How three gifts have 'transformed' the Johnson Museum

When the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art threatened to burst at its I.M. Pei-designed seams, Presidential Councillors Susan Eckert Lynch and Bob Appel '53 and wife Helen '55 stepped forward with gifts: Lynch with $1.5 million and the Appels with $1 million, to support construction of the museum's new wing. The new wing will add 16,000 square feet of vitally needed space for performances, lectures, films and storage.

Elsewhere at the Johnson, a need was identified to name the curator of prints, drawings and photographs. Trustee Ira Drukier '66 and wife Gale stepped forward with a gift of $1 million.

"These three gifts transform the ability of the museum to fulfill our mission of education and research," said Frank Robinson, the Richard J. Schwartz Director of the Johnson Museum. "The naming of positions and spaces in a museum is one of the most exciting ways to help create the future of the arts. We are deeply grateful to these wonderful friends of the institution."

In honor of its supporters, the Johnson Museum has named its sixth-floor conference room the Lynch Conference Room and its lobby the Helen and Robert Appel Lobby.

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