William E. Harmon Foundation
The Harmon Foundation was established in 1921 by wealthy real-estate developer and philanthropist William E. Harmon (1862–1928). A native of the Midwest, Harmon's father was an officer in the 10th Cavalry Regiment. The Foundation originally supported a variety of causes, including playgrounds and nursing programs, but is best known for having served as a large-scale patron of African-American art that helped gain recognition for African-American artists who otherwise would have remained largely unknown. Mary B. Brady was the director of the foundation from 1922 until 1967. It offered awards for distinguished  achievements in eight different fields: literature, music, fine arts, business and industry (such as banker Anthony Overton in 1927), science and innovation, education (for example, educator Janie Porter Barrett in 1929), religious service, and race relations and sponsored traveling art exhibitions. Beyond offering support directly to outstanding individuals in the Black community, tts educational outreach included films and books. Scholarships and Playgrounds. The Harmon Foundation was established as "a medium through which constructive and inspirational service for others may be rendered." William Harmon, who had for years been making secret philanthropic donations in the guise of his alter ego, "Jedediah  Tingle," began his foundation's work with a test of the efficacy of loans vs. scholarships in college education, and outright grants to local municipalities for the purpose of establishing permanent playgrounds. Awards (1926-1933). The William E. Harmon Foundation Award for Distinguished Achievement Among Negroes was created in 1926. It was offered for distinguished achievement in many different fields among Negroes or in the cause of race relations. The award recognized achievements in eight fields: In seeking to reward excellence and increase prestige, the Foundation did not grant awards in every field at every presentation. Awards were most regularly  granted in the arts, in part to meet the pent up energies of a generation of African American intellectuals and artists. Indeed, "submissions in the fine arts category was the chief venue open to African American artists," at least during the first decade of the Foundation's existence. This helped art education programs grow in many areas. Among the many recipients of the awards were Hale Woodruff, Palmer Hayden, Archibald Motley (his winning piece was "The Octoroon Girl"), Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes. Exhibitions (1927-1967). African Americans had struggled to find public exhibition space throughout the early years of  the 20th Century. "Prior to the end of World War I, State Fairs and other such expositions were practically the only spaces Black artists had to display their art." The Foundation's annual "Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists", conceived by Mary Brady, was held in 1927 through 1931, 1933, and 1935. This series offered Black artists the first serious venue for exhibition available exclusively for their work on a something-approaching national basis. Key elements of the Harmon art exhibitions were offers of "substantial prizes" together with gold, bronze medals, and, perhaps more importantly, the Harmon Foundation arranged  for these exhibitions to travel, opening spaces for the artwork where it would have been challenging for individual artists to gain exposure. Laura Wheeler Waring was one of the artists featured the first year of the exhibitions, and the Foundation commissioned her to do portraits of prominent African Americans. Disestablishment. The Harmon Foundation closed in 1967. Its substantial collection of art was dispersed among numerous museums, including the Smithsonian and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.