Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust

The Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust was created by the estate of Polly Thayer Starr to permanently further her legacy and to enhance the appreciation and knowledge of other artists whose work is reflective of her life and interests.

Shopping for Furs, ca. 1943. Oil on canvas. Boston Athenaeum.

About the Trust

Polly Thayer Starr (1904-2006) was an artist of great scope and insight. Her works captured the culture and whimsy of her native Boston and New England, with a unique combination of detail, emotion, and curiosity. Widely exhibited both during her lifetime and after her death, her art is represented in many museums and private collections. Her estate endowed the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust to permanently further her artistic legacy and to enhance the appreciation and knowledge of other artists whose works are reflective of her life and interests. The Trust owns the remaining collection of Mrs. Starr’s paintings and drawings, as well as archival materials related to her long career.

Philanthropy

Since the Trust’s inception in 2006, it has supported a range of cultural and educational organizations. The Trust has supported educational programs, lectures, performances, and scholarships for young artists, and efforts to promote Mrs. Starr’s artwork through exhibitions, research, and more. The Trust does not accept unsolicited requests for support.

Grants

The Trust has awarded more than $2 million in grants to date. View the most recently awarded grants:
Grants awarded in 2023
Grants awarded in 2022
Grants awarded in 2021
Grants awarded in 2020

Research & Scholarship

If you are interested in learning more about the collection, or if you own a Polly Thayer Starr art work that we might want to catalogue here, please contact us directly.

black and white painting of flowers
“Art is a passionate seeking for the dimension behind the visible.” - Max Beckmann
artist educational program

Featured Partnership

Polly Thayer Starr Visiting Studio Artists

A Collaboration with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust’s collaboration with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum began in 2011, when the Trustees approached a selected number of cultural institutions to partner with the Trust to help further Mrs. Starr’s artistic and charitable legacy. Mrs. Starr and Mrs. Gardner shared a passion for creativity and an interest in furthering artists’ contributions to their community

The Gardner Museum’s educators, curators, and community outreach team worked with the Trustees and developed the Polly Thayer Starr Visiting Studio Artists. This collaboration allows a diverse set of local artists to work in a variety of media, using the Gardner’s collections as an inspiration to create and share that work with the public. Visitors to the Museum’s education studio can engage directly with artists to create their own pieces alongside working artists. The Series also promotes connections between artists participating in the program, sharing their work through salons, performances, and online networks.

“I seek what the form will reveal of essence, what the visible will tell me of the invisible. It is an effort that requires intense, seeing is honest and the hand is well trained, a revelation will ~ Polly Thayer (Starr) | The Resort, Nevis. Ink and graphite.