Bennington College - Education - Helen Frankenthaler Foundation

Helen Frankenthaler (right) and Ruth Lyford with teacher Paul Feeley at Bennington College, Vermont, ca. 1949. Courtesy of Bennington College.

Frankenthaler and Bennington College

“All of my Bennington memories melt into one joyful stream of laughter, invention, serious concerned pursuits, intense friendships, [and] the opening of my already ‘analytic mind.’”

—Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler attended Bennington College from 1946–49 and remained a dedicated benefactor and member of the college’s community throughout her lifetime. The school held a pivotal place in Frankenthaler’s early development and ultimately refined her commitment to pursue a career as an artist.

Bennington’s progressive approach to higher education empowers students to collaborate with faculty to develop an individualized course of study. Upon her entry to the college, Frankenthaler disclosed an interest in several professional paths as a “writer, painter, or stage-set designer.” During her studies, she was deeply influenced by Kenneth Burke’s lectures in literary criticism as well as Erich Fromm’s teachings on mythic and symbolic imagery. Frankenthaler pursued several extracurricular activities during these formative years, such as creating set designs for student theatrical productions and serving as editor of the student newspaper The Beacon. Perhaps the most profound of her educational experiences occurred during her senior year with the American cubist artist Paul Feeley. His courses in painting explored the modernist principles that laid the foundation for Frankenthaler’s groundbreaking inquiry into the medium in the years following her graduation. For Frankenthaler, these seminars with Feeley “opened up everything.”

Later in life, Frankenthaler served on the college’s Board of Trustees from 1967–82. The artist’s admiration for the school surfaces again and again throughout her correspondence and in her charitable activities. The Foundation remains committed to upholding the spirit of Frankenthaler’s connection with Bennington and continues to support the school through philanthropic and programmatic activities.

The 2024 Museum Fellows Term cohort speaking with Executive Director Elizabeth Smith about Frankenthaler's Village (1951).

Museum Fellows Term

The Bennington Museum Fellows Term, administered in partnership with the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, is founded on an immersive experiential learning model. For a period of five months during the spring term, a group of Bennington undergraduates live in a co-learning environment in New York City and hold internships at major cultural institutions. Past site partners include the Brooklyn Museum, Dia Art Foundation, New Museum, Studio Museum in Harlem, Whitney Museum of American Art, Rubin Museum, Al Held Foundation, and Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné, among others.

Throughout the term, classes are held on-site at the Foundation’s offices in Chelsea. The program’s comprehensive curriculum, led by Program Director Liz White, features in-depth coursework, site visits, informational interviews with colleagues across the arts, and select travel to relevant arts destinations. The curriculum has also engaged visiting faculty Sergio Bessa, Chief Curator Emeritus at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Elizabeth Smith, Executive Director of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.

Education’s engagement with the program continues to evolve as we find new ways to collaborate and enhance the Museum Fellows Term’s offerings in connection with our mission. Most recently, HFF supported the 2024 cohort’s travel to Venice, Italy, to visit the 60th Venice Biennale.

Archives Intern Gracie Yaconelli processing photographic materials in the HFF Archives reading room.

Creative Legacy Fellowship

Bennington’s Creative Legacy Fellowship program offers students an experiential window into the artist endowed foundations sector during the college’s Field Work Term. Over the course of six weeks, students gain professional experience through internships at their respective foundations and participate in the program’s accompanying class. This intensive program explores the philosophical nature, structure, and activities of these institutions while highlighting the professional paths available to students upon graduation. The Foundation has previously participated in this program by hosting positions at the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné. This winter, we are hosting an archives-focused internship for the 2025 fellowship term.

Former Digital Asset Intern Marigold Green viewing Frankenthaler’s Gateway (1988) in HFF’s collections storage.

Bennington Intern Spotlight: Marigold Green

Marigold Green is a senior at Bennington College studying visual art and art history and joined the Foundation in early 2024 through the Creative Legacy Fellowship program. During her internship with the Helen Frankenthaler Catalogue Raisonné, Marigold spearheaded a digital asset management project to review and prepare images of Frankenthaler’s artwork that will be featured in the upcoming publication. In addition to this key contribution, Marigold accompanied Education staff to represent the Foundation at the College Art Association conference held in Chicago. Marigold attended relevant panels and meetings and made connections with colleagues of the Foundation from across the field. As part of her internship, Marigold merged threads from her various research interests to develop an essay focusing on Frankenthaler’s monumental folding screen, Gateway (1988). Her forthcoming article will appear on Nowscape.