The Boards of Trustees and leadership of both Danforth Art, an independent museum and studio art school founded in 1975, and Framingham State University, a public university founded in 1839, both in Framingham, Massachusetts, have announced today their intent to cement in the coming months their 40 years of shared connections with a formal arrangement under which Danforth Art Museum\School will become part of Framingham State University. The specific terms of the agreement are still being negotiated at this time.

“In early 2016, Danforth Art began to investigate opportunities for organizational realignment to provide greater financial sustainability and programmatic support in the face of increasing economic pressures. After many years of partnership with Framingham State University, we are delighted to take this step in exploring a formal integration,” says Debra Petke, Executive Director of Danforth Art Museum\School. ”As a part of Framingham State University, with the benefit of a robust infrastructure and a wealth of academic resources, Danforth Art has greater potential to serve its broad community as a university and public art museum and community art school. We see many new opportunities for substantial academic collaboration, creative programming, and more profound community engagement.”

Beginning in 1973 when the idea for a regional art museum and center was first discussed among leaders from the community and the college, the two institutions have remained cultural and educational partners through programming, tours, and membership benefits. When Debra Petke became Executive Director of Danforth Art Museum\School in 2015, she and Framingham State University President F. Javier Cevallos renewed their mutual interest in enhancing and expanding the program and services of both organizations.

“We are excited to explore any opportunity to enhance our collaboration with a wonderful cultural institution like Danforth Art,” says President Cevallos. “We feel this has the potential to greatly benefit our faculty and students, particularly those involved in programs such as Museum Studies, Art History, Painting and Studio Art. We also know Danforth Art enjoys a deep connection to residents in the Town of Framingham and the wider MetroWest region, and we are committed to ensuring that this opportunity serves only to enhance that connection.”

Negotiations are expected to continue into the new year, and the final terms of the proposed agreement should go before representatives of both organizations for approval by spring 2017.

*Front page image: An artist paints on a canvass in the old Danforth Art facility. Image courtesy of Danforth Art Museum\School, Framingham, MA, 2016.”