Gifts That Shape Us

About this event

From the museum’s earliest days, gifts of art have shaped this institution and the permanent collection it stewards. More than half of the collection arrived through the generosity of artists, donors, and others who gifted important works or funds that have made key purchases possible. These acts of giving didn’t just add works; they defined the collection’s scope and vision.

Alice Bemis Taylor’s foundational gift of art from the Southwest grounded the FAC in this region. Meredith Sage Hare’s donation of American modernist paintings and sculptures set sights on the avant-garde. Subsequent gifts have continued this dual commitment—grounded in the Southwest, attentive to what’s new—while also broadening the FAC’s collecting scope. This exhibition brings together gifts from across the museum’s ninety-year history, from foundational donations to recent acquisitions that continue shaping the collection today.