Sondland-Durant Donation to Portland Art Museum Provides Free Admission for Youth

Come Young, Come All: Million-Dollar Gift Gets Kids In Free

By Scott Bernard Nelson, The Oregonian, February 01, 2008

If you're 17 or younger, soon you will be able to leave your wallet at home when you visit the Portland Art Museum.

Today, the museum announced a $1 million gift for a permanent endowment to pay for museum admission for anyone 17 and younger. The donors are longtime Portland patrons Gordon and Katherine Sondland.

"This is an expression of the museum's core values," said Brian Ferriso, the museum's executive director.

Gordon Sondland is a developer of hotels and a real-estate entrepreneur. Since the early '90s, the Sondlands have made numerous gifts to the museum, including the major capital renovations spearheaded during the leadership of former director John Buchanan.