A transformational $5 million donation for the creation of the Zhao‑Ionescu Chair
From left to right: Mary-Dailey Desmarais, Zhao-Ionescu Chief Curator; Stéphane Aquin, Director of the MMFA; donors Vickie Zhao and Alex Ionescu with their daughter Olivia; Jo-Anne Duchesne, Director of the MMFA Foundation; and Laureen Bardou, Senior Director of Philanthropy at the MMFA Foundation. Photo: Frédéric Faddoul
The Foundation of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) wishes to underscore the immense generosity of Alex Ionescu and Vickie Zhao. Their $5,000,000 donation will serve to create the Zhao-Ionescu Chair, which will fund the MMFA's position of Chief Curator in perpetuity.
Visionary patrons in their thirties, Alex Ionescu and Vickie Zhao are first-generation immigrants originally from Romania and China, respectively. After spending a decade in Silicon Valley and Seattle, they recently moved back to their adopted city of Montreal with their daughter, Olivia. They feel a strong desire to give back to the community that opened its arms to them and saw them grow up. This desire fuels their philanthropic involvement and sees them actively supporting cultural projects all over Montreal.
The chair they have funded and that bears their names is to be established through a series of donations that honour their passion for the arts, for making culture more accessible, and for being part of a new generation of immigrants, who are weaving their story into the cultural fabric of Montreal.
"As philanthropists, we want to support projects and organizations that not only have social engagement as their core mission, but that exercise this mission in innovative ways," explain Alex Ionescu and Vickie Zhao. "The MMFA, with its world-class programming and bold exhibition choices, plays a vital role in furthering Montreal's cultural scene. In making a donation to create this Chair, we wanted to support our city and province in a lasting way, demonstrate that individual donors can have a transformational impact on cultural organizations, and strengthen the Museum's international reputation as a cultural epicentre that's accessible to everyone."
Tasked with supporting the MMFA's teams in realizing its many innovative projects, the person in the role of Chief Curator is central to implementing the Museum's artistic orientation and long-term vision.
"Beyond supporting the curatorial teams, the role of Chief Curator is also to ensure that the MMFA's programming, collections and academic publications reflect the richness and diversity of artistic creation in Quebec, Canada, and around the world," says current Chief Curator, Mary-Dailey Desmarais. "We are extremely grateful to Alex Ionescu and Vickie Zhao, who have ensured this position remains an integral part of the Museum. Their passionate commitment to the arts is truly inspiring and their transformational donation positions the MMFA for continued success through bold programming, singular exhibitions, collections, and publications."
"I want to thank Alex Ionescu and Vickie Zhao for their visionary gesture, which guarantees the independence of this absolutely critical function in a museum institution such as ours," adds MMFA Director Stéphane Aquin. "We're delighted and grateful to see the future of this important position secured, thanks to the incredible generosity of these exceptional patrons."
Following on from the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair for Quebec and Canadian Contemporary Art (1945 to Today) and the Ariane Riou and Réal Plourde Chair for Art and Education in Service of the Community, this is the third Chair to be established at the Museum. The MMFA is blazing a new trail as the first museum in Quebec to establish endowed chairs.
This philanthropic mechanism, widely used by museums in the United States and the rest of Canada, as well as in other Quebec institutions like hospitals and universities, aligns with the MMFA's objectives of sustainability and financial responsibility. In fact, donating to a Chair allows us to create a capitalized endowment fund, and the interest income generated by this fund is what is used to finance the position and related activities.
"The Foundation is always looking to innovate," says Jo-Anne Duchesne, Director General of the MMFA Foundation. "The endowed chair is an excellent model to follow, as it not only amplifies the impact of the donation, but also ensures that future generations will enjoy this iconic institution that is the MMFA. Alex and Vickie's extraordinarily generous gesture is an expression of their commitment to the Museum and to the cause of making art accessible. I thank them from the bottom of my heart."
