Crystal Bridges receives $10 million from Walker Foundation for school visits


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The good news keeps coming for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Museum official announced this week that they have received a $10 million endowment from the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation to cover transportation, lunches, and pre-and-post visit educational materials for private and public school children.

“The Walker Foundation’s donation is a gift to schools all across the region,” said Don Bacigalupi, Crystal Bridges executive director. “Subsidies such as these allow us to further our mission of being accessible to even our youngest visitors. The Walker Foundation gift removes the financial barriers for schools and will allow the teachers and students to benefit from all that Crystal Bridges has to offer.”

The gift will go to support the museum’s Next Generation Fund, intended to address economic, social, and cultural barriers that prevent diverse audiences from participating in the arts.

Schools interested in participating in The Willard and Pat Walker School Visit Program may apply beginning in spring 2012.