FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2023
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THE READ FAMILY MAKES HISTORIC GIFT TO MUSEUM, ENDOWS CURATOR OF HISTORY COLLECTIONS POSITION
Mary and Ross Read donate $2 million to Museum’s endowment fund through Wisconsin Wonders campaign to sustain Future Museum operations
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) announced today that former board member Ross Read and his wife Mary have committed $2 million to the Museum’s endowment as a means to support the long-term sustainability of Museum operations, including the creation of the Chester Read Curator of History Collections position.
As part of the Wisconsin Wonders campaign aimed at enabling the once-in-a-lifetime construction of a new Museum in Milwaukee, 18 percent of every donation contributes to the Museum’s endowment—a fund that supports current operations and will continue to do so once the Future Museum opens—ensuring the institution is sustainable well into the future. In this case, the Reads have directed their entire gift to the endowment and that mission of sustainability.
“The Reads’ commitment to the sustainability of the Future Museum is admirable, and we are humbled by their decision to put their gift toward our endowment fund,” said MPM President & CEO Dr. Ellen Censky. “Although contributions to our endowment fund won’t pay for the brick and mortar of our new building, they are integral to ensuring the institution is well-maintained after it is built and guaranteeing that it will stay that way for generations of families to enjoy.”
The Reads’ love of history compelled them to direct support from their endowment gift toward the long-term care of the Museum’s vast History collections through a named position. Jackie Schweitzer, who has served as the Museum’s History Collections Manager since 2018, has been named the first Chester Read Curator of History Collections. In this role, she will continue to assist in the improvement, expansion and development of the History department’s collections in consultation with the appropriate curators, improve the organization, condition and accessibility of the collections and seek resources to achieve those goals. The title will continue to be bestowed in perpetuity to the leader of the Museum’s History department.
“Many members of our families, the Chesters and the Reads, have been committed to the Milwaukee Public Museum. From donating objects to display in the Streets of Old Milwaukee to serving in volunteer capacities, this institution holds an important place in our hearts and our personal histories, and we are excited to witness history in the making as it transitions to its new home,” said Ross Read. “Generations of people and families have built our city and our Museum, and we must continue to explore and share those stories. We are so proud to be a part of this magnificent undertaking and ensure that the Future Museum is accessible to generations yet to come.”
While Ross Read currently serves as the chair of the Museum’s Endowment Committee and helps to oversee the growth and expenditures of the fund, members of the Read family have volunteered and served on the Museum’s board of directors since the 1960s. The family has long demonstrated their deep commitment to the institution and the Milwaukee community. In fact, Ross’s great-great-great-grandfather, Andrew G. Miller, the first federal judge for the State of Wisconsin, was acquainted with Milwaukee’s first mayor Solomon Juneau. A letter from Ross’ ancestor was a key spark of inspiration for the Future Museum’s Milwaukee Revealed gallery and provided additional context for the exhibit depicting Josette and Solomon Juneau’s home.
Mary and Ross Read are the most recent contributors to the Wisconsin Wonders campaign, which has now secured $148 million, including $63 million in private donations, $45 million from Milwaukee County and $40 million from the State of Wisconsin, toward its goal.
Details about additional gifts to the Wisconsin Wonders campaign will be announced in the coming weeks.
About the Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is Wisconsin’s natural history museum, welcoming over half a million visitors annually. Located in downtown Milwaukee, the Museum was chartered in 1882, opened to the public in 1884, and currently houses more than 4 million objects in its collections. MPM has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rainforest, and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater & Planetarium. MPM is operated by Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., a private, non-profit company, housed in a county-owned facility with collections that are held in trust and supported by Milwaukee County for the benefit of the public.
About the Future Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin’s natural history museum, will be relocating from its current location on Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee to a newly constructed building due to open by early 2027.
To be located on a 2.4-acre site at the corner of Sixth and McKinley Streets in the Haymarket neighborhood adjacent to the city’s Deer District, the Future Museum will be the largest cultural project in Wisconsin history. Heavily influenced by the ecological histories of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, the design of the new Museum will be reminiscent of the geological formations in Mill Bluff State Park, emblematic of the region’s diversity of landscapes formed by the movements of water through time. The building will be approximately 200,000 square feet, including five stories, with an additional 50,000-square-foot collections storage building.
To learn more about the Future Museum, visit mpm.edu/future.
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