NEW YORK – ARCAthens, in cooperation with Greek-American artist Lynda Benglis, on July 27 announced the establishment of the Bill Fagaly Fund for the Future.

ARCAthens Founding President Bill Fagaly's unexpected passing on May 17 saddened the art communities in New Orleans, New York City, and beyond. His passion for supporting the arts and promoting cross-cultural respect and understanding was legendary.

Greek-American artist Lynda Benglis's deep love for Greece and lifelong, loving friendship with Bill Fagaly inspired her to preserve Bill Fagaly's memory by supporting one of his most beloved causes, ARCAthens.

The Bill Fagaly Fund for the Future memorial fund will be used to realize Bill's dream for ARCAthens, to provide opportunity and support to Visual Artists, Curators, and Scholars to further their research by fostering international dialogue, cooperation, and understanding between Greece and the USA.

Lynda's deep friendship with Bill started in the mid-1970s with a studio visit on Baxter Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Since then, Lynda and Bill's lifelong friendship included professional endeavors, such as Benglis' inclusion in Fagaly's New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition "Five from Louisiana" (with Tina Girouard, Richard Landry, Robert Rauschenberg, and Keith Sonnier), as well as travel with Lynda to East Hampton, Santa Fe, Ahmedabad, India, and Kastellorizo, Greece, Lynda's beloved ancestral island.

During his 50-year tenure with the New Orleans Museum of Art, Bill created over ninety exhibitions. Bill also organized shows for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, and the Museum of American Folk Art (MAFA) in New York City. In 1976, he co-founded the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. In addition, Bill served on many Boards and, as the first president of the board of ARCAthens, was linked closely to the organization's inception several years ago.

More information about the Bill Fagaly Fund for the Future is available online: https://arcathens.org/bill-fagaly-fund/.

ARCAthens is non-profit organization working between the Bronx and Athens, Greece, dedicated to hosting visual artists and curators from all parts of the world to live and create in both cities— thereby facilitating a diverse influx of expression, production, and learning in two remarkable communities brimming with creative energy. The organization’s Virtual Programming explores new ways of building international dialogue through creative persons in both locations.

Visit the ARCAthens website to learn more: https://arcathens.org/.