The Forward Arts Foundation

A History of Supporting the Visual Arts

The Forward Arts Foundation was founded on September 21, 1965 as a non-profit organization by twelve visionary and community-minded Atlanta women.  These dedicated art patrons selected as their home the carriage house of the Edward Inman estate, Swan House, located on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center.  The home was the masterpiece of Atlanta’s internationally renowned architect Phillip Trammell Shutze.

The Forward Arts Foundation renovated the carriage house creating a Restaurant and Gift Shop that opened in 1967, followed by an Art Gallery that opened in 1984. Through the management of these three Swan Coach House entities, along with revenues from an annual fall Flea Market, a holiday Fashion Show, and the Swan’s Palette Cookbook, the Forward Arts Foundation fosters and supports the visual arts in Atlanta.

The High Museum of Art, The Atlanta History Center, Michael C. Carlos Museum, and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center are among the beneficiaries of the Forward Arts Foundation Community Grants Program.  In 1999, the Forward Arts Foundation established an Emerging Artist Award, now called the Edge Award, that recognizes an artist in the greater Atlanta community with a cash prize, a two-week residency at the Hambidge Center, and a solo exhibition at the Swan Coach House Gallery.