Under Shear’s leadership, the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation supports a number of cultural preservation initiatives including the conservation of modern art in museums in the U.S. and Europe and restoration of world heritage sites in every corner of the globe.

In Columbia County, the Foundation created an innovative program to bring the arts into local public schools and train teachers to make the arts part of every child’s education. The Foundation also supports historic preservation, including the purchase and renovation of an 1847 church building to serve as Austerlitz town hall. Major endowments to the Columbia Land Conservancy preserve open space and protect wildlife habitats.

Shear currently serves on the Drawings & Prints Committee at the museum of Modern Art, New York and the executive committee of the museum’s International Council. He is a trustee for the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies. In 2020, he was honored by The Drawing Center for his work as a collector and was named a Prince and High Dignitary of the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Allada for his support of the Vodoun Cultural Festival. He is also a founding sponsor of “Voices of Alabama,” a civil rights oral history project.

Courtesy Thompson Giroux Gallery