“Our support for the Museum is about a lot more than great art”: A planned gift for the MMFA’s future
Mark Cohen and Sheila Fyfe
Upstate New Yorkers Mark Cohen and Sheila Fyfe consider Montreal to be their second home, spending several months here each year. Whenever they’re in the city, there’s one place they rarely fail to visit: the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). For them, it’s a place of fascinating discoveries, endless inspiration and pleasant surprises every time.
In recognition of the important role the Museum has played in their lives for more than 20 years, both members of the couple have included a residual bequest worth approximately USD 500,000 in their will. Confident in the Museum’s mission and its future, they have chosen to dedicate their bequest to the MMFA’s main priorities.
“Our support for the Museum is about a lot more than its remarkable permanent art collection and seemingly endless series of compelling temporary exhibitions. It reflects our firm belief in the role the Museum plays in preserving the culture and history of this great city, in bringing together Quebec’s diverse linguistic communities and in using art to help educate the next generation. It’s also about the Museum’s important contribution to examining contemporary issues while fostering an understanding of the history, culture, and grievances of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also believe in the Museum’s importance as a leading attraction for tourists from across Canada and the world, as a major employer in its own right and as a rewarding place for volunteers to share their time and talent,” say the donors.
Why planned giving?
Long-time donors to the Museum, patrons of the Angel Circle since 2020 and MMFA members since 2016, Mark Cohen and Sheila Fyfe wanted to take their philanthropic commitment to the next level. A planned gift in the form of a bequest seemed the natural choice, both in terms of the fiscal benefits and the added impact of their gesture.
“Being part of an institution that has delighted Montrealers for more than 160 years is a genuine point of pride for us as visitors who’ve called Montreal our second home for more than 20 years. We’re committed to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts as much because of the quality of its permanent collection and temporary exhibits as because of the tremendous impact the Museum has on bringing art education to students young and old; examining contemporary issues through an artistic lens; bringing the francophone, anglophone, and allophone communities together; and helping power Montreal’s tourist economy,” explain the couple of avid art lovers.
Their incredible generosity will help ensure that future generations can continue to benefit from this outstanding institution that allows people from all walks of life to gather together, reflect, unwind and find community.
“Montreal is our second home; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is first class,” they add.
