FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2022
Lyman Allyn Art Museum
Press Contact: Rebecca Dawson, Director of Communications
860.443.2545 x2112 / dawson@lymanallyn.org
GENEROUS GIFT RESHAPES THE LYMAN ALLYN LANDSCAPE
New London – As the Lyman Allyn Art Museum celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, we are honored to announce the extraordinary generosity of Eliza and Matthew Sharp and the LaBoiteaux-Sharp Family Foundation. Serving as a member of the Lyman Allyn Board of Trustees, Liza, together with Matt, are visionary donors whose historic gift of $500,000 is the largest single commitment to the Museum since 1939. Their donation is especially significant as the Museum embarks upon an exciting initiative to reshape, reinvigorate, and revitalize the Museum and its gorgeous environs, soon to be known as the Lyman Allyn Park.
A Master Plan has been completed and Liza and Matt’s cornerstone gift will initiate the redesign and construction of the Park’s priority component – an elegant and accessible Museum entryway, to be named for the Sharp family in recognition of their tremendous philanthropy for the Lyman Allyn. Their gift is a true catalyst, inspiring ideas, igniting the revitalization laid out in the Master Plan for the Park and setting the stage for leadership giving that will transform the landscape of the Lyman Allyn Park, while honoring 90 outstanding years.
The Lyman Allyn is hosting an Open House on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. — 12 p.m. inviting members of the public to learn about the Park Master Plan.
The Museum is transforming its entire campus into an inclusive urban art park that will celebrate art in nature, amplify its social justice and environmental advocacy, and extend its 90-year history of serving the diverse community into the future.
Open House participants will gather in the Hendel Library to learn about the Museum’s plans with the design team from Kent + Frost Landscape Architecture and enjoy exploring the grounds while envisioning this initiative. This event is free to attend.
For those with questions or interest in the project, please contact Ellen Anderson, Director of Development, at 860.373.3238.
About the Lyman Allyn Art Museum
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum welcomes visitors from New London, southeastern Connecticut and all over the world. Established in 1926 by a gift from Harriet Allyn in memory of her seafaring father, the Museum opened the doors of its beautiful neo-classical building surrounded by 12 acres of green space in 1932. Today it presents a number of changing exhibitions each year and houses a fascinating collection of over 17,000 objects from ancient times to the present; artworks from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, with particularly strong collections of American paintings, decorative arts and Victorian toys and doll houses.
The Museum is located at 625 Williams Street, New London, Connecticut, exit 83 off I-95. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sundays 1:00 – 5:00 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. For more information call 860.443.2545, ext. 2129 or visit us at www.lymanallyn.org.