WVU TODAY
Morgantown is an arts community on the rise, and a recent gift from two WVU alumni is adding to that momentum.
A $1.5 million fundraising effort by West Virginia University’s College of Creative Arts will make the Art Museum of WVU the home for the world’s premier collection of works by renowned American modernist and Mountain State native Blanche Lazzell.
The effort is gaining steam thanks to a $250,000 gift from dedicated WVU alumni Alison H. and Patrick D. Deem, of Bridgeport. Their gift complements a recent $50,000 gift from George Lilley to support new acquisitions at the Art Museum of WVU.
“As founding donors, Pat and Alison Deem have understood the vision and mission of the Art Museum of WVU since day one,” College of Creative Arts Dean H. Keith Jackson said. “Their support of this very important Blanche Lazzell acquisition — which will firmly establish the art museum as the institution for the study and presentation of her work anywhere in the world — is further testament to their commitment to the role the Art Museum of WVU serves on our campus, in our community and region. We can’t thank Pat and Alison enough for their commitment to, and support of, the museum and her collections that allow diverse audiences to experience the transforming power of art.”
