Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Sep 08, 2021 12:15 PM
Max Anderson
Souls Grown Deep Foundation

Max Anderson is the President of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation.

Souls Grown Deep advocates the inclusion of Black artists from the South in the canon of American art history and fosters economic empowerment, racial and social justice, and educational advancement in the communities that gave rise to these artists. Souls Grown Deep derives its name from a 1921 poem by Langston Hughes (1902-67) titled The Negro Speaks of Rivers, the last line of which is "My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”

Souls Grown Deep Foundation stewards the largest and foremost collection of works by Black artists from the Southern United States, encompassing some 1,000 works by more than 160 artists, two-thirds of whom are women. The Foundation advances its mission through collection transfers, exhibitions, education, public programs, and publications. Maxwell L. Anderson

Max Anderson has devoted his career to advancing the mission of non-profit cultural institutions while creating best practices to ensure their development and sustainability. He has long sought to address challenges facing the cultural sector, from community engagement to programmatic relevance, transparent business practices, cultural property ownership disputes, operational efficiency, and the impact of digital platforms on communications. Served as a museum director for almost thirty years in Atlanta, Toronto, New York City, Indianapolis, and Dallas.

Max was Museum Director of the Whitney Museum of Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art (which represented the United States in the Venice Biennale during his tenure) and the Dallas Museum of Art.