Museum Gift
Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum receives largest endowment in history
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art has been awarded an unprecedented endowment of $20 million from the Walton Family Foundation. This gift is the largest in the museum's history, and will be spread out over five years.
The gift honors Amon Carter’s longtime president of the board, Ruth Carter Stevenson (1923–2013). It will support future exhibition and education initiatives.
Patron of the arts and philanthropist Alice Walton has a personal connection to the museum, having served on its board of trustees from 2004 to 2015. Walton is currently chairman of the board of directors of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, and is on the board of the Walton Family Foundation.
Karen Hixon, Amon Carter board of trustees president and Stevenson's daughter, shares her remarks on this monumental contribution.
"Mother and Alice were great friends and shared an extraordinary love and knowledge of art — visionaries both," she says in a release. "Alice has been an important part of the Amon Carter and its board for many years. I am thankful for all she has taught me, and words cannot express my gratitude for this gift from the Walton Family Foundation in Mother’s honor."
As a result of the endowment, curators will be able to host and organize temporary exhibitions that foster new scholarship, are innovative in the field, or complement themes and artists present in the Amon Carter’s permanent collection.
Education staff will enhance programs for both students and teachers.
Executive director Andrew J. Walker expresses the museum's gratitude, stating that the endowment "allows us to expand our offerings beyond what our current operating budget provides, and to engage the community on a deeper level."
