Claremont Area College Museum Gifted $15 Million

CLAREMONT, CA — An alumna of Pomona College gifted the institution's museum with a $15 million gift, the college announced. Janet Inskeep Benton donated the funds in support of a new art museum, set to open in the fall of 2020.

The 33,000-square-feet facility -- called The Benton -- is under construction on the west side of College Avenue between Bonita Avenue and Second Street.

"The Benton will be a rewarding visit for all who seek to venture beyond the expected and to explore the diversity of California," Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr said. "This new museum will benefit our students, our community and the SoCal art scene in which our campus has long played an important role."

Officials said construction of the $44 million facility is set to be completed by fall 2019, launching the yearlong process of moving the museum's extensive collection to the new facility and installing opening exhibitions.

The new building replaces the existing Pomona College Museum of Art.

"Pomona College has long been at the center of artistic excellence and experimentation for Southern California," said art professor Kathleen Howe, who's also the museum's director. "The Benton continues our commitment to presenting vibrant contemporary art, intimately engaged with the issues of our day, while bringing the art of the past into an ongoing dialogue with the present."