The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, (MFA) recently completed a capital campaign of unprecedented size, raising $504 million in contributions from over 25,000 donors.
The Building the New MFA Campaign, which began in July 2001 and ran for seven years, is the largest in history for a cultural institution in Boston, according to an MFA press release. The capital will be put toward the construction of a new, 50,000-square-foot American Wing focused on U.S. artists, as well as toward increasing the available space for contemporary art at the MFA.
The School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) and its students welcome the changes at the MFA because they represent a changing artistic focus. The museum is updating its exhibits in an attempt to appeal to a younger and wider audience. "We're going to be able to offer to local artists and students an entire wing devoted to contemporary art and artists from around the world ... We're also opening next week a new gallery dedicated to photography," Kelly Gifford, the museum's public relations manager, told the Daily.
Gifford hopes this increased appeal will reach not only students at the SMFA, which offers a double-degree program with Tufts, but also Boston's college-age population at large. Newer styles like contemporary art and photography "are the things that resonate with students and the younger demographic in the city, and we'll be able to offer more of that. We hope that that galvanizes the interest of the large body of college students in the city," she said.
Given the capital campaign's ambitious goal, its success is especially noteworthy in light of the economic downturn, which currently threatens many similar ongoing campaigns, including those of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston College.
The MFA's campaign benefited from fortunate timing, according to Gifford. "We didn't notice an impact [from the economic crisis] because the campaign officially ended in June 2008,"she said. Major fundraising operations concluded at that time, and the MFA announced the $504 million total in September, just as the crisis was beginning to have a serious effect on the economy.
Gifford added that the MFA enjoys a strong base of economic support. "Even in times of crisis, we are fortunate to have donors who are very philanthropic and who come and support those institutions that they feel are important," she said.
The MFA is one of the largest private museums in the United States, and unlike some institutions, it does not receive a great deal of funding from the city, state or federal governments, according to Gifford. This lack of public funds increased the importance of the $500 million campaign, which will be applied not only toward financing the new construction, but also toward endowment and operations costs.
Over 25,000 donors contributed to the campaign, including 6,680 first-time givers to the Museum. While some of those gifts ranged in the millions, many donors gave in small amounts -- "maybe $50 or a $100," Gifford said. She attributed much of the success of the campaign to this grass-roots nature.
The $504 million will be used toward several construction projects, primarily the new American Wing, and the glass-enclosed Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard. The West Wing of the museum, which is currently home to the Graham Gund Gallery for temporary exhibitions, as well as the museum bookstore, will be transformed into a dedicated space for contemporary art and renamed the Linde Family Wing.
At the SMFA, anticipation of the impending transformation runs high. "Everyone here is really excited about the increased focus on contemporary art over at the museum," SMFA Press Coordinator Brooke Witkowski told the Daily. "I think that the school's community of artists is really looking forward to it," she said.
"We're all interested in the work going on across the street, and [the new wing] will certainly be a great addition to everything we're doing here at the SMFA," Witkowski said.
The SMFA will benefit from the capital campaign in several ways. The SMFA is included with the museum in terms of endowment and general operations, divisions in which some of the capital campaign funds will be devoted. No construction or renovation to the school is currently planned.
The Museum's Building Project, including the American Wing and the transformation of the Linde Family Wing, is expected to be completed late in 2010.
