SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.- The McNay Art Museum announced a major $50.8 million capital campaign for the Jane and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions. Designed by international award winning architect Jean-Paul Viguier, this new 45,000 square foot exhibition facility willfurther enrich the museum’s founding vision of creating a powerful and rewarding experience for its visitors and bring national prominence to the city. Marking the most ambitious capital campaign in the museum’s prestigious 52-year history and the largest to date for a cultural institution in San Antonio, this major expansion will allow the museum to host larger critically acclaimed exhibitions as well dramatically increase the McNay’s ability to show more of its superb collection, including beautiful outdoor sculpture gardens for the museum’s growing sculpture collection.

In celebration of the announcement, there was a Site Dedication at the McNay, September 13, 2006, at 10:00 am in the Leeper Auditorium. TomFrost, Capital Campaign Chair and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Mrs. Ben Foster, President of the Board of Trustees, were joined by featuredspeakers William J. Chiego, The John Palmer Leeper Director of the McNay, and Edward E. Whitacre, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T, along with members of the McNay’s Board of Trustees and Capital Campaign Committee.

“With over 17,000 objects in the McNay’s growing collection, this expansion is imperative. The design of a distinguished new Jane and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions was developed with a strong sense of mission, fiscal responsibility, and cultural leadership,” states Tom Frost. “The expansion dramaticallyincreases our ability to host nationally renowned exhibitions that currently draw tourism dollars to Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and outside Texas.While the McNay’s Board of Trustee family has provided almost 66% of the total capital campaign goal, many generous corporate and foundation donors have supported the McNay’s fundraising efforts for the new Center. Today at the site dedication, AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc., will announce their $2.5 million grant to fund the creation of the 1,800-square-foot main lobby of the new addition.‘The AT&T Foundation is pleased to provide the Jane and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions with the cutting-edge technology needed to display the McNay’s extensive collection, helping to blend the past and the future,” said AT&T Chairman and CEO, Ed Whitacre. “The increased size and next-generation interactive components that the new addition offers will further position the McNay as a statewide and national resource for education and the arts.” Earlier capital campaign gifts include a $8 million bequest from the Arthur T. Stieren Estate in 2003, the largest single gift ever made to an arts organization in San Antonio, and a $5 million pledge from The Tobin Endowment in 2004.“Equally important is the museum’s endowment and operating support. Securing the necessary resources to increase our endowment allows us to continue our innovative education and family programs and preservation of the collections and grounds for generations to come,” explains Frost. “The McNay’s achievements are possible only through the generosity of its donors, “ he continues. “Over 60% of the McNay’s annual operating budget is funded through gifts from individuals,foundations, and businesses. The AT&T Foundation’s generous gift is an inspiring example of howcorporate giving to the McNay’s capital campaign helps the museum grow as a vibrant and accessible community resource for generations to come.”