Hand in Hand: Honoring The Common Sense Fund
Meet this year’s Hand in Hand Honorees, the Common Sense Fund, a foundation that has been fueling access to clay for 15 years.
Each year at the Hand In Hand Annual Benefit & Auction, Clay Art Center honors people and organizations who have made a lasting impact on our clay community. At Hand in Hand 2026 we will honor the Common Sense Fund, a family foundation dedicated to both accessible arts education and environmental conservation that has been supporting Clay Art Center programs for 15 years. Founded in 1983, the Common Sense Fund is operated by Adlyn Loewenthal (Trustee and President), Ted Loewenthal (Trustee, Secretary, and Chair of Climate Change Committee), Eric Schwartz (Trustee and Treasurer), Debra Fram (Trustee and Chair of Arts Committee), David Schwartz (Trustee), and Carolyn Schwartz (Trustee) in honor of Sy and Sybil Schwartz. Their unwavering support of Clay Art Center has helped us to grow in so many ways, and you can learn more about the partnership and its significance below.
The Common Sense Fund began funding programming at Clay Art Center in 2011, beginning with clay classes for middle school and high school students. These classes formed the basis for the Around the World in Clay program, our free afterschool class for Port Chester public school students that explores the rich, worldwide history and culture of ceramics. The Common Sense Fund shared that, while the foundation awards grants to ensure arts access for under resourced communities of all ages, the board is especially committed to supporting children and their growth: “The Common Sense Fund Board strongly believes that the arts are inherently important, especially in the development of young people. When we were told that the kids in Port Chester don't receive arts programming in lower school and have limited programming in middle and high school, we were eager to supplement what little they were receiving.” That supplementation has continued for well over a decade, and Around the World in Clay has continued to expand, including the addition of elementary-aged students, thanks to the assistance of the Common Sense Fund.
Board Member Debra Fram also said that, beyond fulfilling the Common Sense Fund’s core mission to support the arts, partnering with Clay Art Center was personally fulfilling as well. “Eric and I saw what a difference working with clay made in our son Noah's life, when he was in elementary school,” she shared, “Not only because of the process of creating work and working with clay itself, but also through the interaction and mentoring that he got from his teachers. It gave him a place to feel special and a space to feel comfortable.” After seeing the influence clay classes had on their son, Debra and Eric were excited by the opportunity to give back, and to ensure other kids could have the same experience.
In addition to regular clay classes for youth students, the Common Sense Fund has also funded a number of other projects over the years. From annual field trips for the high school Around the World in Clay class to the Met, to the Save the Bees Mosaic Bench in the Port Chester Middle School’s Giving Garden, to supporting the recently-completed ADA accessible classroom, the Common Sense Fund has made so many meaningful contributions to Clay Art Center and our community. When we asked what the Common Sense Fund’s favorite project had been, they assured us that they have loved everything they’ve funded, and choosing would be next to impossible.
One program that did stand out to the board as especially moving was the 2015 Port Chester: Melting Pot(s) initiative. Led by artist, professor, and art activist Michael Strand in collaboration with Clay Art Center, this eight-month long project brought art and community building to organizations across the town. At workshops, Port Chester residents created “elbowls,” small ceramic vessels that captured the elbow and handprint of each maker. Strand brought the program to Port Chester High School as part of a Day for the Arts, which gave every student the opportunity to be an artist. “He gave a talk in the auditorium and then held workshops where all the kids made small bowls formed using their elbows,” the Common Sense Board recalled. “The talk was fantastic and the kids were incredibly engaged. It was a real highlight for them and a day they will always remember. And, the entire school had an opportunity to participate, so the reach of the project was huge.”
While it may have been difficult to pick just one favorite project they funded, when we asked if the folks at the Common Sense Fund had a favorite memory of Clay Art Center, the answer was immediate: the shows at the end of each semester of Around the World in Clay are something special. “We've been to several end-of-session presentations,” the board told us, “and it's been incredibly moving to see the joy in the students' beaming faces and their parents' pride when they showed their work and spoke about it. This is what comes to mind first, every single time Clay Art Center comes up for discussion.” Debra also added that, “On a personal note, I have such wonderful memories of picking Noah up from class, having him so proudly show me his work, watching him clean up and take responsibility for his space, and listening to the discussions he had with his teacher about what he did that day and what would follow. He found it difficult to feel engaged in school and it was such a joy to see him connected and thriving!” We are so thankful that our partnership with the Common Sense Fund has made so much creativity, joy, and pride possible over the last 15 years, and we are delighted to honor them at Hand In Hand.