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Forty-one former residents of the Tom of Finland Foundation’s artist residency program have issued an open letter criticizing the nonprofit’s leadership and asking the board to sustain support for queer and erotic artists. They say the residency was discontinued without warning and nearly all TOM House staff were laid off in June; the foundation’s response and the program’s future are not established in the report.
Forty-one former artist residents of the Tom of Finland Foundation have issued an open letter to the Los Angeles nonprofit’s board, saying changes under its current administration threaten its support for queer and erotic artists. The signatories allege that the Artist-in-Residence program was discontinued without warning and that nearly the entire TOM House staff was laid off in June; the letter asks the board to continue the program and provide greater transparency.
The letter was released on September 28 by former participants in the foundation’s Artist-in-Residence program, known as AIR. The signatories describe what they call “the lack of transparency and abrupt interruption of several programs by the current administration,” singling out the residency’s reported discontinuation without prior communication to participants.
The former residents also say nearly the entire staff of TOM House was laid off this past June. These details are claims made in the letter, as reported by Hyperallergic; the source material does not include a response from the foundation or independent confirmation of the staffing figures or program status.
The letter asks the board to “guarantee the continuation of the Foundation’s mission,” including support for new generations of queer and erotic artists through residencies, mentorship, exhibitions, research and archive access. Carta Monir, a 2022 AIR resident who coordinated the letter, told Hyperallergic that the board was “refusing to answer any questions.”
The Residency at the Center of Dispute
The dispute concerns whether the foundation will continue a role that former residents say extends beyond preserving Tom of Finland’s work: providing space and support for contemporary artists. If the reported end of AIR is permanent, artists could lose access to a program based at the organization’s historic Los Angeles headquarters and to its community and resources.
The disagreement also raises questions about how the foundation interprets its mission and how its board communicates major program changes. Those issues matter to artists who have taken part in the residency, as well as to people who see the nonprofit as both a steward of Tom’s legacy and a supporter of present-day queer art. The letter presents the residents’ concerns; the available material does not establish the board’s position or explain its decisions.
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From Tom’s Archive to Artist Residencies
The foundation was established in 1984 to preserve the work and legacy of Tom of Finland, the name used by Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen, who lived from 1920 to 1991. His erotic portrayals of hypermasculine men became widely recognized images within queer culture.
Over time, the organization’s work expanded to include contemporary artists, with exhibitions and acquisitions alongside its stewardship of Tom’s art. In 2011, it launched the AIR program at its Echo Park headquarters, a craftsman home known as TOM House. That history informs the former residents’ argument that supporting new artists should remain part of the foundation’s mission.
““the lack of transparency and abrupt interruption of several programs by the current administration””
— The 41 former artist residents who signed the open letter
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The Board’s Position Is Not Included
The available report does not include a response from the foundation’s board, so its explanation for the reported program interruption or June staff layoffs is unknown. It is also unclear whether AIR has formally ended, been paused, or could resume, and whether other programs were affected.
The open letter reflects the concerns of former residents, not a complete account of the board’s decisions or the nonprofit’s finances and operations. The source material provides no financial figures, detailed staffing count, or timeline for any changes to TOM House.
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Whether the Board Responds
The former residents have asked the board to continue the foundation’s work with contemporary artists and to maintain a residency, mentorship, exhibitions, research and archive access. The next development to watch is whether the board responds publicly, clarifies the status of AIR and explains what changes have been made at TOM House.
No board response, decision, or timetable for the residency’s future is provided in the source material. Until the foundation addresses those points, the program’s status and the organization’s plans for artist support remain unresolved.
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Key Questions
Who signed the letter?
Forty-one former artist residents of the Tom of Finland Foundation’s Artist-in-Residence program signed the open letter. Carta Monir, a 2022 resident, coordinated it.
What are the former residents asking the board to do?
They ask the board to sustain the foundation’s support for new queer and erotic artists, including through a residency program, mentorship, exhibitions, research and archive access.
What changes do the signatories allege?
The former residents say AIR was discontinued without prior warning and that nearly the entire TOM House staff was laid off in June. The source material does not independently verify those claims.
Has the foundation responded?
No response from the foundation’s board is included in the report provided. The board’s explanation and the program’s current status remain unclear.
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