Giving
Change Lives: Become a Friend of the School of Art
The UT School of Art enriches the lives of its students and the Rocky Top Family through transformative experiential instruction, innovative artistic practice, and ground-breaking art historical research.
We provide students with a challenging and supportive atmosphere in which to conduct insightful and high-impact scholarship and develop the practical skills to be competitive in professions within and beyond the arts and culture sector.
Alumni and friends of the UT School of Art generously support our exceptional instructional, research, and service programs. Make a gift to today to help to sustain and build our programs as we mentor the next generation of artists, filmmakers, and art historians.
Other Ways to Give
The UT School of Art can also be supported through planned gifts and bequests made through wills, retirement plans, life insurance plans, and revocable trusts. Donations may also include lifetime gifts, such as charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead trusts.
To learn more about giving to the UT School of Art, please contact Christopher McNulty, Director, at cmcnult1@utk.edu or 865-974-3407 or consider contributing to one of our established funds, about which you may learn more below.
Enrichment Funds
School of Art Enrichment Fund
Est. 2002 – Established to enable the School of Art to support strategic initiatives, special projects, critical equipment purchases, and unique proposals. This fund is vital to the mission and potential of the School of Art to take advantage of new opportunities that broadly benefit both students and faculty.
Ewing Art + Architecture Gallery Fund
Est. 1981 & 1994 – Established in memory of C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing, the first head of the Department of Art. The fund provides support for broad-based functions of the Ewing Gallery including, but not limited to, special projects, supplemental travel funds, student awards, art acquisitions and support materials, equipment and supplies, visiting artists, and community outreach.
UT Downtown Gallery Endowment
The UT Downtown Gallery Endowment supports the operations, programming, and exhibitions of the gallery.
Samuel Yates Ewing Gallery Quasi-Endowment
Est. 2022 – Established a named endowment in recognition of the enormous contributions that Sam Yates has made to the School of Art over 40 years of service to the School of Art as Professor and Director of the Ewing Gallery and the Downtown Gallery. Contributions to the fund will be used to support the conservation, study, and exhibition of the Ewing Collection, and Ewing Gallery programming.
Raoul and Marie L. Verhagen Art Fund
Est. 2005 – Established through a gift by Raoul and Marie L. Verhagen to support programs that encourage and identify young talent and develop artistic outreach programs. This fund supports bringing eminent visiting artists, designers, and scholars to the School of Art to give lectures, workshops, and student critiques.
Betsy Worden Printmaking Fund
Est. 2006 – Established by the Betsy Worden Estate and a gift from Stuart Worden, this fund provides support for the prestigious School of Art Printmaking Program. Expenditures include, but are not limited to: awards to outstanding students, equipment or material purchases, travel expenses for students to attend workshops or residencies, visiting faculty scholars/artists who work on collaborative projects with students, visiting lecturers, undergrad scholarships, grad fellowships, graduate teaching assistantships, other purposes related to the mission, operation, and function of the printmaking program in the School of Art.
Steve and Ann Bailey School of Art Fund
Est. 2008 – Established by Steve and Ann Bailey. This fund provides critical support for the annual programming and rents for both the student-run Gallery 1010 and the UT Downtown Gallery. Both galleries are located in downtown Knoxville, open to the public, and are essential to the School of Art mission to provide community engagement and outreach.
Artist-in-Residence Fund
Est. 2014 – Established with the purpose to fully endow the renowned School of Art Painting and Drawing Artist-in-Residence program. Founded in 1982, the A.I.R. program supports two semester-long artist residencies each academic year. Since its inception, more than 80 prominent artists have come to campus to teach, engage, and bring fresh ideas and approaches to both undergraduate and graduate students. This program, one of the oldest of its kind in the country, has a remarkable roster of participating artists, many of which are now associated with major art galleries and are exhibiting in national and international museums. Fully endowing the A.I.R. program will enable the School of Art to create a model program for visiting critics, designers, and scholars.
School of Art Photography Fund
Established to provide broad-based support for the School of Art Photography program.
School of Art Scholarships and Aid Fund
Established to offer short-term support for students in financial need.
F. Elise Boake Memorial Fund
Est. 2019 – Established in honor of Francis Elise Boake, whose family included artists working in Europe and Australia. Elise worked as a docent in two art museums. This fund provides undergraduate students, graduate students, or assistant professors the opportunity to advance their skill or scholarship as an artist.
David C. Wilson Community Outreach Fund
Est. 2020 – Established in honor of former director David C. Wilson. This fund provides support for the community outreach program within the School of Art at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Marilyn and Richardson Turner Endowment in Printmaking
Est. 2020—Established through the Turners’ generosity, this endowment provides support for scholarships, fellowships, student awards, equipment purchases, visiting lecturers, travel for students to attend workshops, and other purposes related to the mission, operation, and function of UTK’s top-rated Printmaking program in the School of Art.
Cinema Studies Enrichment Fund
Provides unrestricted support to the Cinema Studies program, which includes film, television, and related narrative arts (e.g., video games).
