The Open Circle Foundation supports those whose art celebrates the natural world and it traces its own genesis to such a marriage. In 1975, Dorothy C. Weicker purchased two sculptures by the Spanish artist Antonio Lopez Garcia. By the end of the 20th century, the two life-size nudes, “Hombre y Mujer,” had become important examples of Garcia's work and national treasures to Spain. Weicker arranged their sale to a Spanish petroleum company, which donated the sculptures to the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. The proceeds, in turn, funded Open Circle.

Over the past five years, Open Circle Foundation has awarded grants to schools, organizations, and individuals in the East Bay. With its great natural beauty, the Bay Area is a fertile ground for art based in nature, and Open Circle Foundation seeks to aid that tradition through its grants.