$5M Gift Supports WCMA

A $5 million gift from a member of Williams’ first fully coeducational class celebrates the arts—and women’s philanthropy.

Donated by Denise Littlefield Sobel ’75, a longtime supporter of the arts in the Berkshires and beyond, the gift will establish an endowed fund for essential building services and maintenance for the future home of the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), slated to open in 2027. The fund includes support for mechanical and custodial service of the innovative 76,800-square-foot-building. It also covers maintenance of singular features such as its wood structure, glass curtain wall, metal roof, masonry walls and bluestone flooring. The gift will also fund two new service and maintenance positions for the museum.

An ardent philanthropist, Sobel has also made gifts to Williams in support of the Spencer Studio Art Building, Jewish Religious Center, Thompson Center for Health Services, and Costume Shop in the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance as well as major upgrades to Chapin Hall in 2010.

“We are truly grateful to Denise for her extraordinary, forward-looking vision and support,” says Pamela Franks, WCMA’s Class of 1956 director. “Her gift will help ensure that the museum, a gateway to the Williams campus and our arts focused region, will be a welcoming beacon for all our visitors.”