Alpert Awards in the Arts

The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts was established in the 1994 by The Herb Alpert Foundation in collaboration with the California Institute of the Arts. The Herb Alpert Foundation, which included then-present Kip Cohen, and benefactors Herbert and Lani Alpert, approached then-CalArts president Steven Lavine with the proposition of providing opportunities for young artists studying at the institute to engage with current American artists. By facilitating this forum for student artists, it would provide them with the best possible professional training. CalArts previously established a relationship with Herb Alpert from his support of the jazz program at the School of Music.