History of the Foundation

The Orange Alternative Foundation has existed since July 2007. Its founders and members of the Board of Directors are: the creator and leader of the Orange Alternative movement, Waldemar "Major" Fydrych (President) and a sinologist Agnieszka Couderq (Vice-President), who holds a master degree in Chinese Studies of the University of Warsaw. One of the Foundation`s main goals has been to collect, preserve, describe and promote the history and heritage of the Polish legendary artistic and opposition movement from the 1980`s, that is worldwide known as the "Orange Alternative". Its other goals include among others: international artistic and cultural exchange, promoting art and artists, preserving natural environment and animal welfare.

From the beginning the headquarters of the Foundation have been located at the following address: ul. Nizinna 12 m 18, 04-362 Warszawa. The Foundation has engaged on a limited scale in business operations, for example it has run a publishing house. All the profits have been used to support the realization of its statutory goals. For example the Foundation published among others the 2nd Polish edition of the iconic "Lives of the Orange Men" , a book written by Waldemar "Major" Fydrych about the history of his movement, a photo album "The Orange Alternative - Revolution of Dwarfs" containing a selection of archive photos from happenings, and "Dwarfs and Dimwits" which is Waldemar "Major" Fydrych’s account of his immigration experience in Paris,

Over the period of its existence the Foundation has often cooperated with public institutions, including Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, National Audiovisual Institute NINA and National Center for Culture, while executing projects and reporting on time to account for all public monies received for such activities.

For example, the Foundation executed among others the following projects:

1. participation in the official commemoration of the fall of communism in 2009 as part of the government program managed by the European Solidarity Center in Gdańsk, including preparing street exhibits in Poland and abroad
2. digitalization of archive materials and putting in place the web Museum of the Orange Alternative
3. organization of events such as expositions, projection of films etc. within the framework of the official program "Promise - Polish EU Presidency" in 2011

In addition the Foundation has been regularly assisting other Polish and foreign institutions in preparation of expositions about the Orange Alternative, among others in 2009 with Lincoln Library in New York within the framework of the  "Revolutionary Voices from Central and Eastern Europe" exhibit, in 2011 with International Cultural Center in Kraków during preparation of the "Happening against Communism by the Orange Alternative " exhibition, in 2014 with Mairie of the 3rd District in Paris and the organizers of YIA Contemporary Art Fair in preparation of an exposition called "Waldemar ‘Major’ Fydrych – dialectic art of grand social forms." It also assisted Viktoria and Albert Museum in London by furnishing information and objects for the "Disobedient Objects" exhibit in 2014-2015. In 2017 the Foundation cooperated with University of Zurich in the preparation of the "Sturm auf Winterpalast" which was later presented in Zurich, Dortmund and Łódź (Poland).