The Dallas Museum of Art
The O’Donnell Foundation has pledged a $1.42 million gift to the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) for support of digital transformation initiatives at the Museum. As with many institutions at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, all the DMA’s programming shifted to online/virtual engagement when it closed on March 14. Beginning this fall, with a target conclusion date of winter 2022, the O’Donnell gift will go toward digitization, system upgrades and infrastructure improvements to enhance both online and on-site programs. The funds will also allow for the updating of the DMA’s website, which was last undertaken more than ten years ago. KC Hurst, the DMA’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, and Amir Tabei, Director of Information Technology and Digital Media, will oversee the project.
“This is a pivotal moment for the Museum, and we are deeply grateful to the O’Donnell Foundation for the generosity of this gift and for their support,” says Dr. Agustín Arteaga, the DMA’s Director. “During this unique time, the Museum finds itself adapting to a rapidly changing environment that includes telecommuting, teaching from home, and social distancing. Now more than ever, engaging with visitors online through modern, efficient means is essential to the ability to inspire individuals whose lives have been upended by this crisis and this period of immense stress. While people are still separated physically, the ability to connect virtually is critical to the DMA’s mission.”
Edith O’Donnell, left, and Peter O’Donnell, in 2013. Photo credit: Randy Anderson
Since 1952, when Edith O’Donnell became a DMA volunteer, the philanthropist and her husband Peter O’Donnell, have given to the Museum. In 2013 the O’Donnells and the O’Donnell Foundation gifted $9 million to the DMA in support of free general admission and digitization of the Museum’s entire permanent collection.
This new gift continues the process. Adds Arteaga: “The DMA firmly believes that strengthening its internal capacity to reach and serve a broad community through meaningful content and acquisition of visitor data is critical to confirming the Museum as an essential community resource and international cultural destination.”
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