I am writing in response to Alex Hanson’s article about the Hall Art Foundation in Thursday’s edition of the Valley News.
I am glad he overcame his aversion to paying a visit. Judging by his review of the shows, it seems he may even have enjoyed them or at least found them thought provoking.
However, I take exception to him implying that I earned my money in some way that was dishonest or dishonorable.
And let me also correct some factual errors.
The foundation is open every weekend from early May through late November and to prearranged tours, including to many free educational field trips for students throughout the state during the week. The foundation is located on approximately 400 acres of land ALL of which it owns and none of which is contiguous to any property owned by my wife and me either directly or indirectly. This land is crisscrossed with paths that are maintained for the benefit and enjoyment of our visitors and the general public.
While we do charge admission to the galleries (the revenues of which, by the way, don’t even cover the cost of us mowing the lawn), our grounds and walking paths are open to everyone — anytime, free of charge.
Furthermore, while we have a part time residence in Vermont, it is located some five miles from the foundation‘s property.
Finally, the Hall Art Foundation is most certainly not a “tax shelter.” We would be much wealthier if we were not funding our foundation.
The Hall Art Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, like most public museums. Such charities benefit from a lower tax rate on investment income so, yes the foundation receives a “tax break” from the IRS.
The question of whether my wife and I receive a “tax break” because of the money we give to the Hall Art Foundation is a different matter. Contributions to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, like any charitable contribution, are deductible against income within certain limits. Whether or not we receive a “tax break” depends on many factors which are not anyone’s business. I wouldn’t expect Alex Hanson to tell me if he receives a “tax break” from the money he might give to the local church, hospital or his old college or for that matter the mortgage on his home. But if he did receive one, would it make his local church, hospital, old college or his home “tax shelters?”
I will, however, repeat that the money we spend on supporting the Hall Art Foundation dwarfs any tax benefits we may receive from the IRS from doing so. My wife and I founded the Hall Art Foundation with the singular goal of creating a cultural resource for the enjoyment and education of the public; we did not found it to avoid paying taxes.
The foundation is a serious and respected institution that runs a critically acclaimed exhibition program at its locations in Vermont and Lower Saxony, Germany. In fact, we have been thanked by many for our contributions to Vermont’s cultural landscape, particularly in the field of contemporary art. Additionally, the Foundation makes loans of art works to many museums around the world. It also collaborates with and supports a number of them in staging exhibitions of works drawn largely or wholly from our collections.
Earlier this year the Government of Lower Saxony awarded the prestigious Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Lower Saxony (Großen Verdienstkreuz des Niedersächsischen Verdienstordens) to my wife and me for outstanding services to art and culture in Lower Saxony, and our 20-year-long dedication to the restoration of a former monastery and its conversion to a public museum of art. This is the first time this award has ever been made to a couple.
We do not expect plaudits for having done something similar in Vermont. But we also don’t expect such a churlish, mean spirited and personal attack as Hanson chose to write. We do, however, expect him to get his facts right.
Andy Hall is co-founder of the Hall Art Foundation with Christine Hall.
