About Us
The Hall Art and Technology Foundation is a personal dream of ours—to build a multi-layered project, devoted primarily to art, technology and education. Based on concepts that have percolated over our lifetime of leadership in business, science, and the arts, HATF promotes positive cultural change—in part, by continuing to collect and promote important artists who have been overlooked in major institutions. Due to the under-representation of women worldwide, women artists are a special focus of HATF, but the Foundation’s holdings include work by artists, students and innovators of all races and genders from around the world.
Marta Thoma Hall, Founder
Marta Thoma Hall is an American painter and sculptor based in the SF Bay Area and Kauai, HI. Hall graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in fine arts.
As a nationally recognized artist, she is known for her unique juxtaposition of imagery with a surreal bent. Her unusual installations of steel and glass can be viewed in cities and towns across the country. Her work has taken her to New York, London, South America, and Asia.
Hall has managed her own art business for 30 years. She previously served as President of Velodyne Acoustics LLC and Velodyne Lidar Inc., and founded the World Safety Summit for Autonomous Cars in 2017.
David Hall, Founder
David Hall is inventor and entrepreneur, founding Velodyne Acoustics in 1983 and Velodyne Lidar in 2020. As founder and CEO of Velodyne Lidar, he pioneered 3D lidar technology, a cornerstone of the autonomous vehicle industry. He first patented a LiDAR sensor in 2006 as part of a race for autonomous vehicles sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, helping spark advancements in self-driving technology.
David Hall is currently founding a new technology company, Shoot the Moon, which aims to revolutionize space exploration. His innovative propulsion system utilizes magnets to reduce the fuel and materials consumed by today’s rocket technologies.
Our mission
The Hall Technology & Art Foundation (HATF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in the historic Stone Boatyard in Alameda, California. It is an evolving legacy project from the minds of Marta Thoma Hall and David Hall dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of creators and inventors by intersecting the worlds of art and science. Through partnerships, art exhibitions and events, HATF is committed to empowering creativity, elevating historically overlooked groups, and strengthening communities around the world to drive cultural and environmental progress.
The vision
HATF seeks a culturally rich, soulful, and healthy existence for all. HATF envisions a world where education, gender and racial equality, environmental stewardship, and creative expression is accessible to all. By amplifying the voices of groups long excluded from the realms of art, science, and technology, HATF strives to lead the way toward a more socially just and environmentally healthy world.
The action plan
HATF champions gender parity in leadership and the arts, aiming for 50% inclusion of women in decision-making roles. We aim to support women as visionaries, thought-leaders, and innovators in art, science, and technology and act as an advocate for the expansion of the art canon to include historically overlooked women artists, curators, and creators. HATF recognizes feminism as a tool for social progress and economic prosperity, reinforcing the link between gender equality and societal advancement.
HATF promotes racial and gender diversity in the arts and technology sectors. We aim to do our part in amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups by providing exhibition opportunities, funding, and partnerships and striving to close the opportunity gap by expanding access to education, mentorship, and career advancement.
HATF is working to integrate art, science, and technology to address pressing environmental challenges. We plan to continue hosting exhibitions and events that raise awareness of climate change and sustainability and set an example for responsible stewardship of the earth through creative projects and education. We are committed to reducing its own environmental footprint, including sustainable practices in exhibitions and operations.
HATF is slated to support various groups offering artistic, cultural, environmental, and scientific education that inspires our future creators and leaders. We will continue to foster our partnerships with schools and institutions to expand STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education, and contribute to exhibitions, events, and publications that foster learning and critical discourse to ensure that education is accessible, particularly for historically underrepresented groups in the arts and sciences.
Speaker Inquiries
Get in touch:
hallartandtechnologyfoundation@gmail.com
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