The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has received a gift of more than $10m to bolster its art education department. The gift comes from the Stoneridge Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by the Baltimore-based philanthropists Amy and Marc Meadows, who are longtime patrons of the BMA and other US museums including the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
The director of the BMA, Asma Naeem, tells The Art Newspaper that the gift, which marks the largest single donation in the museum’s history, makes education not “an ancillary activity”, but rather part of the “heart of the work of what makes museums vital to cultural and civic society”. She adds: “On a broader level, this gift signals that education and philanthropic support for it do not just have to come through schools. Museums can also amplify education through their long-standing civic role.”
The gift will go toward several educational initiatives, benefitting students and families based in Baltimore and the surrounding area by supporting transportation for school visits and free family activities.The museum also plans to establish a two-year pass system that will allow some students to bring up to four people each to the museum for free.
A recent Teacher Workshop at the Baltimore Museum of Art Photo by Mitro Hood. Courtesy the Baltimore Museum of Art
The gift will support teaching apprenticeships for undergraduate students from nearby universities like the Maryland Institute College of Art and others, providing students with hands-on experience designing and teaching programmes that bridge theory with practical opportunities during a formative time in their own educations.
“Many students enter college not knowing exactly what they are going to be doing, and many have not even thought of museums as a potential career option,” Naeem says. “The [initiative] will introduce core principles of museum and education: inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, interdisciplinary exploration and reflection.”
In the coming months, the BMA will introduce a series of events exploring how museums can act as civic organisations and foster greater diversity in the field, bringing together artists and community members, especially youth and educators. In addition, the gift bequeaths funding to establish new positions for museum educators. The education department at the BMA currently spans 14 positions, making it “understaffed” and unequipped to “accommodate all the requests” it receives, according to Naeem.
Amy Meadows, Naeem adds, has been involved in the BMA since childhood. Her family acquired the first work in its collection from the museum, a piece by Andy Warhol that was part of a rental-and-purchase programme that the BMA (and many other American museums) formerly offered. Meadows still owns the work today.
“Amy and Marc are the gold standard of what art patrons should be: intellectually engaged and deeply understanding of how their philanthropy can be optimised,” Naeem says. “They are global art aficionados yet deeply humble and invested in the less flashy moments of the art world. Their commitment to art has both a moral compass and a soul. It’s not just about art and its beauty and history, but also how art connects to the city and enriches communities.”
Students pose with Auguste Rodin's The Thinker during a recent visit to the Baltimore Museum of Art Photo by Maximilian Franz. Courtesy the Baltimore Museum of Art
The gift complements the opening of the museum’s Patricia and Mark Joseph Education Center in 2023, reinforcing its commitment to education as a means to uplift the local community. Naeem, who has a background as a criminal prosecutor, says she has “seen the underbelly of humanity” and “seen firsthand how education, and specifically the arts, provide people with challenging upbringings a path toward a brighter future”.
“As museums face critical existential issues, from funding to the digital future, positioning the BMA as an educational hub is essential for its continued relevance,” Naeem says. “Creating meaningful connections to artwork isn’t all museums do—they also create meaningful relationships among visitors. It’s all part of a larger interconnected society we’re seeking to achieve.”
Last year the museum was visited by around 15,000 pupils, ranging from kindergarten to university students, and Naeem hopes to boost those numbers in the coming years.
