BOCA RATON, FLA.- The Boca Raton Museum of Art’s Executive Director, Irvin Lippman, announced two major philanthropic milestones at the Museum’s 70th anniversary Gala on Saturday, January 25th.

The first announcement was the $1 million contribution by the Gala’s Honorary Chairs, Jody Harrison Grass and her husband Martin Grass, to benefit the Museum’s education initiatives. Jody is the Chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.

The second announcement was that more than $630,000 was raised during the Gala, the highest amount the Museum has ever raised in its 70-year history at a Gala event.

The event was also Co-Chaired by Stacey and Evan Packer, Carrie Rubin, and John Tolbert.

The funds raised during the Gala were thanks to record-setting sponsorships and a live auction. This year’s event also featured a special “Gift from the Heart” call-to-action that encouraged guests to donate in honor of the Museum’s 70th anniversary ─ kicked off with Mr. Lippman’s announcement of the $1 million donation by Jody Harrison Grass and Martin Grass, and their children Leila, Sharla, and Noah.

“These two philanthropic milestones represent the generosity of Boca Raton, and the personal commitment to the Museum’s trajectory of making a difference for the community,” says Irvin Lippman, the Executive Director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “The Museum is honored to receive such a groundswell of support for our new programs.”

The Museum’s 70th Anniversary Education Fund has re-focused the orientation of the building, bringing the new Education Center space front and center as the cornerstone of both the building and the Museum’s mission.

“The art education programs are firing the imaginations of new generations of students in South Florida,” says Jody Harrison Grass, the Chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “For 70 years, the Museum has created unique pathways where people make personal connections with art by looking, learning, and creating."

"Along with my husband Martin, we hope others will join our family and the Wolgin family in supporting the Museum’s Education Fund,” adds Jody Harrison Grass.

Dan Wolgin is the newest and youngest member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. He was featured during the Gala’s 70th anniversary video, and represents the third generation of Wolgins to support this institution.

Twenty years ago, Dan Wolgin’s grandfather and grandmother, Bill and Acey, and great uncle and aunt, Sidney and Jacquee, supported the building of the current Museum in Mizner Park.

During the Gala event, Irvin Lippman also stated: “Thanks to the major gift from Jody and Martin, and the ongoing support from the Wolgin family and so many others, the Museum will open two newly-transformed spaces in the Spring of 2020 ─ the Jody Harrison Grass Lobby and the Wolgin Education Center ─ creating greater visibility for its award-winning educational programs.”