Courtesy / OMAA
Carol and Noel Leary
November 29, 2021
Ogunquit museum receives one of its largest gifts in 68-year history
Courtesy / OMAA
A worker at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art installs new signage naming a gallery after donors Carol and Noel Leary.
By William Hall
In one of the largest gifts in its 68-year history, the Ogunquit Museum of American Art has received a $750,000 donation to support upgrades and growth.
Carol and Noel Leary contributed the money to support the museum’s new “vision and expansion,” which include capital improvements, major exhibitions and increased staff support, according to a news release.
In honor of the gift, the museum has named its largest exhibit space as the Carol and Noel Leary Gallery.
The Learys, who have vacationed and resided in the York county town, began supporting the museum with a $100 contribution years ago. Over time, the donations increased.
“A few years ago, we endowed two new benches for the Museum for $2,500 — we continued to increase our support each year,” Noel Leary said in the release.
Carol Leary added, “Noel and I thought about the legacy we wanted to leave during our lifetime for the many wonderful memories we have experienced over the years visiting and living in Ogunquit. With two milestone birthdays and our 50th wedding anniversary approaching, this was the perfect moment to make our gift.”
The Learys’ philanthropy also includes support for the Springfield Museums in Springfield, Mass., which include the Carol and Noel Leary Gallery of Impressionist Art.
At the Ogunquit museum, Executive Director Amanda Lahikainen said, “Carol and Noel wanted to recognize the important role that OMAA has played in the evolution of American Art and its unique ocean-front landscape and sense of place. We are honored to be entrusted with such significant and impactful philanthropy.”
Founded in 1953, the museum has historical ties to Ogunquit’s role as one of the first modernist art colonies in America. The museum houses seasonal exhibits and a permanent collection of nearly 3,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and photographs dating from the late 1800s to the present. They include works by Thomas Hart Benton, Alexander Calder and Edward Hopper.
The museum campus at 543 Shore Road includes a three-acre sculpture garden and is a popular draw for art-loving tourists.
In 2019, the museum received a gift of nearly $2 million from Ann Ramsay-Jenkins, a former Harvard University administrator and philanthropist who grew up in Portland.
Carol Leary served for 25 years as president of Bay Path University, a Longmeadow, Mass., liberal arts college for women, before retiring in June 2020.
File Photo / Peter Van Allen
The Ogunquit Museum of American Art, near Perkins Cove in York County, includes a three-acre sculpture garden.
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