Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Museum of Art recently introduced an initiative that strengthens their existing collaboration. CMA Trustee Nancy Keithley and CWRU trustee Joseph Keithley committed $15 million through their Nancy and Joseph Keithley Fund at The Cleveland Foundation.

The purpose of the gift is to advance both institutions and prepare curators, scholars, directors and academic leaders through a futuristic thinking program to be called the Nancy and Joseph Keithley Institute for Art History.
A central focus of the institute is a joint doctoral program developed by the university and the museum during the past few years. The new program will be a “object-oriented” approach. This means that it will focus on intensive in-person study of actual pieces of art.

The joint doctoral program between the two institutions has been around since 1967. Since its beginning, the program has always used the museum’s world class collections and training.

The endowment will also support public and academic programming in addition to published works to highlight the development of research and exhibition.
Students will be able to take part in museum internships, which will allow them to receive real life cultural experience. For example, the gift will provide graduate students the chance to travel fellowships as well as compensation for teaching and collection seminars.

Undergraduate students will also be able to participate in summer internships through this funding. Additionally, the gift will help improve the Ingalls Library and Museum Archives, which is the third largest research library in the U.S.

All of the efforts of the gift is to be under the leadership of an institute director who will also be funded by the Keithleys.