BALTIMORE, MD.- BMA Board of Trustees Chair Clair Zamoiski Segal announced today that The Baltimore Museum of Art has received an extraordinary $3 million gift from Patricia and Mark Joseph to support the museum’s new 5,500-square-foot education center. This is one of the largest individual gifts the museum has ever received.

The Patricia and Mark K. Joseph Education Center is a new area of the BMA that connects visitors with art, creativity, and community. The $4.5 million, 5,500-square-foot center, opening on Sunday, October 25, continues the BMA’s long tradition of pioneering art education that began in 1929 when it started one of the country’s first museum education departments. It also concludes the BMA’s multi-year renovation to provide more imaginative experiences with the artworks in the galleries and improve visitor amenities and infrastructure.

“Pat and I are delighted to support this ground-breaking education program at the BMA,” said Mark Joseph. “We have been involved in education in Baltimore for decades, and we firmly believe that the new Joseph Education Center will engage and strengthen our community through imaginative programming and meaningful outreach.”

The Joseph’s gift includes $1.5 million to support the construction and installation of the Joseph Education Center and $1.5 million to create the Patricia and Mark K. Joseph Education Center Endowment to support programs offered in conjunction with the center. The Joseph Education Center includes a thematic exhibition gallery that draws together works from across the collection, a commons that highlights the voices and creativity of the Baltimore community, a studio for hands-on art making for all ages, a new docent room for the museum’s dedicated gallery teachers, and a renovated school group entrance and orientation foyer for the thousands of schoolchildren who visit the BMA each year.

“We are truly honored to receive this extraordinarily generous gift from Pat and Mark Joseph,” said Clair Zamoiski Segal. “This transformative gift not only supports the development of the actual spaces in the Joseph Center, but also ensures that financial resources will be available to activate the center year after year through a wide range of programming designed to attract audiences of all ages.”

Patricia and Mark Joseph have been major donors to the BMA for more than two decades. Patricia has served on the Board of Trustees for nine years and is currently on committees for education, finance, and the search for the new director. She previously served on the board’s Executive Committee and was a museum docent for 10 years.

Mark is founding chairman of The Shelter Group, which began developing multi-family housing in 1975. Prior to founding Shelter, Mr. Joseph was a member of the Community Legal Services law reform unit, serving as co-counsel in the U.S. Supreme Court case nullifying residence requirements for public assistance. He also chaired the Executive Committee of Gallagher, Evelius & Jones, LLP and taught at the University of Maryland Law School. His leadership in Baltimore City includes serving as Deputy Housing Commissioner and its Development Coordinator, heading the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, and chairing the board of Baltimore's Public Health Hospital. He is also a founder and lead donor of the Baltimore School for the Arts and has served on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Committee, Walters Art Museum, Associated Jewish Charities, and Board of Visitors of The University of Maryland Law School. Mr. Joseph graduated from Brown University and the Harvard Law School. He authored the law creating the Maryland Community Development Administration.

Patricia Joseph is the current chair of the Shelter Foundation. Prior to her retirement, she was a faculty member, a division chair, and a dean at Stevenson University. She also served as special assistant to the Provost at UMBC and later was a member of the university’s Board of Visitors. She is immediate past chair of the Board of Overseers of the Baltimore School for the Arts, where she remains active as a board member, and was Chair of the Search Committee for the school’s new director. She is the past co-chair of the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle and is a trustee of the Baltimore Community Foundation. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Art Seminar Group and a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Women’s Leadership Council Steering Committee.