Volkswagen Supports the Arts

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Multi-year cooperation announced in New York City

NEW YORK and WOLFSBURG, Germany--May 23, 2011: Volkswagen, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and MoMA PS1 have agreed on an extensive multi-year partnership. The prime focus of the strategic partnership announced today in New York City lies in the project with the working title, “International Discovery,” the development of an international contemporary art exhibition. Further pillars of the partnership are the extension of the MoMA online education program, the donation of two works by Francis Alys, and the sponsorship of a series of installations in The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. This cooperation with Volkswagen is the first partnership of this scale between the prestigious New York cultural institution and a leading international corporation.

Making innovation broadly accessible and taking responsibility for the environment and society are fundamental corporate values at Volkswagen. The company is promoting sustainable action in all spheres of life with the "Think Blue." initiative. Volkswagen's collaboration with MoMA reflects this. "Artists give us food for thought and let us look at the world from new angles. MoMA is one of the world's leading institutions in the field of contemporary art. With its persuasive expertise and its educational mission, it is our partner of choice. This partnership expresses our corporate commitment to take responsibility for the environment and for society," said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, in describing this cultural partnership.

"We are pleased to have a strong partner in Volkswagen, whose commitment to innovation and education aligns with the Museum's," said MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry. "This partnership will enable MoMA and MoMA PS1 to realize longstanding goals and ambitious exhibitions and programs."

"While MoMA PS1 has a long history of presenting work by contemporary artists on an international scale, this partnership will allow us to research, evaluate, and present the most wide-ranging survey of artists working innovatively around the globe," said Klaus Biesenbach, Director of MoMA PS1 and Chief Curator at Large at MoMA.

The partnership projects

The partnership between Volkswagen and MoMA and MoMA PS1 is based on four pillars, with a special focus on the international survey of new art to be presented at MoMA PS1 in 2013. With the "International Discovery" (working title), Klaus Biesenbach will bring together innovative works dealing with issues such as environmental protection, social justice, scarcity of resources, or population growth created by artists from all over the world to form a wide-ranging survey of new art.

The second pillar of the partnership is the extension of the MoMA's online education program. Since the foundation of the Museum of Modern Art in 1929, one of the museum's core missions has been to help a broad public understand modern and contemporary art.In this context, in 2010, the MoMA launched a successful digital learning initiative. With Volkswagen's support, the program will be considerably expanded, giving people around the globe access to the courses. Another component of the partnership is on-site "Labs", which will directly engage visitors with art-making processes and concepts.

Volkswagen will also support MoMA through donations of art and exhibition sponsorships. The company donated two video works by Francis Alys to the museum. The pieces entitled "Tornado" and "Mirage" are currently on display in the exhibition "Francis Alys: A Story of Deception" at MoMA and MoMA PS1 through August 1, 2011.

The fourth component of the partnership is support for installations in MoMA's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, one of New York City's most beloved outdoor spaces.

"Think Blue."

Simultaneous to the cooperation with the MoMA, Volkswagen is also launching its "Think Blue." initiative for the U.S. With this initiative, the brand intends to provide food for thought for sustainable action in all areas of society. At the same time, Volkswagen is pushing forward with the development of environmentally friendly products and technologies under the umbrella of the "Blue Motion" label. The XL1 prototype, which the Volkswagen brand debuted in January 2011, offers a glimpse of sustainable mobility of the future. With fuel consumption of 0.9 l/100 km (261 mpg), the near-series XL1 emits only 24 g/km CO2. Volkswagen is also breaking new ground in production under the umbrella of "Think Blue.". The new US facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is being inaugurated on May 24, 2011, is one of the greenest automotive factories in the world.