Faculty Fellowship and Support Funds
Eleanor Dean Swan Audigier Fund
Est. 1932 – Established in memory of Eleanor Dean Swan Audigier, prominent Knoxville artist and member of the famous Nicholson Art League. The fund provides critical research and travel support for the School of Art faculty.
Dale Cleaver Award Fund
Est. 1995 – A bequest by Dale G. Cleaver, distinguished art historian, and long-serving faculty member. This Fund ensures ongoing support for the research and scholarship of the art history faculty. Income from the fund is used to supplement the salary of one (or more) art history faculty member per year.
Donald F. Kurka Faculty Fund
Est. 1993 – Established through a donation of former department head, Dr. Donald Kurka. The fund supports an annual award to recognize faculty who demonstrate outstanding achievement, community participation, and leadership.
Ellen McClung Berry Professors
Est. 1993 – Established in honor of Ellen Lawson McClung Berry, who had a life-long love of the arts. This fund provides for Professorships in the School of Art to support and enhance faculty research and creative activity.
Undergraduate Scholarship Funds
Kimberly D. Iles Art Scholarship Fund
Est. 2015 – Established in memory of artist, designer, and School of Art alumni, Kimberly Iles. This fund supports multiple scholarships awarded annually to students pursuing an undergraduate degree in the School of Art. The awardees must have successfully completed a portfolio review, have high academic performance, may have financial need, and are a resident of Tennessee.
Mary Lynn Glustoff Scholarship
Est. 1998 – Established in memory of Mary Lynn Glustoff, the School of Art’s much beloved and dedicated staff member. The scholarship is awarded annually to an advanced undergraduate studio fine arts major in the School of Art. The awardee is chosen based on talent and academic achievement as judged by the studio fine arts faculty.
Arts Council Legacy Award
Est. 1996 – Established to support student awards in media and interdisciplinary arts.
Buck Ewing Fund
Est. 1992 – Established in memory of C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing, the first head of the then Department of Art. This fund supports multiple annual awards to the top undergraduate and graduate students whose major is in Studio Art, Design, and Art History.
Charles and Anne Pfitzer Award Fund
Est. 2016 – Established through a continuing donation by Charles and Ann Pfitzer in support of annual merit awards to students in the School of Art for travel, residencies, materials, and/or special projects. Applicants must be currently enrolled in UTK School of Art, pursuing an undergrad/graduate degree in Art and must demonstrate successful academic performance.
Orin B. and Erma G. Graff Scholarship Fund
Est. 2000 – Created from the Erma G. Graff Trust, this fund supports multiple scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in the visual arts including painting, drawing, watercolor, sculpture, ceramics, photography, media art, and printmaking.
School of Art Ceramics Award Fund
Est. 2003 – Created to support awards to undergraduate or graduate students based on financial need and demonstrated successful academic performance.
Joseph Delaney Art Scholarship Fund
Est. 2014 – Established from Joseph Delaney’s Estate. This fund supports School of Art scholarships for aspiring student artists, undergraduate, and graduate, who are majoring in art. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of artistic merit.
Dorothy Dille Art Scholarship Fund
Est. 1986 – Established in memory of his Dorothy Dille. This fund supports multiple awards to both undergraduate and graduate majors in the School of Art. Students must be currently enrolled and demonstrate successful academic performance, financial need, and high moral character.
Graduate Fellowship and Scholarship Funds
Terry Burnette Memorial Scholarship Fund
Est. 1989 – Established in memory of Terry Burnette to benefit deserving graduate students who might not otherwise be able to further their studies. Eligible students must be currently enrolled or have been admitted to the graduate program in the School of Art and demonstrate talent, professional promise, and financial need.
Arts Council Legacy Award
Est. 1996 – Established to support student awards in media and interdisciplinary arts.
Buck Ewing Fund
Est. 1992 – Established in memory of C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing, the first head of the then Department of Art. This fund supports multiple annual awards to the top undergraduate and graduate students whose major is in Studio Art, Design, and Art History.
Charles and Anne Pfitzer Award Fund
Est. 2016 – Established through a continuing donation by Charles and Ann Pfitzer in support of annual merit awards to students in the School of Art for travel, residencies, materials, and/or special projects. Applicants must be currently enrolled in UTK School of Art, pursuing an undergrad/graduate degree in Art and must demonstrate successful academic performance.
Orin B. and Erma G. Graff Scholarship Fund
Est. 2000 – Created from the Erma G. Graff Trust, this fund supports multiple scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in the visual arts including painting, drawing, watercolor, sculpture, ceramics, photography, media art, and printmaking.
School of Art Ceramics Award Fund
Est. 2003 – Created to support awards to undergraduate or graduate students based on financial need and demonstrated successful academic performance.
Joseph Delaney Art Scholarship Fund
Est. 2014 – Established from Joseph Delaney’s Estate. This fund supports School of Art scholarships for aspiring student artists, undergraduate, and graduate, who are majoring in art. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of artistic merit.
Dorothy Dille Art Scholarship Fund
Est. 1986 – Established in memory of his Dorothy Dille. This fund supports multiple awards to both undergraduate and graduate majors in the School of Art. Students must be currently enrolled and demonstrate successful academic performance, financial need, and high moral character.