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Thousands of people each year enjoy our inspiring exhibitions, our growing permanent collection, and our exciting roster of programming for children and adults.  Become a Member, and join them in experiencing all of the museum's exhibits and programs to the fullest.

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Imagine you are a person who has not yet found a place for art in your life. Do you know where to go see it in our city? Have you discovered downtown Fort Wayne? And when you do drive downtown, do you choose to visit the museum? Will you feel at home in our museum's soaring galleries, enveloped by the atmosphere that many first-time visitors find intimidating?

I can think of two moments in the past year when I watched the discovery of our museum take hold in the lives of two first-time visitors. The first was last Spring, when we invited poets from the community to interpret the exhibition Infinite Mirror: Images of American Identity through verse inspired by the exhibition. One poet in particular, a sixteen year old young woman, stands out in my memory. As she stood to read, she said, "I have only been to a museum twice in my life. The first was this week when I chose my artwork to write about, and the second is tonight." She then delivered an original poem that beautifully intertwined the art surrounding us and what she spoke. 

And just last Fall, I joined the Day of the Dead celebration that brought 1,000 people to the museum to celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday that honors loved ones and the lives they led. An older man had come for the event, but as he stood listening to the spirited traditional music, he pressed his face against the gallery doors, eyes wide at the Contemporary Realism exhibition. He looked at me and said, "Can I go in there?" I felt lucky showing him our galleries for the first time, yet I asked myself why it was only his first time.

For you and I, the experience of art is part of our lives. But for so many others it is an entirely new and potentially transformative encounter. Help us continue to share the experience of our Museum with more people in our community and help enrich their lives.  Your gift to the Museum's Annual Appeal is an investment in our community. Please give what you can, and know it will make a difference.

With Gratitude,

Charles A. Shepard III, Executive Director

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art values its relationships with individuals, businesses, corporations, and foundations in the region. Through a variety of meaningful partnerships, the Museum has been able to present hundreds of programs and exhibitions to thousands of people in the Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio region.

Sponsoring one of the many FWMoA programs, events, or exhibits can also inspire deeper engagement with many diverse types of audiences that experience museum programming. To learn more about the many sponsorship opportunities through the museum, contact Wayne Hall at waynehall@fwmoa.org , or 260.422.6467. 

In 2012, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art was able to contribute significantly to the cultural life of our community through the generous support of many sponsors, including:

Leave a legacy for art

Members and friends may support The Fort Wayne Museum of Art in a number of ways beyond gifts made in their lifetime. This type of giving to the museum leaves a lasting impression on an organization near to you, and forever links your good name to the efforts of visual art advancement in Northeast Indiana.

A vast range of giving opportunities are available  from outright gifts of cash and securities to life income gifts and sophisticated estate-planning vehicles that have favorable financial and tax benefits.

The term "planned giving" refers to any major gift that involves financial or estate planning. Such gifts can provide important benefits both to you and to the Museum. The different types of planned gifts include bequests, life income plans (charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts), charitable lead trusts, gifts of life insurance policies, and gifts of tangible property, including art.

Planned giving is an impactful way of playing a role in the museum's long term vitality as the leading contributor to the visual arts in Northeast Indiana. The staff of the Museum Dvelopment Office can work with you and your advisers to structure a gift that best fulfills your charitable goals.

To learn more about the planned giving opportunities available to you, contact Wayne Hall at 260.422.6467, or email waynehall@fwmoa.org . 

Give to the collection, and give to the future

Each year, the Fill the Frame Fund helps us acquire new art, host new exhibits, and make the Museum's Collections more accessible to the community.

The Museum's permanent collection is a record of our time, visual artifacts reflecting our people's greatest achievements in vision, craft, and creativity. The objects held in the public trust are housed safely in the museum, each work carefully cared for and preserved for the benefit our community. In essence, the collections held at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art belong to the people of our community, and with your support, they will grow in size and scope for generations to come.

To give to this unique fund, start with the link to your right, or contact Wayne Hall at 260.422.6467 or waynehall@fwmoa.org.

Overbeck Pottery, Jeanette Pasin Sloan; Nicholas Roosevelt, Samuel Williamson silver