Barbara Wong oversees the Arts and Culture program, which encompasses a $35 million annual grantmaking budget. She manages grantmaking related to advancing the program's Arts and Culture Capital Improvements, Strengthening the Arts and Culture Sector, and Strengthening the Arts Education Field objectives.
Before her time at the Foundation, Barbara served as Director of Community Engagement and Family Programs at the Barnes Foundation where she led the development and implementation of strategies and programs for community access, equity, inclusion, and social impact. Prior to that, she served for 16 years as the Executive Director of Providence CityArts for Youth which supports equitable access to quality arts education for urban youth. Her experience includes grantmaking in the arts at the Rhode Island Foundation and lecturer at the Rhode Island School of Design’s Department of Learning in Art and Design. Barbara was appointed as an Advisory Board member of the Research on Equity via the Arts in Childhood (REACH) Lab, a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab.
Barbara earned her BFA from Cornell University and MA in art education from the Rhode Island School of Design. She was also a gubernatorial appointee to the Rhode Island Commission on Women and is a member of the National Art Education Association and the National Guild for Community Arts Education. When she's not at work, Barbara enjoys time with family and friends, creating and consuming art, and experimenting with artisan crafts of all kinds.
