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Walton Foundation

Walton Foundation awards $10M grant to National Gallery of Art

John Wilmerding. Photo credit: Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University
John Wilmerding. Photo credit: Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University

 

WASHINGTON – The National Gallery of Art announced Friday a $10 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation to establish the John Wilmerding Fund for Education in American Art.

Named for the gallery’s retired curator and chairman, the John Wilmerding Fund will support programs with a broad focus on American art, celebrating Wilmerding’s contributions to the field. This grant coincides with the National Gallery of Art’s 75th anniversary in 2016.

“John is one of the nation’s pre-eminent American art scholars and was our senior curator of American art, and in 2004 he promised his renowned collection of 19th-century American paintings. The Wilmerding Fund will significantly strengthen the dallery’s efforts to engage our visitors and expand our reach to new audiences in educating them about this country’s rich artistic heritage,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “The Gallery extends its deep gratitude to Alice Walton and the Walton Family Foundation for this remarkable tribute to John Wilmerding and his distinguished service to the nation.”