The Katie and Alicia Henry Foundation for Women in the Visual Arts was established to honor two extraordinary women whose lives were guided by devotion, service, and enduring impact. While Alicia Henry’s legacy is expressed through her artistic practice and cultural contributions, the foundation equally recognizes Katie Henry, whose strength, vision, quiet resolve, and steadfast encouragement shaped the conditions that made such work possible.

Katie Henry was not an artist by trade, but she was a formative force—cultivating resilience, generosity, and purpose in her children, and instilling a belief in possibility that guided Alicia’s life and work. Her quiet leadership, unwavering optimism, and commitment to uplifting others created the foundation upon which Alicia’s creative voice and character were built.

Established by the Henry family, the foundation supports emerging and mid-career women in the visual arts through scholarships, residencies, and cultural preservation initiatives grounded in care, continuity, and long-term stewardship—reflecting the values both women embodied and passed forward.

At the heart of the foundation is the Alicia Henry Scholarship for Students in the Visual Arts, currently administered through Fisk University, Alicia’s longtime academic and creative home. This award helps support exceptional students studying visual art—particularly those exploring themes of identity, community, and experimental form in their practice.

In the near future, the foundation will expand its offerings to include artist residencies, temporary housing for visiting scholars and creatives, research support, and special programming centered on the work and influence of Alicia Henry. These efforts ensure that Alicia’s contributions to the contemporary art world continue to resonate through generations of women artists, thinkers, and makers.

Rooted in the values of quiet stewardship, resilience, and intergenerational generosity, the Katie and Alicia Henry Foundation uplifts those whose stories and talents might otherwise remain unseen—just as Alicia’s work so often illuminated the unseen interior lives of others.