WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS.- The Clark Art Institute today announced a major gift from Felda and Dena Hardymon that is one of the largest donations in the Clarks history. The Hardymons, residents of Berkshire County and Cambridge, Massachusetts, have watched the Clarks evolution over the last two decades. While the gift was made to support the Clarks campus expansion program and ongoing activities, the Institutes Board of Trustees recently voted to name the directors position in recognition of their generosity. The newly established Felda and Dena Hardymon Director position is held by Michael Conforti.
It has been a joy to watch the growth of the Institute over the last twenty-plus years, said Dena Hardymon. Felda and I are excited by what the staff, the Board of Trustees, and the Clarks many supporters have accomplished. Most compelling to us is the potential the recent campus expansion has created, which we know will support the Clarks expanding programs and reinforce its place as a twenty-first-century institution of global stature.
Following a recent Board of Trustees meeting, Board Chair O. Andreas Halvorsen noted that Felda and Dena Hardymons vision and generous gift will have an important impact on the Clarks future. We chose to honor them by naming the directorship in recognition of their emphasis on leadership and its importance in securing the Institutes success. We are deeply grateful that they have chosen to make such a lasting contribution to the Clark.
Dena Hardymon, who joined the Clarks Board of Trustees as an honorary trustee in 2013, said, Were delighted that the Trustees have recognized our deep interest in the importance of leadership at the Clark. As wonderful as the new and renovated buildings are, in the end the Clarks international standing is based on the strength of its staff, who work with the Institutes extraordinary art and library collections to advance its exhibition and educational outreach programs as well as its important scholarly activities. Were proud to know that our gift will be perpetually affiliated with those responsible for ensuring that the Clark remains one of the most important arts institutions in the country.