Mitchell is an illustrious experimental composer and educator, as well as an Art Ensemble of Chicago mainstay. Photo: Mahdi Atif 

A portrait of a jazz artist Roscoe Mitchell

Hope is a bebop torchbearer and pioneering advocate for women in jazz. Photo: Steven Baboun/NativRoots 

A portrat of a jazz artist Bertha Hope

Riley is an irrepressible bandleader, bringing the rhythm of New Orleans to the world. Photo: Laylah Amatullah Barrayn 

A portrait of a jazz artist Herlin Riley

Cables is a humble keyboard genius with impeccable technique and distinctive songbook. Photo: Steven Baboun/NativRoots 

A portrait of a jazz artist George Cables

Lundy is a multi-instrumentalist and composer who sets a standard for artistic independence. Photo: GL Askew II 

A portrait of a jazz artist, Carmen Lundy

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In 2025, Mellon launched a $35 million initiative aimed at supporting the cultural preservation of jazz, championing the legacies of the artists who have played a pivotal role in its formation.

Arts and Culture

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Jazz Giants

Artists as Catalysts

Artists as Catalysts Navigation Image

Beyond Incarceration

A side profile of a Black poet who is wearing glasses and a hat with a feather hat pin.

Borderlands Cultures

In portrait orientation, an aerial view of a major highway running parallel to a large border wall set on a hilly landscape

Civic Engagement

A man in a brown jacket stands in front of blue bulletin board that is covered with papers and advertisements  

Evolving Higher Education

A vertical image of an Indigenous person who is sitting on a chair in front of a backdrop.

Expanding Public Knowledge

An interior room filled with audio and video equipment 

Monuments and Memory

A multicolored painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest landscape

Multivocality

Five people stand together in a group photo. They are laughing and smiling.

Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 

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