Annual giving of $50 to $14,999

Annual members play a critical role in the daily success of University Museums, providing continuing, steadfast support year after year.

Benefits:

• Invitations to museum receptions and exhibition openings
• Invitations to special events and lectures
• Weekly emails and special communications about exhibitions, collections, educational programs, and special events
• 10% discount on University Museums publications

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Gifting of $15,000 to $34,999 over three years

Established in 1988, the Curators Associates are the museums’ first major donor group. Through their support, the group has advanced many accomplishments, including adding over 600 pieces to the permanent collection, conserving the Farm House Museum, identifying and preserving Christian Petersen sculptures, establishing a sculpture garden, funding exhibitions, and supporting educational programs and internships.

Benefits (all Annual benefits, plus):

• Opportunity to participate in University Museums Advancement Council
• Art travel opportunities

Cumulative giving of $35,000 to $99,999

Christian Petersen sculpted and taught at Iowa State University from 1934 through 1955 and is considered the founder of the Art on Campus Collection. University Museums strives to preserve his legacy and continue his tradition of art on the Iowa State University campus through exhibitions and educational programs.

Benefits (all previous, plus):

• Invitations to meet artists and attend special events

Cumulative giving of $100,000 to $499,999

Iowa State University is home to one of the largest campus public art programs in the United States. Over 2,500 public works of art make up the Art on Campus Collection, located across campus in buildings, courtyards, open spaces, and classrooms. The Art on Campus Collection and Program, formalized in 1980, includes acquisition, care and maintenance, scholarship, and educational programming.

Benefits (all previous, plus):

• Opportunity to participate in Collection Advocates Committee
• Invitations to previews, dedications, and behind-the-scenes tours of the Art on Campus Collection
• Invitations to meet conservators who care for the collection, curators, and campus public art committees who commission the Art on Campus Collection
• Art travel opportunities to tour cultural destinations including artist galleries, museums, historic landmarks, and homes of major art collectors

Cumulative giving of $500,000 to $999,999

The arts ignite our radical imagination, by unleashing the boundaries we place upon our minds and opening them to unlimited possibilities. Now more than ever, the arts are in position to create and produce the cultural changes that will lead to social, educational, political, economic, and public policy change. 

The Radical Imagination Society supports dreamers who see opportunities where others see obstacles, possibilities in problems, and the ability to articulate those ideals to the world. Radical Imagination Society members will have the unique opportunity to interact and learn from artists and collectors in settings that ignite imagination and genius.

Benefits (all previous, plus):

• Invitations to select events and opportunities to interact with the University's leadership team, artists, and students
• Opportunities to review major potential art acquisitions for inclusion in the ISU Art on Campus program
• Advance tickets for special activities, such as artists' lectures and landmark celebrations
• Networking with collectors, donors, artists, art historians, and museum staff
• Priority museum facility rentals

Cumulative giving of $1 million+

Ann Brunnier’s 1961 gift of art was one of the largest to Iowa State University, worth over $50 million at the time. Brunnier was inspired by Dr. Hilton’s vision to learn, celebrate, and commemorate through cultural arts. Henry Brunnier gifted a major stock portfolio to build the Brunnier Art Museum.

Members of the Ann and Henry Brunnier Society demonstrate commitment to University Museums through their transformational gifts. Members of the museums’ highest level of recognition have provided cumulative gifts and pledges of $1 million or more to University Museums.   

Benefits: All benefits from previous levels at the highest level of recognition.

Create a legacy of culture, aesthetics, history, and art for decades to come. Designate University Museums as the recipient of a will, trust, or other deferred giving plan that may include annuities, pooled income funds, and charitable remainder trusts.

 University Museums and the Iowa State University Foundation will be happy to work with you to tailor your planned gift. The ISU Foundation can also help set up gifts that provide a stream of income throughout a donor's life and a gift for their selected charities after their lifetime, often with significant tax benefits.

Over the years, the University Museums’ permanent collection of some 30,000 works of art and cultural objects has been formed by generous donors who have contributed paintings, prints, sculpture, and decorative arts. Major donations include several named collections that significantly expanded the museum’s holdings.

These collections include the Brunnier Art Collection, the Lagerstrom Collection, the Helen and Rex Cook Art Glass Collection, the M. Burton Drexler Collection, the Topel and Cheng Art Collection, the Rebecca Klemm Art Collection, and the W. Allen Perry Collection of Asian Art. They are used to teach visual literacy and creative thinking to Iowa State students, encouraging understanding of art across disciplines and fostering lifelong engagement with the cultural arts.

University Museums rely on donations of in-kind goods and services to support programming and reduce costs. Contributions such as refreshments for events, technology, and storage space have been crucial to the success of recent programs. Corresponding opportunities for recognition are available.