Collaborations
Aspen Institute
Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative
The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation is an inaugural member of the Aspen Institute Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative (AEFI). Bearing names such as Helen Frankenthaler, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Joan Mitchell, Gordon Parks, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, foundations created by visual artists are a rapidly emerging force in cultural philanthropy and art stewardship.
The AEFI aims to strengthen the charitable impact of this emerging field by addressing the significant information gap facing those who create, lead, govern, and advise artist-endowed foundations. It implements this strategy through research, publication, leadership convening, professional development, and events to share knowledge with key audiences.
As a participating member of the Seminar on Strategy for Artist-Endowed Foundation Leaders, the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation follows the Aspen Institute's professional standards and guidance in the development of our board and staff who have policy-setting, governance, management, and leadership responsibilities.
Quest for Peace (2006)
Public Art Archive
Richard Hunt Public Commissions
The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation and the Public Art Archive™ are pleased to announce a new partnership developed to inventory, document, and provide free online access to a comprehensive catalog of Richard Hunt’s extensive public art commissions throughout the United States.
Richard Hunt has more public works in the United States than any sculptor. As the most prolific public sculptor in the country, Hunt’s artistic legacy, seen in works installed across parks, universities, and a multitude of public spaces, is paramount to the history of public art in the U.S.
Hunt made the largest contribution to public art in the United States, with more than 160 public sculpture commissions gracing prominent locations in 24 states and Washington, D.C. Hunt was a central figure in Civil Rights-era action and commemorated many African American icons. His body of work explores themes of the African diaspora, African and Western art, mythology, and Hunt’s own ancestry, especially in relation to growth, expansion, freedom, movement, and flight.
University of Chicago
Richard Hunt's Lifelong Connection
Richard Hunt maintained a lifelong connection to the University of Chicago, where he remains the only non-white public artist with artwork displayed on campus. Hunt's sculpture Why? is located at the entrance of the Smart Museum of Art and Becoming sits proudly in the courtyard of the Disciples Divinity House. His early work as a UChicago zoological lab technician, alongside exposure to the university’s Gothic architecture and phoenix emblem, catalyzed his signature biomorphic forms and themes of resilience.
Expanding this legacy, the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation is launching a strategic partnership with the university. This wide-ranging collaboration includes a partnership with the Logan Center for the Arts, collaboration with the Smart Museum of Art, and curriculum integration across multiple academic departments. It also features library donations to the Joseph Regenstein Library, art history collections integration, and expanded student opportunities through the Metcalf Internship and Odyssey Scholarship programs.
Chicago Sculpture Exhibit
Richard Hunt Award
The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation is excited to partner with the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit (CSE) for the biennial Richard Hunt Award.
CSE established the award in partnership with Hunt in 2021 to help bring new perspectives and added diversity to the large-scale public art world. The Richard Hunt Award offers financial support to emerging or mid-career sculptors for a new artwork sited at a prominent location in the city. The award is part of CSE’s mission to encourage a broader range of artists to design and fabricate large-scale outdoor public sculpture.
The financial provision for the production of the work is $10,000, 80% provided for the planning and/or creation of the artist’s work and 20% dispersed upon installation. The sculpture remains on display for two years, and the CSE makes every effort to provide additional mentoring and assistance as requested.
The 2025 Richard Hunt Award winner is D. Lamar Preston for his sculpture, Gifted to Me, which was made with tools and repurposed Cor-Ten steel that Hunt had gifted Preston during his time working in Hunt's studio.
Richard Hunt Day
April 24
State of Illinois
First Lady MK Pritzker proclaimed April 24, 2023 "Richard Hunt Day" in the state of Illinois, recognizing Hunt's talent as a distinguished Illinois artist.
"The artists of our state tell the story of generations of struggle, passion, and culture, and I'm thrilled that the Governor's mansion can uplift and recognize those contributions," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Richard Hunt's addition is the most recent in a long tradition of incredible Illinois artists MK and I are proud to honor."
Hunt's Growing Flowing sculpture is installed in a sitting room in the Illinois Governor's Mansion.
Benton Harbor, Michigan
Mayor Marcus Muhammad of Benton Harbor, Michigan, where Hunt had a satellite studio for years, also marked April 24, 2024 as "Richard Hunt Day." Celebrations in the city have continued annually, including the dedication of a portrait of Richard Hunt by artist Eric Bradford for the Benton Harbor Public Library in 2025.