The Art Institute of Chicago announced a $75 million gift from married couple Aaron I. Fleischman and Dr. Lin Lougheed that will support the museum’s future campus vision.
This largesse—the single largest naming gift in the Art Institute’s history—“will allow the museum to realize building plans to expand access to the museum’s singular collection, maximize the Art Institute’s iconic location, and deliver a world-class experience to Chicagoans and visitors from around the world,” according to a press release.
“We are beyond grateful to collaborate with Aaron and Lin to imagine the future of our campus,” said James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director of the Art Institute of Chicago. “Their exceptional generosity and vision will allow our aspirations to become a reality and I am grateful for their dedication to Chicago, and to serving our visitors for generations to come.”
Fleischman and Lougheed both have roots in the Midwest—from Highland Park, Illinois; and Ottumwa, Iowa, respectively—but have always lived elsewhere as adults. They are now longtime permanent residents of Florida.
Fleischman, an investor, began collecting art in the mid-1980s; he has been a trustee of the Art Institute for nearly 15 years and has loaned works to Art Institute exhibitions over the years. Lougheed is or has been on the boards of Teachers College Columbia University, the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, among other organizations; in addition, he has written more than 40 EFL/ESP texts and test preparatory materials.