Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship
In 1985, Roy and Frances Rydell established the Roy and Frances Rydell Visual Arts Fund to promote local visual artists and arts organizations. Following their passing, their estate was bequeathed to the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, with the proceeds of the sale helping to grow the fund to its current level of over $2 million.
Now in its 14th year, the fellowship program continues to honor the wishes and intent of the Rydells and has awarded $600,000 directly to local artists.
This exhibition, opening at the MAH celebrates our creative community by showcasing the 2020-2021 recipients-- Ann Altstatt, Marc D'Estout, Cid Pearlman, and Edward Ramirez.The Fellowship provides grants to visual artists living and working in Santa Cruz County. It is a program of the Rydell Visual Arts Fund, an endowed fund at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, honoring the legacy of Roy and Francis Rydell, and provides support to artists and art institutions in Santa Cruz County.
About the Rydells
Roy and Frances Rydell arrived in Santa Cruz in 1947 from Hollywood, California, drawn by its rural beauty. Roy, an architect and artist, and Frances, an animal lover bought the old Oceanview School in Bonny Doon, which they restored, expanded, and filled with their varied creative interests. They became active in the community, supporting organizations such as the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History where Roy was a key fundraiser in the mid-1980s. The Rydells were also early advocates of the Community Foundation and in 1985, started our first donor-advised fund. Understanding the importance of a permanent resource for visual artists, they established the Roy and Frances Visual Arts Fund through which they facilitated grants to a variety of local arts organizations.
Friends of the Rydells always comment on their personal style and attention to detail. Nowhere is this more evident than in the bequest of their entire estate to the Community Foundation for the Rydell Visual Arts Fund. Predeceased by Frances (1998), Roy passed away in 2000 leaving an indelible impression on the people who knew them, a charitable gift to the Foundation, and an enduring benefit to the arts and artists of our community.
Sponsored by The Rydell Visual Arts Fund at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County