MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM RECEIVES GIFT OF $8 MILLION TO ENDOW NEW DIRECTORSHIP

According to Mary Louise Schumacher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, longtime donors, Donna and Donald Baumgartner, have gifted the Milwaukee Art Museum $8 million. The funds will add to the museum’s $50-million endowment. The Baumgartners’s donation will support the museum’s search for a new director. Its current director, Dan Keegan, is stepping down this week after leading the institution for seven years.

“We’ve been so inspired by Dan Keegan’s leadership and vision for the future, in particular his passion for securing the viability of the museum for generations to come,” Donna Baumgartner said. “We wanted to carry on his legacy and keep the momentum going.”

Donald Baumgartner is a trustee of the museum and a former board president. He has also served on the committee that selected architect Santiago Calatrava for a previous expansion project at the museum, which opened in 2001.