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The book Curating Engagement stands upright on a wooden surface, with trees and sunlight visible through a window in the background. The cover lists the editors and contributors in white text on a dark background.

Supporting a Field-Driven Approach to Institutional Change in Arts and Culture

Abigail Satinsky, Wagner Foundation Senior Program Officer and Curator for the foundation’s Art and Culture portfolio, reflects on the pressures facing cultural institutions today and how the newly released book “Curating Engagement” aligns with Wagner Foundation’s mission.

By Abigail Satinsky, Wagner Foundation
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A seamless geometric pattern of overlapping blue parallelograms on a lighter blue background, creating a repeating, interlocking effect.

When Values Align: Inside Wagner Foundation’s Decision to Fund BAY-CASH

Senior Program Officer Lily Sargeant explains how shared values and funder alignment led to a partnership between Boston Area Youth Cash Assistance for Stable Housing (BAY-CASH) and Wagner Foundation.

By Lily Sargeant, Wagner Foundation
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A collage with a central abstract geometric figure resembling an eye on a pink background, and three portraits of women—one with long braids, one with glasses in a red patterned top, and one with glasses in black—on the right side. — 2026 Wagner Arts Fellows (Top to Bottom): Tomashi Jackson, Yu-Wen Wu, and Lucy Kim. Photos courtesy of the artists.

Wagner Foundation Announces 2026 Wagner Arts Fellowship Awardees

Wagner Foundation is excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 Wagner Arts Fellowship: painter and interdisciplinary visual artist Tomashi Jackson, interdisciplinary visual artist Lucy Kim, and interdisciplinary artist Yu-Wen Wu.

By Wagner Foundation
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Green graphic with textured background. Text in various sizes and directions reads: A Blade of Grass In Grass Fellowship in black and white fonts.

A Blade of Grass 2026 In Fellowship Cohort Announcement

A Blade of Grass announces the second edition of In Fellowship gathering a working group of practitioners, collectives, and artist-led organizations to explore key facets and processes of socially engaged art. This year, Wagner Foundation partnered to expand the program to include dedicated funding for each cohort member to produce these gatherings.

By A Blade of Grass, read the announcement.

The image shows the front and back cover of the book Curating Engagement, edited by Anna Lovatt, Abigail Satinsky, and Daniel Tucker. The cover features a bird’s-eye photo of people walking and gathering outdoors.

Wagner Foundation and Public Trust Publish “Curating Engagement”

"Curating Engagement," an expansive new publication bringing together more than 50 curators, educators, and artists to address the urgent questions facing curatorial practice at the intersection of public engagement, institutional responsibility, and community work.

A woman wearing glasses and a black jacket examines three round, metallic objects strung together with red string in a workshop with brick walls and shelves filled with supplies. — Artist Yu-Wen Wu hold a string of orbs from a work in progress at her studio in Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Three Greater Boston artists receive $75,000 awards

WBUR covers the 2026 Wagner Arts Fellowship announcement, highlighting the three Boston-area artists, Tomashi Jackson, Lucy Kim, and Yu-Wen Wu, and the mission behind the fellowship.

By Artemisia Luk, WBUR, read the article.

Colorful artwork on a wall displays circular textile pieces with geometric patterns, set against a gradient blue-to-red background with white diagrams, symbols, and handwritten text related to dreams and structure. Wooden floor in foreground. — Installation view of "Welcome to Cosmologyscape" from Alisha B Wormsley and Kite (Oglála Lakȟóta).

Wagner Foundation Presents “Welcome to Cosmologyscape”

The site-specific installation from multidisciplinary artists Kite (Oglála Lakȟóta) and Alisha B Wormsley empowers visitors and online participants to dream for different futures together, fusing new and old technologies through a uniquely critical and hopeful way.

Two women sit at a round marble table in a modern office, having a discussion with laptops open in front of them. The office has wood panel walls, colorful artwork, and plants on shelves. — By Mel Taing

Wagner Foundation: Embracing Accompaniment at Home and Abroad

An examination of Wagner Foundation's evolution over 20 years - from its founder-led roots and commitment to the accompaniment model, to the expansion of the Foundation's national and global grantmaking strategy while still maintaining deep local partnerships.

By Ade Adeniji, Inside Philanthropy, read the article.

Three women sit on stage having a discussion. They are seated on red chairs with small round tables between them. A purple banner at the bottom reads, “Investing in Futures. Abundant Futures / Live.”.

Video: Abundant Futures / Live, “Investing in Futures”

MASS Design Group's Katie Swenson convenes a panel with expertise in philanthropy, including Wagner Founder and President Charlotte Wagner, to ask how bold investments can shift expectations, bend markets, and move policy toward a society where belonging is the norm, not the exception.

Watch the panel.

Two abstract blue figures with heads and legs share a single body shaped like a large green right-pointing arrow as they walk together.

Announcing Wagner Foundation 2025 Grantee Partners

Wagner Foundation is pleased to highlight the 129 organizations we proudly partnered with in 2025 in pursuit of healthier communities and a more just, vibrant world.

A woman with long, wavy blonde hair sits on a gray sofa, smiling. She wears a brown blazer over a black top. Bookshelves, a plant, and windows are visible in the background of a well-lit office. — Photo: Mel Taing

Caroline Easley Named First Executive Director of Wagner Foundation

Wagner Foundation is proud to announce the promotion of Caroline Easley to the role of Executive Director, a newly established position that reflects a pivotal moment in the foundation’s history.

Five people stand and smile together in a radio studio, with microphones and a gbhnews.org sign in the background. Some are wearing dark clothing, and one person has a patterned outfit. The atmosphere appears friendly and professional.

Video: Wagner Foundation & Street Theory Collective Discuss Boston’s Art Scene

Abigail Satinsky, Wagner Foundation Program Officer and Curator, Art & Culture, and artists Dr. Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs and Ayana Mack, speak with Boston Public Radio co-hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan about the Street Theory Collective, Wagner Foundation partnership to uplift the Greater Boston art community.

Watch the conversation.