The Future of Plains Art Museum
For nearly 50 years, the people of the Fargo-Moorhead region have found a place of inspiration in their regional art museum. For some, the inspiration leads to a life-long career in the arts; for others the creative muse is applied to technology, agriculture, or one of the other fields that fuel our region’s economic prosperity.
A Good Neighbor
When Plains Art Museum moved into a superbly renovated turn-of-the-century warehouse in historic downtown Fargo, programs blossomed, exhibitions enthralled, and the collection grew. The area surrounding the Museum blossomed as well, with the relocation of the NDSU College of Art, Architecture, and Landscape Architecture as well as shops, restaurants, and offices. Now, the Museum has an opportunity to take another leap forward, one that will:
Extend the Museum’s impact through the Center for Creativity
Cultivate an exciting new partnership with Fargo Public Schools and other area school districts
Make art accessible for the entire community and strengthen its welcoming appeal through improved visitor services
Secure its financial future with a robust operating endowment and continued annual funding for programs
Showcase a major work created specifically for Plains Art Museum by celebrated artist and native North Dakotan, James Rosenquist
A Community Effort
With the support of the citizens of Fargo-Moorhead, Plains Art Museum will make even greater contributions to Fargo-Moorhead’s education, economy, and culture. The Museum’s leaders see the promise of these dramatic changes, and have made a commitment to see that the promise is realized through a comprehensive campaign seeking gifts in support of annual operations, capital improvements, and a growing endowment.
Realizing the Museum’s Promise
Plains Art Museum entered a new era in the late 1990s, with the inauguration of a new home (1997), and the creation of an endowment to support emerging artists with an initial challenge gift of more than $1 million (1998). Since then, Museum programs have blossomed, while Museum leaders have methodically planned the next steps.
Museum goals:
To improve the Museum’s appeal especially for its youngest visitors
To acquire a signature artwork that will become a focal point of the Museum’s collection and a symbol of our community’s resourceful spirit
To serve a vital role in educating and inspiring the future of our region—our children
To ensure a secure financial future
Recently, the planning process surged ahead as the Museum and its leaders developed a bold new collaboration with Fargo Public Schools to renovate an adjacent annex that will house teaching studios. As a result of this careful planning, a comprehensive vision for the future has emerged.
With your support of these campaign goals, Plains Art Museum will be able to fulfill its commitment to the citizens of Fargo-Moorhead.
A commitment to:
Stimulate the curiosity and creativity of the little artist in each of us
Contribute to an extraordinary quality of life
Enhance the region’s economic vitality
Affirm the creative expression of our region’s citizens, from creative professionals, to weekend artists, to our most celebrated artistic prodigy, James Rosenquist
Treasure an important historic building that serves as a cultural beacon in the midst of an expansive landscape
When our region’s civic and philanthropic leaders invest in the vision for Plains Art Museum, they invest in our community’s education, economic development, and quality of life. Above all, they nurture the little artist in all of us through all that a lively cultural and educational institution can deliver to its citizens.
