Ted Berger, Indefatigable Patron of Artists and Schools, Dies at 85
Nytimes reports that Ted Berger, the leader of the New York Foundation for the Arts, died on Jan. 29 in Manhattan. He was 85, and his death was confirmed by his son, the artist Jonathan Berger. Mr. Berger joined N.Y.F.A. in 1973 and became its executive director in 1980; over the next quarter century he oversaw the organization as it doled out nearly $23 million in fellowship grants to mostly young, struggling and underrecognized artists.
He championed artists including the composer Meredith Monk, the filmmaker Spike Lee and the director Julie Taymor. He helped bring arts education into public schools, was a founding director of ArtsConnection and supported initiatives such as health insurance for artists, free work space and the Artist Access program through Woodhull Hospital.
N.Y.F.A. also created the One Step Forward fund in 2001 to help dancers with serious health problems.
United States, Manhattan