The Walker Art Center just landed the kind of money museums dream about: a $7.5 million gift from furniture magnate John Gabbert that creates the Minneapolis institution’s first-ever endowed exhibition fund.
The newly formed John Gabbert and Room & Board Foundation Exhibition Fund is designed to keep the Walker’s galleries humming, providing long-term backing for exhibitions and related programming aimed at a wide range of audiences.
According to an announcement reported by Bring Me The News, the fund will underwrite two Walker shows each year. The first to benefit was "Show & Tell: An Exhibition for Kids," which opened in late 2025, with Suzanne Jackson’s retrospective What Is Love next in line, scheduled to open May 14. The museum disclosed the gift roughly a week after publicly announcing that it had recently acquired around 40 works through a mix of purchases and donations.
In a statement to Bring Me The News, Executive Director Mary Ceruti praised Gabbert’s long relationship with the Walker, saying he "has long believed in our mission and vision and embodies the best of generosity, commitment, and innovative thinking." Ceruti added that the endowment will help the Walker keep staging ambitious exhibitions that mirror artists' groundbreaking work while staying responsive to the community’s evolving interests.
Gabbert founded Room & Board in 1980, building it into a Minneapolis-based retailer with a national footprint. The company recently shifted to a 100 percent employee-ownership model, a move covered by the Star Tribune. Walker officials point to Room & Board’s local roots and Gabbert’s long-standing support as key ingredients in the case for turning that relationship into a permanent exhibition fund.
Funded shows and dates
The exhibition fund is set to support a range of projects across the Walker’s program, from family-focused installations to large surveys, with a goal of backing at least two exhibitions each season.
Christine Sun Kim’s survey All Day All Night, co-organized by the Whitney and the Walker, is slated to arrive in late March. The tour is documented by the Whitney Museum. Suzanne Jackson’s What Is Love, co-organized with SFMOMA, is scheduled to open at the Walker on May 14, according to the museum’s announcement.
Collection boost
The Walker has been steadily expanding its collection in recent seasons, which increases the museum’s capacity to stage simultaneous shows and lend works elsewhere. The institution’s 2023–24 annual report details strong acquisition activity, giving curators more material to work with as they plan future exhibitions supported by the new endowment (Walker annual report).
Local impact
Minnesota arts leaders say an endowed exhibition fund like this one gives the Walker a level of long-range flexibility that can help keep ambitious programming rooted in the Twin Cities instead of bypassing it.
Supporters point to Gabbert’s multi-decade relationship with the museum (Patronview) as a sign that this is not a one-off gesture but part of a long-running partnership. They argue that the gift should help the Walker secure national touring shows for Minneapolis audiences for years to come, turning a local furniture success story into a lasting cultural asset.
