Fred and Donna Giertz are art lovers and philanthropists—and longtime supporters of the arts in our community. With their background in business, not art, you might be surprised to hear how vital they see art museums are for a thriving community. Their visionary support over time has led to an important legacy in Champaign-Urbana, where they have invested in the success of both Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois and the Donna Hyland Giertz Gallery at Parkland College.
They both enjoy travel and relish having a chance to visit art museums wherever they go. “We’re not necessarily avid collectors. We like art. And we like to go visit places.” Favorite museums worldwide include the Lenbachhaus in Munich, with a focus on German Expressionism, the National Gallery in London, and university art museums like the Sheldon Museum at the University of Nebraska and Harvard University’s museums, including the renowned glass flowers collection.
It’s become a point of pride for them, realizing what a treasure Krannert Art Museum is—including the collection with more than 11,000 items and the world-class exhibitions. The Giertzes have also enjoyed recognizing familiar artwork from here, on exhibit at other museums, as part of our loan program. “It’s like seeing old friends.”
Fred and Donna Giertz have recently increased their support for the museum. Their decision to focus future support on exhibition research and implementation has provided an opportunity to update the previous naming of the Giertz Education Center.
That single physical space has since evolved into a comprehensive virtual hub dedicated to community engagement and learning across the entire museum.
Consequently, we are delighted to welcome visitors to Krannert Art Museum’s newly named Fred and Donna Giertz Gallery (formerly the West Gallery) as we kick off the fall semester at the museum!
Krannert Art Museum’s painting The Blue Gable—one of Fred and Donna’s favorites in the collection—will be on view at the Guggenheim in New York from November 7, 2025, to April 26, 2026, as part of a solo exhibition, Gabriele Münter: Contours of a World. It will be reproduced in the accompanying catalogue.
Author: Evelyn Shapiro, Assistant Director for Marketing and Communications
