During the 2011 Steve Chase gala, the husband-and-husband team of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard happily surprised everyone by donating more than $50,000 as a challenge to audience members to “Fund-A-Need” for the many HIV medical and social services offered by Desert AIDS Project. This wasn’t the first time David and Glenn demonstrated generosity to D.A.P. They originated the Platinum category of the Partners for Life annual giving program in 2004 – with a gift of $25,000 from the Brautigam/Kaplan Foundation. The Foundation was established by David to fund both the arts and AIDS-related causes in honor of his first partner, Richard Brautigam, who died of AIDS complications in 1989.
After growing up in New York and earning a BS in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, David’s credentials from San Francisco State University led him to teaching positions in schools in the Bay Area. Living in San Francisco for 35 years, David ran a successful international manufacturing company and served on the boards of the San Francisco Art Institute, Shanti Project, Names Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt, and is currently a board member emeritus of the San Francisco Ballet. After moving to Palm Springs, David was a board member of Desert AIDS Project during some of its earliest years. Currently, David is a board member of the Pilchuck Glass School, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and the Brautigam/Kaplan Foundation.
Glenn graduated with a BA in Fine Arts, focusing on art history and painting, from Montclair State University. After graduation, he helped develop a graduate intern program at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, now called the Museum of Arts and Design. In 1975 he became the personal aide to the great American dancer Martha Graham, traveling internationally with her dance company. At Miss Graham’s suggestion, Glenn begin experimenting with three-dimensional forms, leading to the development of his pillow sculptures. While maintaining an art career, Glenn also worked for a brokerage firm in Los Angeles for 20 years. Glenn has exhibited his paintings and sculpture in New York, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Palm Desert. His work is in many private and corporate collections. He is represented by Austin Art Projects in Palm Desert.
Together, David and Glenn are among the Founding Benefactors of the Kaplan-Ostergaard Glass Center at the Palm Springs Art Museum. In addition to their participation at the Museum, they have established a lending program from their personal glass collection, which comprises over 240 works, representing over 80 internationally-recognized glass artists.