The capital campaign for Miami Art Museum’s new, state-of-the-art facility, opening as Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) this December, has now reached 85 percent of its total $220 million goal, following a gift of $15 million in cash and art that was announced Friday at the Museum’s annual Corporate Luncheon. An anonymous donor pledged $12 million to Pérez Art Museum Miami’s capital campaign, as well as an additional $3 million in art, selected by the Museum’s curatorial staff. With all necessary funds for bricks and mortar already raised, this gift will support the endowment for expanded exhibitions and educational programming in the Museum’s new, 200,000 square foot, Biscayne Bay front campus designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron.

“As the construction of our new home nears completion, we are gratified to see members of Miami’s business and philanthropic community step up in such a significant way to ensure the success of this museum,” said Museum Director Thom Collins, who announced the gift together with Board of Trustees Chairman Aaron Podhurst at the Luncheon. “Thanks to this incredibly generous donor, along with Miami-Dade County, Jorge Pérez, the Fernandez family, the Knight Foundation, members of our board of trustees, and many more of our friends in the private sector, this city will finally have the public art resource and world-class center for the visual arts it deserves.”

The Sixth Annual Miami Art Museum Corporate Luncheon Presented by South Motors celebrated the corporate community’s integral support of the arts throughout the region. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez welcomed the 350 business, cultural and civic leaders in attendance, and thanked them for their commitment to the County’s cultural vitality: “The public sector can’t do it alone – we rely on the corporate community’s generosity, too. Our corporate citizens have played a huge role in this community’s transformation into a global destination for arts and culture, and I commend today’s honoree, MBF Healthcare Partners, for their contributions.”

Craig Robins, president of development company Dacra, and Museum Director Thom Collins discussed how the arts have transformed South Florida. Dacra played an integral role in the repositioning and revitalization of Miami’s South Beach through the restoration of Art Deco landmarks and developed mixed-use projects on Lincoln Road and Española Way, and transformed a once abandoned neighborhood – the Miami Design District – into one of the most important global centers for cutting edge design, fashion, food and art. Robins is also a principal of the leading international design show Design Miami/ and Design Miami/ Basel.

Board of Trustees Chairman Aaron Podhurst.

Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez.

Miami Art Museum Director Thom Collins.

Craig Robins, president of development company Dacra, and Museum Director Thom Collins.

Photos Carolina del Rivero