A $1 million donation made by a pair of William & Mary alumni – Patty and Carroll Owens, both 1962 graduates and members of the Muscarelle Museum of Art Foundation Board – will allow the Muscarelle Museum of Art to expand and add a new gallery for American Art.
The announcement of the expansion comes after the Board of Visitors’ recent approval of the museum’s construction and expansion project.
“The museum is a treasure that needs to grow. Over the last several years, it has experienced a remarkable increase in visitors and students and faculty are utilizing the museum’s experiential learning programs more and more,” Patty Owens said in a news release. “The space simply hasn’t kept up with the demand.”
This is not the first time the Owens family has stepped up to help fund Muscarelle projects. In the early 2000s, when the museum was facing severe budget cuts, they both led efforts to keep the museum from closing its doors by offering a three-year challenge grant.
Their efforts resulted in nearly $1 million raised for the museum, which was enough to keep the doors open and preserve its artwork.
Currently, the Muscarelle Museum of Art is aspiring to raise $60 million with its For the Bold fundraising campaign. The goal is to triple visitor spaces and galleries for collections and exhibitions, creating a teaching center for research and experiential and engaged learning as well as establishing a state-of-the-art auditorium.
