STEPHEN IRONSIDE
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, has received $15 million from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. The gift will go toward the creation of the Windgate Educational Excellence through the Arts Endowed Fund.
Crystal Bridges, which was opened in 2011 by Walmart heiress Alice Walton, will use the money to beef up its education initiatives. The museum announced today that it has already looked into ways that it can engage with 20 local schools, with the aim of offering children in the area the chance to see American art.
“The Windgate Foundation has been visionary in advancing education through the arts,” said Rod Bigelow, the executive director, chief diversity, and inclusion officer at Crystal Bridges, said in a statement. “We are honored to receive this generous gift that allows us to address learning outcomes through innovative approaches. This fund is precedent-setting in drawing upon art museums’ unique resources as a catalyst for change.”