PHOENIX, AZ.- Phoenix Art Museum announces a transformative $1 million grant from Men’s Arts Council (MAC), a non-profit member organization of Valley philanthropists dedicated to supporting the Museum’s community-outreach programs through annual giving. The unprecedented gift, the largest single gift in Men’s Arts Council’s 55+ year history, will directly benefit the Museum’s education efforts, fund technology updates in public gathering spaces, and create new access programs for the community, including free quarterly Family Days and free admission for Maricopa Community College District students.
“Phoenix Art Museum is truly honored by the profound generosity of Men’s Arts Council,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “This gift will empower the Museum to not only rebuild its public program offerings impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but increase access to visual arts and arts education for our community, removing economic barriers at a time when it is most crucial for Arizona families. We are incredibly fortunate to have benefited from their tireless support for much of the Museum’s nearly 65-year history, and this gift symbolizes their decades-long dedication to Phoenix Art Museum and the Greater Phoenix community.”
The $1 million grant, in addition to MAC’s generous annual giving, will support a number of key initiatives within the Museum that focus primarily on access, education and engagement, and technology infrastructure. To increase access to the Museum for more Arizona residents, MAC’s gift includes funding for quarterly Family Days, during which the Museum will open at no cost to families and feature artmaking workshops, guided tours, and other exciting events to make the galleries feel welcoming and accessible to Arizona families who may be visiting for the first time. MAC will also support the return of a historic Museum program that offered free admission to all Maricopa Community College District students, creating opportunities to integrate visual arts into college classroom curricula.
MAC’s gift will also support the new associate curator of education position, a role responsible for developing enriching arts-education programs for the public, including lectures, workshops, musical and dance performances, and more. Additionally, the gift will enable the Museum to bring back PhxArt Amplified, the Museum’s popular weekend music festival that featured a wide range of musicians performing throughout Museum galleries and public gathering spaces.
The $1 million grant will also include funding for key technology upgrades within public gathering spaces, focusing primarily on the Museum’s Singer Hall. This multipurpose space has been traditionally used for workshops for arts educators, arts lecture programs for Valley seniors, and many other Museum activities. The new technology upgrades will also enable the Museum to expand access to digital resources for visitors.
“For 55 years, the Men’s Arts Council has dedicated itself to providing Phoenix Art Museum with the resources it needs to perpetuate its mission of serving our community through expertly crafted exhibitions and thoughtful education,” said Joel Coen, president of Men’s Arts Council. “This year, it is our honor to commit this substantial donation to continue our ongoing relationship with the Museum and to support the arts in the Phoenix Metro Area as a whole.”
