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Great museums make great cities.

For 117 years, the Gibbes has served Charleston as an inspiring space that engages and enriches the community and connects visitors, residents, neighbors, and families. Through our exhibitions, education programs, and events, we invite students, artists, tourists, and many other community members through our doors every day, acting as a community hub where people can learn, connect, and engage with Charleston’s past and present.

The 17-million-dollar restoration/renovation of the Gibbes Museum completed in 2016 launched a new era for visual arts tourism in the state of South Carolina. The oldest museum structure in the South, the third largest cultural venue in the State, and the only art museum in Charleston, the Gibbes has garnered numerous accolades since reopening and during the pandemic to enhance cultural tourism and contribute to its economic resiliency and growth. In 2019, the Gibbes received the prestigious South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts recognizing the organization for outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts and the Chamber of Commerce’s Beacon Award given to a project or structure that elevates aesthetics and improves quality of life for the region. It has also been named the best museum in South Carolina by USA Today, and one of the top museums in Charleston by the Travel Channel. A 2017 Economic Impact Study found that the Gibbes is “a driving force in the Charleston community.” The museum’s ability to push the economy in a positive direction is proven by the study’s calculated $120 million impact through the visitors it attracts and the jobs it creates.

We recognize the healing power that art has for so many who visit our museum, and we thank you for the continued support that you provide!

The power of an art-loving audience

Ways To Give

No contribution is too small. Your gift, regardless of size, helps ensure that the art we love continues to inspire and improve our communities now and into the future.

Don’t forget, donations of stocks and appreciated securities can be a very cost-effective way to make a gift to the Gibbes. When you transfer ownership of holdings to the museum, you receive a charitable deduction for their full market value – and you incur no capital gains tax (subject to IRS deduction limits). Download gift instructions (PDF).

You may be able to double your donation to the Gibbes Museum of Art. Many employers sponsor matching gift programs to match charitable contributions made by their employees. Gifts from retirees and spouses may also qualify for a match. To find out if your company has a matching gift program, contact your Human Resources Department.

Art is the Reason! Your support is magnified and more meaningful than you can know. Thank you!

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Gibbes Facility

The oldest museum structure in the South, the Gibbes Museum of Art’s Beaux Arts facility has been a pivotal spot in downtown historic Charleston for almost 120 years. Since May 2016, when the Gibbes reopened to the public after a $17M renovation, we have received numerous accolades and awards including recognition as an historic site by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and architectural awards from the Preservation Society of Charleston and Historic Charleston Foundation. In order to weather contingencies and provide for long-term sustainability, the Gibbes Facility Fund was established to protect and preserve our historically important building. Your donation to the Gibbes Facility Fund will allow us to provide proper annual maintenance for the Gibbes facility and grounds and plan for the future, guided by our experienced Gibbes Building & Grounds Committee and under the watchful eye of our Board of Directors. Coupled with the City’s contribution, the fund will ensure the legacy of our building, which will allow us to continue our commitment to the visual arts.

Museum Fellows

Museum Fellows bring together individuals who share an appreciation for the arts and a personal commitment to enhancing Charleston's premier art museum. Fellows membership provides critical support for Museum programs, operations and exhibitions.

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Business Fellows

The Art of Business

Supporting the Gibbes Museum of Art as a business member enables you to:

  • Promote your business and co-brand with the Gibbes
  • Engage with the community
  • Grow your business network
  • Access exhibitions and exclusive events
  • O­ffer perks to your employees and clients
  • Advance your marketing and philanthropic goals
Fellows Brochure Business Fellows Brochure

Annual Fund

Your 100% tax-deductible gift to the Gibbes Annual Fund is essential to cultivating a broader audience and advancing a creative spirit in our community. Your gift provides vital operating support to those areas of greatest need – from exhibitions, art conservation, our Visiting Artists series to education programs. If your company has a matching gift program, your contribution can make an even bigger impact.

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Image: James Shoolbred Gibbes (1819–1888), late 1850s by George Whiting Flagg (American, 1816–1897); oil on canvas; 36 x 29 inches; Bequest of Mrs. Alexina I. C. Holmes; 1930.001.0003

Planned Giving

The James S. Gibbes Legacy Society is named after our founder whose transformational planned gift built the Gibbes Museum of Art.

A gift through stocks and securities, your retirement plan, or as part of a will or living trust benefits you, your loved ones, and the Gibbes for a lifetime – and reflects the rich tradition of giving that helped build the Museum space and permanent collection. As a planned gift donor, you enjoy lower income, estate, and capital gains taxes – and have the opportunity to honor a loved one through naming opportunities. Consult your financial advisor or tax advisor to explore planned giving gifts. Please let us know if you have already named the Museum in your estate plans.

Planned Giving Letter of Intent Form

Corporate Partnership Program

Why Be A Gibbes Corporate Partner?
Corporate support makes everything we do possible – from inspiring exhibitions to cultivating, preserving, and advancing the visual arts and art education in the Charleston region and beyond. When you become a Gibbes Corporate Partner, you do more than share your organization’s commitment to the arts, you connect with an ever-growing, audience of locals, artists, students, educators, researchers, and philanthropists.

As Charleston’s signature museum, the Gibbes is home to the foremost collection of art of the American South and uniquely positioned to tell the story of Charleston in a way that connects the city and region’s artistic past to a vibrant contemporary art scene.

With your generous support comes an array of exclusive benefits, recognition in the community, marketing and networking opportunities, and much more.To learn more about our Corporate Partnership Program, please contact Jennifer Ross, director of development, at [email protected] or 843.722.2706 x216

Corporate Partnership Overview Corporate Benefits

Education

The Gibbes Museum of Art has provided quality arts educational programming since its inception. As a key part of our 10-year strategic plan (2018–2028), we are committed to delivering education programs that incorporate art and employ interdisciplinary learning strategies. To continue our mission to make art accessible to all, many of these programs are offered at no cost to the schools or students. We rely on generous donations from individuals, corporations, and local governments to provide these enriching opportunities for free.

Exhibition Sponsorship

By showcasing acclaimed exhibitions from around the country, the Gibbes provides a setting for the active and creative immersion in the world of art and artists while reflecting on the themes of social justice, innovation, health and wellness, and conservation and the environment. The Gibbes offers one of the most aggressive museum exhibition schedules in the state and continually attracts repeat visitors from around the world as a result. Sponsorship support allows us to continue to emphasize the quality, scope, and diversity of our permanent collection and exhibitions while heightening awareness within the art museum community.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Something Terrible May Happen Sponsorship Brochure Rory McEwen Sponsorship Brochure