Art museum given $1 million grant
By Sherry Slater | The Journal Gazette
June Enoch, a retired education professor with a love of the arts, provided for one of her favorite nonprofits in her will.
Fort Wayne Museum of Art has received a $1 million grant from the June E. Enoch Foundation, officials announced Wednesday. The money will be used to buy and care for additional artwork for the museum's collection, which includes more than 6,200 pieces.
Charles Shepard, the museum's CEO, serves as its chief curator and has added hundreds of works to its permanent collection in recent years, concentrating on preserving the legacies of some lesser-known artists, including Steven Sorman, Robert Kipniss, Katja Oxman and David Shapiro.
“The museum of art has maintained an active collecting program since our 2007 to 2010 American Art Initiative Capital Campaign, and this visionary gift from the Enoch Foundation will allow us to continue to grow our collection in ways that are meaningful to our audiences,” Shepard said in a statement.
Enoch, who died in 2017 at 95, was a longtime museum member, volunteer and donor. She was named a trustee in 1980 and served several terms on the board. The Fort Wayne native used her education background to help guide the museum's education programs. She also provided her expertise in finances and facilities, officials said.
Enoch began her career teaching elementary students in Fort Wayne. She went on to earn a master's degree in education from Indiana University and teach at what is now Manchester University until her retirement in 1982, according to her obituary.
She belonged to the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra's board and donated $75,000 to the nonprofit in 1986 to endow the principal percussion chair. Her other memberships included the Junior League of Fort Wayne, Psi Iota Xi and Plymouth Congregational Church.
