By Noa Maltzman ’18, News Editor
Last Thursday Feb. 12 it was announced that the Skidmore College Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery received a one million dollar grant from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. This grant will support the expansion of the museum’s programing and will help to build the Tang’s endowment.
Considered a “challenge” grant, it’s “a challenge to other donors to match the grant and create a two million dollar endowment,” said Ian Berry, Dayton Director at the Tang museum.
“The Tang’s interdisciplinary approach, which has become a model for university art museums across the nation, will be strengthened by the Tisch Illumination Fund grant,” said a press release for the grant that can be found here. “We are grateful to the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund for their continued support and for their recognition of our work, fostering meaningful exchange and dialogue in our community, and new ways of learning for our audiences here in Saratoga and beyond,” Berry says in the press release.
This is not the first time that The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund has given money to the Tang. In 2008, they also gave a 1.2 million dollar challenge grant. Money, such like these grants from the Laurie M. Tisch Fund is critical to the Tang as it helps to grow the museum’s endowment. “Our endowment is the solid base of support for the museum. It is the money we use each year to do everything we do at the Tang,” said Berry.
Laurie M. Tisch, President of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, says in the press release: “We are proud to expand our support of the Tang Teaching Museum.”