Art Museums Look Beyond Galas to Raise Money

Rather than relying solely on tried-and-true galas, art museums are adding unique offerings to special events to raise money — private tours of noteworthy collectors’ homes, the chance to see works not on public display, or dinners with artists, reports the Associated Press.

For example, the Guggenheim Museum, in New York, offered people who donated between $15,000 and $30,000 the opportunity to have dinner with the artist Julian Schnabel.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, in Santa Fe, N.M., allows donors who contribute at least $5,000 to tour the homes of Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Ansel Adams.

Frederic Brandt, a dermatologist and private collector who recently allowed the Museum of Contemporary Art, in North Miami, to invite patrons to tour his home, said of such alternative special events: “People are so over galas. I think it’s a lot nicer. It’s a little more intimate.”