WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (AP) – The Clark Art Institute has received a $15 million gift from two longtime supporters.

The gift from Felda and Dena Hardymon announced Thursday is one of the largest donations in the Williamstown art museum’s history. The Hardymons, residents of Berkshire County and Cambridge, have watched the Clark’s evolution over the last two decades.

The gift will support Clark’s campus expansion program and ongoing activities. The Board of Trustees also voted to name the director’s position in recognition of the Hardymon’s generosity.

Dena Hardymon said in a statement that he wants the donation to reinforce Clark’s place as a “21st century institution of global stature.”

The Clark, opened in 1955, houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography.

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