According to the National Arts Index from Americans for the Arts, the recession has generally been unkind to the national arts sector.
Arts funding recently reached a 10-year low, and one in three arts institutions failed to even break even last year. More, the demand for arts education is increasing as many organizations have had to cut back on learning programs and set higher fees for visitors in order to keep their doors open.
In a moment when art institutions nationwide are struggling to stay afloat, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has made it a priority to maintain its free public admission. It has also preserved its unique educational programs that give children and adults museum-based education and exhibition space.
The Nelson-Atkins museum is a vital asset to the cultural life of Kansas City, and local patrons recently showed the board of directors their gratitude. To honor the museum’s 75th anniversary, lovers of the museum donated 400 masterworks, spanning cultures, chronologies, and media to its collection.
"This generous outpouring of community support reflects Kansas City’s thriving arts community. Many of us feel there is no way to fully express what the Nelson-Atkins and Marc Wilson have meant to Kansas City," said Henry Bloch, former chairman and honorary member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.
While the new works have enhanced the prominence of the museum as a regional art institution, the donations have also helped to give the Nelson-Atkins museum an important place in the international arts sector. It now boasts one of most important collections of Impressionist art with pieces by Monet, Manet, Pissaro, Van Gogh, and Cezanne.
"We are deeply honored that these passionate caretakers of art have chosen this moment to transfer guardianship of their treasures to the Nelson-Atkins," said Marc F. Wilson who is the Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. "With this, they recognize the legacy of the museum’s past 75 years and affirm confidence in its future."