FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Springfield, MO. (November 4, 2022) – The Springfield Art Museum announced $800,000 in new commitments to its 2028 Campaign at a Ribbon Cutting Day on Saturday, October 15. These new gifts join earlier lead gifts of support from the City of Springfield and the Sunderland Foundation. The ribbon cutting celebrated substantial completion of several grounds projects critical to the 2028 Campaign. The Museum’s Fassnight Creek Naturalization Project was recently named the 2022 Project of the Year by the Missouri Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) in the $1 million to $3 million project category.
Museum Director Nick Nelson announced the following gifts to the 2028 Campaign:
-$500,000 from the Hatch Foundation to name the Museum’s Amphitheater lawn (The Hatch Foundation Lawn)
-$100,000 from Tom and Kim Prater, 2028 Campaign Co-Chairs
-$100,000 from Johnny and Jeanie Morris to name a pedestrian footbridge (The Johnny and Jeanie Morris Footbridge)
-$100,000 from an anonymous donor
“These commitments come at a vital time,” said Museum Director Nick Nelson. “As we celebrate the public and private investments that have allowed completion of our site plan projects to date, we now turn our attention to the critical building work that will transform our facility’s ability to serve and educate a 21st century audience. We are so thankful for the generosity of these donors, who continue to propel our campaign forward with their philanthropy.”
“The Museum’s 2028 Campaign is going to make such a positive impact on our community,” said Hatch Foundation Executive Director Erin Danastasio. “The Hatch Foundation chose to specifically support the outdoor portion of the campaign because we believe in the importance that both the arts and the outdoors have on one’s quality of life. Our mission is to build a better sense of community, and we believe that this space will do just that.”
Potential donors who are interested in learning more about the 2028 Campaign, including how their gift can qualify for tax credits from the Missouri Development Finance Board (MDFB), should contact Kate Francis, Museum Affairs Officer for Fundraising and Development at 417-874-2865 or kate.francis@springfieldmo.gov. The Springfield Art Museum is located at 1111 East Brookside Drive. Admission is always free. Donations are gratefully accepted.
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The Springfield Art Museum is Springfield, Missouri’s oldest cultural institution, founded in 1928. A department of the City of Springfield, the Museum invites you to connect with the world, your community, and yourself through active engagement with art objects. For more information, please visit www.sgfmuseum.org or contact Joshua Best, Museum Affairs Officer at (417) 874-2859 or jbest@springfieldmo.gov.
The Springfield Art Museum’s 2028 Campaign is an ambitious, transformational plan to create a modern museum ready to serve the region for its second century. The Campaign is spearheaded by a $5 million lead private gift from the Sunderland Foundation of Overland Park, KS with more than $5 million in public support from the City of Springfield. The original site plan that inspired and launched the 2028 Campaign was made possible by a generous gift of support from the Juanita “Kaye” Foster-Gibson Family.