The co-founder and CEO of Houston-based Quantum Reservoir Impact, Nansen Saleri, donated $75,000 to the UH Blaffer Art Museum’s Young Artist Apprenticeship Program, giving it a permanent studio space within the museum.
Saleri made the donation to remember and honor his mother, Kristin Saleri, a prominent 20th-century artist.
“I had a personal pledge to her in 2006 — the year she died — that her works will not be forgotten,” Saleri said. “Apart from being a prolific artist, she was a mentor to countless artists. It makes sense to continue her legacy through a program so well oriented to young artists in Houston.”
QRI representative Emily Church said the summer renovation of the Blaffer Museum, which included the addition of the Kristin Saleri Studio, was defining of its mission and vision. The renovated museum opened Oct. 12.
“Previously, the studio for the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program was located in an off-site trailer,” said YAAP Curator of Education Katherine Veneman. “The new studio provides a fully-equipped classroom and exhibit space that is right next to the museum’s galleries, enabling participants to have easy access to museum exhibitions.”
Saleri said the donation is a great investment for the future.
“The Blaffer Art Museum and the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program represent a particularly appealing environment for involvement — intersection of art, youth and civic good is special by itself, but in this case, it assumes a personal meaning because it supports the ‘Discovering Kristin Saleri’ project.”
YAAP offers an intensive, art-making experience that has developed the creative abilities of students from high schools in the Houston Independent School District since 1998. Each spring and fall, YAAP meets four afternoons per week for six weeks.
“Students are exposed to the resources of a world-class museum as they build their portfolios and learn from artist mentors and special visiting artists or scholars,” Veneman said.
The program incorporates interactions with University students as well as campus field trips, allowing students the opportunity to become active contributors to cultural life in the University community.
In addition to the student interns who assist in YAAP, the studio will allow collaboration opportunities between the museum and the School of Art.
“Right now, we are exploring a full range of options, from having artists-in-residency in the studio to holding masters-student-curated shows in the space to hands-on art workshops for UH undergraduates when YAAP is not in session,” Church said.
“We are excited about the many possibilities the studio affords the museum to serve the student population, both those who study art as well as those in other fields who are looking for something a little different.”
Edit at 2 p.m. Dec. 5 : The QRI representative is Emily Church, not Debra Church.
