A New Endowment at The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA Provides Funding for Acquisitions and Care for Collections

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia announces the establishment of The Ruth C. Cross Endowment for Acquisitions and Collections Care. The $1 million endowment is created by the late museum donors’ family. The Fralin Museum of Art’s longstanding patron, volunteer, and friend, Ruth Cunningham Cross passed away in 2021.

A lifelong learner, Ruth and her second husband Robert (Bob) Dougherty Cross moved their academic life to UVA in 1972. She and Bob lived in Pavilion VI and were popular residents on the Lawn. Ruth often recounted hosting Lawn students for breakfast at their pavilion.

Ruth’s numerous contributions to the Charlottesville community started at the museum, where she was instrumental in its reopening in 1974. She worked for the museum for more than 20 years and then continued as a volunteer in various roles for another 20 years. In 2003, The Fralin Museum of Art honored Ruth and Bob as significant benefactors.

"The Fralin Museum of Art has been profoundly influenced by Ruth’s hard work and dedication to caring for our collection, introducing new members and volunteers, and engaging the community through exhibitions and K-12 programming,” said Matthew McLendon, J. Sanford Miller Family Director at The Fralin. “As a member of The Fralin’s advisory board and volunteer board, Ruth’s legacy with the institution has helped create the museum we are today.”

Prior to her life at UVA, Ruth began a long connection with the academic world at Yale University and then Swarthmore College outside of Philadelphia, where she and first husband, William Henry Brown, raised three children. After Bill passed away, Ruth attended a yearlong course at the Barnes Foundation, which further ignited her passion for the visual arts and nurtured her keen appreciation for art of all kinds. Upon marrying Bob, Ruth returned to Swarthmore and ultimately UVA.

Her family notes that “Mother loved The Fralin Museum. Her long relationship with the museum provided a way for her to express her strongly held belief in the power of the arts to sustain, inspire and give pleasure to all. Her hands-on experience at the museum also gave her an appreciation for the importance of ongoing collections care as well as the excitement of new acquisitions. She was open to different kinds of art and would be delighted by this endowment.”

About The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia

Established in 1935, the University of Virginia Art Museum became The Fralin Museum of Art in 2012 in honor of a bequest of American art and service to the university by Cynthia and W. Heywood Fralin. The Museum maintains a collection of more than 13,000 works of art, including American and European painting, works on paper, and sculpture from the 15th through the 20th centuries; art from the ancient Mediterranean; Asian art; and Native and ancient American art. Housed in the historic Bayly Building near the Rotunda on the landmark UVA campus, The Fralin is dedicated to serving the widest possible audiences and engaging comprehensive visual education to enhance its visitors’ understanding of world cultures. Throughout the year, the Museum presents a diverse selection of exhibitions, programs, research and events that bring the university and broader community together.           

Media Contacts:

Rhonda Deck
The Fralin Museum of Art

Amber Hendrickson
Blue Water Communications