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Support the Blanton

Support Us

Annual Fund

WHAT IS THE ANNUAL FUND?
This end-of-year fundraising campaign provides critical funding for the Blanton. Each year, we select an area that needs your support  – it might be a specific exhibition, educational programs, or some other initiative that supports the museum’s mission. Your collective generosity enables the Blanton to sustain the excellence that the community has come to enjoy and expect.

WHAT DOES THIS YEAR’S FUND SUPPORT?
In 2023, we invite you to join us in supporting day-to-day operations and community programs, keeping the museum accessible for everyone from schoolchildren to young professionals to seniors.

HOW WILL MY DONATION HELP?
Your contribution will help pay for things like bus transportation and admission for area students. Fees for artists and musicians. Printed maps and guides. Salaries for the gallery assistants who keep our visitors and works of art safe. Even the painting, lighting, and cleaning of the museum galleries. By contributing to the Blanton’s annual fund, you’ll also help build upon what the museum has already accomplished, like the creation of a new Latino art program, development of digital learning resources, and the presentation of innovative exhibitions like If the Sky Were Orange: Art in the Time of Climate Change.

We hope you’ll give to the annual fund and support these essentials. Or, as we like to say, “put your petals up!” for the museum.

IS MY DONATION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE?
Yes, and your tax-deductible contribution in any amount is greatly appreciated.

Ways to Support

We Need Art—and You

Gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations directly impact the Blanton. From collection research and planning new exhibitions to developing innovative programs for the public and inspiring educational resources for students, we are committed to connecting our diverse audiences with art and bringing joy, inspiration, and learning to their lives. Your generous contributions have and will continue to support the important role we play across campus, our community, and beyond.

Please explore the various ways you can make a meaningful contribution to the Blanton:

In addition, making an unrestricted gift is very impactful and will help support the museum’s mission and areas of greatest need, including our team and programs.

Our team is happy to speak with you to help identify museum needs that resonate with your personal philanthropic passions. Email us at development@blantonmuseum.org.

The Blanton’s Major Gift Circles

The Blanton’s Major Gift Circles recognize philanthropic supporters giving $10,000 or more annually who provide vital funding for the museum, from exhibitions to education programs, and from publications to collection care. These donors are also invited to engage with the Blanton through special programming, events, and other opportunities. Please click here to learn more about Major Gift Circles at the Blanton, and click here to make your gift today.

We are grateful to acknowledge our Major Gift Circle donors who supported the Blanton between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020 HERE.

Fundraising Events

Fundraising events provide an opportunity for individuals and corporations to support the Blanton while being part of major art world gatherings that are some of Austin’s best and most memorable moments. The biennial Blanton Gala is the museum’s largest fundraising event and was last held on Saturday, April 29, 2023. For more information, visit the Fundraising Events page, or contact Sarah Burleson, Assistant Director, Donor Engagement and Events, at 512.475.6013 or sarah.burleson@blantonmuseum.org.

Corporate Sponsorship

A range of corporate sponsorship opportunities are available for exhibitions, educational outreach, and other programs that help define the Blanton as a cultural pillar of Austin. The Blanton can tailor a sponsorship package to meet your company’s marketing and community impact goals. Popular events like the Blanton Block Party and the biennial Blanton Gala also offer sponsors brand recognition, special museum access, and more.

To begin a conversation about partnership with the museum, please contact: Dawn Hewitt at dawn.hewitt@blantonmuseum.org.

Gift Planning

Calling all art lovers! Including the Blanton in your estate plans is an important investment in the museum’s future and its commitment to excellence. Art is a gift to the world and your future gift can provide unrestricted financial support for the museum or strengthen a specific area of interest, such as exhibitions, acquisitions and collection care, or education. Every time you visit the Blanton, you experience the impact of planned gifts made decades ago. Every schoolchild who walks through the museum’s doors is learning thanks to the generosity of past patrons.

Click here to read a message from museum director Simone J. Wicha about the importance of planned giving.

As part of The University of Texas at Austin, planned gifts to the Blanton may be made through a range of options that can maximize benefits to you, your loved ones, and the museum. This summary provides an overview of the many ways you can ensure a thriving future for the Blanton and meet your own financial goals.

Mari and James A. Michener Society

In honor of its namesakes, the Mari and James A. Michener Society recognizes donors who have provided for the Blanton through a planned gift or made a provision for the museum in their estate plans. Through their thoughtful generosity and foresight, these supporters play an important role in helping the museum reach new heights and have a lasting impact on generations of future students and visitors. Planned gift donors to the Blanton also are welcomed into the Texas Leadership Society at the university.

Please see this Michener Society overview for more details, including a listing of our current members.

Contact

To make a gift by check to the Blanton, please mail your contribution to: Texas Development, The University of Texas at Austin, PO Box 7458, Austin, TX 78713 with a note indicating the gift is for the Blanton.

For information on gifting works of art, see this webpage.

For more information on supporting the Blanton, please email development@blantonmuseum.org or call us at 512.232.7516

Feature Image Credit

A scene from a performance of Casta, produced by Salvage Vanguard Theater in conjunction with our exhibition Painted Cloth: Fashion and Ritual in Colonial Latin America. Photo by Amanda J. Steinback.

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