MPH Alumnus Opens Education Center at Everson Museum
Pat Danial ’98 and his wife Jessica have named an Education Center at The Everson Museum in Syracuse. Below is an article by the journal staff at the CNY Business Journal. We are thankful for the Danial family’s gift to the museum and the impact it will make on the arts in Central New York.
Everson Museum of Art opens Danial Family Education Center
BY JOURNAL STAFF
SYRACUSE — The Everson Museum of Art recently announced the opening of its newly renovated and newly named Danial Family Education Center. The 3,000-square-foot Danial Family Education Center features flexible class spaces, a new kiln, parent lounge, and gallery walls to feature student work. “With innovative educational programs and events that provide individuals with meaningful interactions with art, the newly renovated Education Center’s programs help to make art accessible to people of all ages and abilities,” the museum said in a news release.
The renovations have allowed the museum to increase its number of classes and events, offering year-round opportunities to children, teens, and adults. “Our museum is committed to providing individuals of all ages with the opportunity to unleash their inner artist through hands-on experiences with art,” Elizabeth Dunbar, director and CEO of the Everson Museum of Art, said in the release. “The newly renovated Danial Family Education Center will provide the Syracuse and Central New York communities with new opportunities to learn and be creative.”
Renovation of the education center was made possible by contributions totaling more than $583,000 through the “The Everson. First and Forever” fund- raising campaign. Eleven young families, including lead donors Patrick and Jessica Danial, supported the education-center renovation. Patrick Danial is co-founder and CTO of Terakeet, an enterprise SEO firm based in downtown Syracuse, and Jessica Danial is chair of the board of trustees of the Everson Museum of Art. They donated $500,000 toward this effort.
“We believe that the Everson is a world-class art institution that provides our community with incredible opportunities to learn through its educational programming,” Jessica Danial said in the release. “It is inspiring to see young families sup- port the Everson initiatives that emphasize the importance of arts education for individuals of all ages.”
The Everson Museum of Art held a dedication ceremony on Jan. 6 at 12 p.m. to celebrate the education center’s new spaces and new name. The Danial Family Education Center is located in the Everson’s 60,000-square- foot facility, which opened in 1968. The Everson is I.M. Pei’s first museum de- sign and houses more than 10,000 art- works and hosts over 80,000 visitors each year.