JANUARY 25 • 2024 | 49
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ARTS&LIFE
ART

A

lan Ross has a home
space dubbed The
Maker’s Room, set
aside for designing and build-
ing furniture with his creative
touch. The pieces are planned
to fit into the Metro Detroit res-
idence he shares with his wife,
Rebecca.
In that room, he has devel-
oped tables, shelving and
other pieces. Special effects
become available from those
with advanced equipment to
enhance what he has prepared.
Alan and Rebecca, who deep-
ly enjoy their interest in artistry,

have established a collection
they both appreciate and gladly
add their insights and assistance
to prestigious art committees,
such as those at the Detroit
Institute of Arts (DIA) and
Cranbrook Academy of Art.
The couple decided that
Alan’s alma mater, Michigan
State University (MSU), could
use resources to help display
items in the school’s Eli and
Edythe Broad Art Museum. In
2014, they established the Alan
and Rebecca Ross Exhibition
Endowment with a $1 million
gift and, at the end of last year,

they added a bequest gift of
$7.5 million.
“Words can hardly convey
the magnitude and impact
of this gift and the ways it
will shape an ever-brighter
future for the MSU Broad Art
Museum,
” said Steven Bridges,
interim director of the muse-
um.
“Through the bolstering of
their endowment, the museum’s
exhibition program will grow
significantly in the years ahead
to provide unique, unparalleled
engagements with art here on
MSU’s campus.
”

The Alan and Rebecca Ross
Education Wing in the museum
was named to honor the couple,
who have become acquainted
with knowledgeable art dealers
recommending designs to their
liking.
“I’m active at Michigan
State University as chair of the
Advisory Board of the Broad
Art Museum,
” Alan said. “I
also have an interest in my
other school, Babson College in
Boston.
“I discuss a program in its
initial stages at Babson and help
grow that. Babson is early in the

Alan and Rebecca Ross’
patronage helps grow
MSU’s Broad Art Museum.
Supporting Art

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHASE STANTON/MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Alan and Rebecca Ross
at the MSU Broad Art
Museum in the exhi-
bition Seeing in 360
Degrees: The Zaha
Hadid Design Collection.

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