Alphawood Foundation Chicago announced this week a gift to SOAS University of London of over $2.2 million to support the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art program, with a focus on expanding opportunities for students from Southeast Asia.

The major gift will also expand access to art history education at SOAS by driving forward an online version of the Asian Art Postgraduate Diploma.

The gift renews a scholarships program providing transformative opportunities in art history to students from Southeast Asia. To date, the Alphawood-funded scholarship program has served over 100 students from the region. The renewed scholarship program will support students from Southeast Asia studying the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art and master’s degrees in the History of Art and Archaeology, exploring ancient to pre-modern Buddhist and Hindu art and archaeology in Southeast Asia.

The SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art leads students on a journey of object-based study through lectures and contributions from a wide range of leading scholars, curators, and art market professionals. The program is supported by a formal association with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, with a regular program of curator-led in person visits to the galleries and reserve collections in the museums.

Postgraduate Diploma graduates have gone on to careers in prestigious museums, galleries and cultural institutions around the world, while established students have taken the diploma to embark on career changes or for personal enrichment.

Alphawood Foundation Chicago has a long history of supporting art history education at SOAS. Alphawood’s founder, Fred Eychaner, participated in the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art program in 2009. In 2013, Alphawood made a gift of £20m to SOAS, which has funded over 100 scholarships for students from Southeast Asia and endowed three teaching positions. The vast majority of Alphawood Scholars have returned to Southeast Asia to contribute to scholarship and institutions in the region. Eychaner’s support for the arts was recognized by President Biden in 2023 when he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Professor Adam Habib, SOAS Director, said: “We thank Alphawood for this very generous gift. With their support we will bring the transformative power of art education to students from Southeast Asia who might otherwise be excluded. This support will drive forward the digitization of our Southeast Asian art courses, opening the door to more students by lowering the cost of entry and enhancing human capabilities in the region.”

Chirag Badlani, Executive Director of Alphawood Foundation Chicago, said: “Alphawood is immensely proud of the network of Alphawood Scholars in Southeast Asia who have utilized their education at SOAS to build bridges among institutions to further the study and conservation of Southeast Asian art. We are pleased to support the expansion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art to further increase access to SOAS’s programs and enhance its offerings to students in the region.”