Peter Norton
CalArts connection: CalArts trustee, 1991-present
Professional status: As the founder and president of the Peter Norton Family Foundation, Norton is a strong supporter of contemporary artists and arts organizations. He has served on the boards of the Creative Capital Foundation, Reed College, Crossroads School and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Type of gift made: Norton made a significant gift to fund faculty development opportunities, which has enabled CalArts faculty to further develop their own practices as working artists.
Why CalArts? "The artists on the CalArts faculty are deeply committed to teaching, but it's important to remember the delicate balance each must strike between their art practice and their role as educators. It takes a working artist to teach students how to be working artists. At CalArts, faculty leaves provide artist/instructors with the opportunity to focus on their own work and to remain active participants in the contemporary discourse in the arts."