Endowment for Contemporary Art

Lauren Rich Fine is both a community leader and a prolific collector of contemporary art; her leadership, foresight, and financial support has helped catapult the CMA onto the world stage of contemporary art. Fine first visited the museum as a child. Upon her return to Cleveland as an adult in 1996, one of the first things she did was enroll her son Graham in the Mommy and Me art classes. She frequents the contemporary art galleries, noting that “contemporary art is a great recording of history as it is happening,” and loves the Ames Family Atrium with its constant activity and changing light.  

Recognizing the importance of participation in the Venice Biennale, the world’s foremost international contemporary art festival, Fine quickly provided generous support that allowed the CMA to copresent Shazia Sikander: Collective Behavior at the 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. Fine was among the 65,000 international visitors to the exhibition, which garnered much attention and rave reviews during its six-month run in 2024. While there, she spent significant time with both the artist, Shazia Sikander, and Emily Liebert, the CMA’s curator of contemporary art and cocurator of the exhibition.  

Venice was just the beginning. Sikander’s story and work, specifically the conversation between the contemporary nature of Sikander’s art and the CMA’s renowned South Asian collection, deeply spoke to Fine, as did the time spent with Liebert. While viewing Sikander’s exhibition, Fine felt that “it was incredible to be with both Shazia and Emily and hear what the artist was trying to convey through her work.” These experiences led to her next significant gift—creating the first endowed contemporary art curatorial position at the museum: The Lauren Rich Fine Curator of Contemporary Art, a position now held by Liebert.  
“I know the CMA is not as well-known for its contemporary art collection as much as it is for other collecting areas, but the quality of our collection is exceptional. Getting to know Emily more deeply through the Venice Biennale exhibition solidified my sense of both the excellence of our collection and our contemporary art leadership. I realize that Emily will not always be in the position, but creating a contemporary art curatorial endowment raises the visibility of our collection at a pivotal moment in the CMA’s history,” Fine says. 

Her commitment to the museum goes far beyond financial support. She is a member of the board of trustees and chair of the Finance Committee, as well as a Leadership Circle member and Womens Council member since 2008. Fine’s leadership and profound investment, coupled with our growing international recognition in this area and the Takashi Murakami exhibition, emphasize the museum’s commitment to contemporary art. We celebrate Fine’s gift and the advancement of the CMA on the international stage.