frédérick Gautier, AiR 2024
Rinaldo Hopf, AiR 2017/2020/2022
Sam Ashby, AiR 2024
Mies Mikkonen, AiR 2015
Reverend Steven Johnson Leyba, AiR 2023
Carlos Enfedaque, AiR 2024/2025/2026
Ryan Davis, AiR 2025/2026
Francesco, AiR 2026
Pol Anglada, AiR 2023
David Lindert, AiR 2020
Bas Kosters, AiR 2019
Georg Meyer-Wiel, AiR 2026
Gray Wielebinski, AiR 2024
Antti Kauppinen, AiR 2018
Daphne, AiR the first year
Ed Firth, AiR 2024
Rowland Byass, AiR 2017/2018
James Davison, AiR 2022
Yun-Pei Hsiung, AiR 2024
Michael Espinoza, AiR 2024
Joel Parsons, AiR 2018
Jonathan David Smyth, AiR 2023
Sweatmother, AiR 2025
Roko Fearon, AiR 2026
Fausto Berlin, AiR 2024
Phuc Le, AiR 2017
Łukasz Leja, AiR 2025
Worldwide
Worldwide