A $1.3 million naming gift from education leaders and arts supporters Donald and Linda Zillman will expand and enhance the University of Maine Museum of Art.

The museum is now the Linda G. and Donald N. Zillman Art Museum – University of Maine.

The Zillmans, longtime Maine residents who now live in Santa Fe, pledged the gift to the University of Maine Foundation for the construction and operation of five new galleries to showcase the museum’s collection of more than 4,000 works of modern and contemporary art.

A long-term lease agreement will increase the square footage of the museum’s public gallery space by 40%. Construction of five new galleries will bring the total number to 12, with more than 4,700 square feet for exhibitions.

Donald Zillman has been a leader in the University of Maine System for 30 years. Linda Zillman is an art historian who has written two catalogues and curated two exhibitions on Andy Warhol at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

The Zillmans were instrumental in moving the University of Maine Museum of Art from the Orono campus to its current location in downtown Bangor. Linda Zillman has served on the UMMA support board of directors for more than 10 years. They are members of the University of Maine Foundation Stillwater Society, and have funded several key museum projects through the years, including a vibrant sculptural welcome sign erected in fall 2019.

The UMaine Museum of Art advances the university’s land grant mission of service to citizens through its cultural engagement activities that include exhibitions, a permanent collection and educational programming.