Guggenheim receives $15M gift for arts education programs

Photo: David M. Heald © The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

NEW YORK — On July 20, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum announced that Gail and Alfred Engelberg and the Engelberg Foundation have committed $15 million to endow the museum’s arts education programs.

Gail May Engelberg is a member of the Guggenheim’s Board of Trustees and the chair of the Education Committee of the Guggenheim Foundation. She has been a major supporter and advocate for arts education at the Guggenheim for a quarter of a century and previously endowed the position of deputy director of education.

In recognition of this new gift, the Guggenheim Museum’s education space will be named the Gail May Engelberg Center for Arts Education. The 8,200-square-foot center includes classrooms, studio art spaces and a theater and furthers the Guggenheim’s mission of offering learning opportunities for community members, museum visitors and students to build engagement with and connection to the arts and each other.

Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, commented, “We are honored that the Guggenheim’s education center will bear the name of Gail May Engelberg, who has been one of the most ardent leaders of arts education at the Guggenheim for the last 25 years. Gail’s support and advocacy are truly exemplary and have enabled the Guggenheim to create dynamic and meaningful programming.”

“My parents taught me the importance of the arts and arts education when I was a young girl and brought me to New York to visit the Guggenheim,” Engelberg said. “The arts have been an essential part of my life ever since. It is an honor to support the work of this great museum in providing educational opportunities that I know will enrich the lives of children, students and families for generations to come.”