We have been privileged to receive a number of gifts in the past few months, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge them and thank the generous donors.

In terms of monetary contributions, I'd like to express our special thanks to a few men who have gone beyond the call of duty, and have made extremely generous contributions in the past few months. Robert Barker and James Stone each gave the Foundation gifts of $500.00, while J. B. Harter stunned and delighted us with a contribution of $5,000.00 – way to go, guys!

We were also tremendously heartened when an anonymous donor came through for us when we had the chance to obtain a historically significant work. The German artist Rinaldo Hopf had created a hommage to Tom some years ago – it's a large work, featuring a drawing of Tom superimposed on 80 panels from Tom's story “Golden Kake”. It recently came on the market, and we at the Foundation were eager to add it to the permanent collection. But the price was $3,000, and we have a policy of not buying art for the permanent collection.

“American Nude” by D. Robeski Lee

One of the Foundation stalwarts heard about our dilemma, and offered to buy the work for the Foundation. He wired the funds to us, and Volker Morlock – curator of the Erotic Gallery By Mail – who was about to head to Germany, picked it up and carried it back on the plane with him. It is a splendid and important addition to the permanent collection, and will be prominently displayed during the Erotic Art Weekend.

The donor wishes to remain anonymous, and we respect his wish – but I want everyone to know how much we at the Foundation appreciate his generosity.

In addition to those who have financially supported the Foundation, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to artists who have donated works, either for the permanent collection or those designated as fundraisers. Many of these works are exciting, and we plan to put out a special edition of the Erotic Gallery By Mail devoted to them – I'm sure you will find them as worthy as we do, and will want to bid on them.

We thank donating artists Michael Kirwan , Karin Swildens, Skeith DeWine, EMA Photography, Manflesh, Vincent Nixon, Thien Tran, Billy Marx, Karl Jereske, William Rockwell, Slapper, Michael Angel, Alexander Saltykov, D. Robeski Lee, Palriu Rizza, Claudio Tessrari, Garilyn Brune, Robert Timberlake, Jay Jorgensen, Marquis, Norman Deign... and many others.

A startling transgender image by Garilyn Brune (L), One of the winners from the 1997 Emerging Erotic Artist Contest by A. Saltykov and a controversial image by Claudio Tessari

It is the generosity and support from you, and all those to come, that allows the Foundation to continue to expand and support erotic art and artists.

- Durk Dehner

This year's Foundation Banquet, to be held on October 14 as part of the Erotic Art Weekend, will be a very special event, as two new annual awards will be presented for the very first time.

The Foundation will bestow its first Lifetime Achievement Award on Hugh Hefner. This award will be given each year to a person chosen from the fields of journalism, literature, or academia, who has significantly changed Americans' attitudes toward erotica.

Mr. Hefner began to make his mark in the 1950s, as did Tom of Finland. As Playboy gradually made erotica respectable, artists such as Tom were able to move more into the mainstream. Without Mr. Hefner's trailblazing efforts, erotic art and its practitioners, such as Tom, would still be mired in the dark ages, and events such as the Erotic Art Weekend would simply not be possible.

The other highlight of the Banquet will be the induction of our founder, Tom of Finland, into the newly-created Erotic Artist Hall of Fame. Each year, one artist whose body of work has contributed significantly to the field, will be chosen for this honor.

Tom (1920-1991) was arguably the most influential erotic artist of the 20th century, and his fame continues to grow almost ten years after his death. We felt it only fitting that this man, who not only created so many memorable images, but who also fought for respect for erotic art and artists, be the first member of the Hall of Fame.

Artist and former Foundation Board member F. Valentine Hooven, author of the book The Life and Times of Tom of Finland, will make the presentation. The Award will be accepted on Tom's behalf by Durk Dehner, co-founder with Tom of the Foundation, and currently its president.

Seating at the Banquet is limited, and reservations and pre-payment are required. For further information, contact the Foundation at 213-250-1685.