Cummer Museum awarded $650,000 grant

Posted on June 3, 2023 By Editor Movers & Shakers, Neighborhood News, Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, Murray Hill, San Jose, San Marco, St. Nicholas

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens overlooks 2.5 acres of historic gardens situated on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. [Photo Credit: Ryan Ketterman]

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens was awarded a $650,000 grant from the Leadership in Art Museums (LAM) initiative, a partnership between the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Pilot House Philanthropy and Alice L. Walton Foundation. The funding provided by LAM enables the Cummer Museum to establish the Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole Curator position, a new post named in honor of the Jacksonville native. The new curator will work collaboratively with museum leadership and colleagues on the development of exhibitions, educational initiatives, public programming and acquisitions. The funding will also support the Cummer’s and LAM’s shared goals of advancing professional development in the museum field.

“Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole has always considered the Cummer Museum her hometown museum. The curatorship named in her honor will help us advance Ninah Cummer’s vision of being a ‘center of beauty and culture for all,’” said Andrea Barnwell Brownlee, Ph.D., George W. and Kathleen I. Gibbs Director and CEO.

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole [Boston Photography, Amelia Island, Florida]

The Cummer is one of only 19 museums across the country selected to receive a LAM grant, which are designated for creating and sustaining new leadership positions that are inclusive of communities of color.

“It is an extraordinary honor and a joy to have my name associated with this new curatorial position at the Cummer Museum. I am witnessing this institution emerge into a beacon where the stories of all of the world’s people are told,” said Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole. “Imagine how much further we will go as this curator builds upon the Museum’s momentum, values its legacy and facilitates opportunities to expand the vast stories that art tells.”