The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia has received a $2 million gift from the J. Sanford Miller family to endow the directorship of the Fralin Museum of Art. The Bicentennial Professors Fund, a $75 million initiative launched last December, will match the gift with $1 million.

“The Fralin Museum of Art is central to the educational mission and values of inclusion and excellence of this great public university,” J. Sanford Miller said. “The arts are essential to translate and humanize our shared experience in an increasingly technology-based society. Through this gift, we aim to support in perpetuity the leadership of The Fralin and their goal to foster meaningful engagement with the arts and culture for all students and visitors.”

Miller, an alumnus of UVA’s College of Arts and Sciences, is a general partner at Institutional Venture Partners in Menlo Park, California, where he focuses on later-stage technology venture capital. He is a member of the Fralin’s advisory board, as well as a member and former chair of UVA’s arts council. Miller and his wife, Vinie, are also avid collectors of Chinese ink paintings.

“The Miller family’s endowed directorship will have a powerful impact on the arts experience at the University of Virginia for generations to come,” Jody Kielbasa, vice provost for the arts at UVA, said. “The Fralin is poised to become an even more vibrant voice on grounds and in the global conversation around the arts, and we profoundly thank the Millers for their generous support of this important endeavor.”

Matthew McLendon, a scholar and curator of modern and contemporary art, currently serves as the director and chief curator of the Fralin. He began his tenure at the museum in January 2017.