The William H. Calfee Foundation was established to perpetuate the legacy of artist and educator William H. Calfee (1909-1995), who was chair of American University’s art department from 1945 to 1954. The art department and the artists associated with American University during this period played a pioneering role in the development of modern art in the nation’s capital. They established the Watkins Collection and the Jefferson Place Gallery, which exhibited many contemporary artists during the development of abstract expressionism and post-painterly abstraction. The Calfee Foundation is dedicated to preserving and disseminating knowledge about that period through lectures and exhibitions, and to encouraging younger artists through an annual award for excellence in art.