In Recognition of 50 Years: Marilynn B. Alsdorf

Marilynn is a founding member of the MCA Board, elected on March 26, 1968. Over five decades, Marilynn has watched the MCA transform from concept to kunsthalle to the collecting institution and dynamic public space it is today. Marilynn’s philanthropy and community reach span beyond the MCA. She has fostered cooperation between the MCA and many cultural partners across the city. Marilynn and her late husband, James, were renowned collectors of art and together built a wide-ranging collection of works from early renaissance to Indian and Southeast Asian to modern masters. The Alsdorf Foundation helped the MCA secure a particular work by Sol LeWitt (One-, Two-, Three-, and Four-Part Combinations of Vertical, Horizontal, and Diagonal Left and Right Bands of Color, 1993–94), which is an esteemed addition to our permanent collection. The title of the James W. Alsdorf Senior Curator, currently held by Michael Darling, is named in fitting recognition of her family’s continued generosity to the museum and support of our pursuit of excellence in art history and curatorial study. We are truly grateful to Marilynn for her years of enduring leadership and commitment to our mission. We take this moment to recognize our shared history and highlight Marilynn’s continued passion for the arts and our museum.

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