Generosity in Action

How Donors and Legacy Supporters Advance Mia’s Mission

Mia relies on the generous financial support of individuals and organizations to keep the museum free and accessible to all, enriching the community and inspiring wonder through the power of art. Kate Christianson and her late husband, Lynn, are among the donors whose philanthropy and stewardship have had a lasting, tangible impact.

The Christiansons had been Mia donors since the early 1990s, steadily increasing their support for the museum over time. In 2019, they joined the Patrons’ Circle, the group of donors whose support represents the highest level of annual giving to Mia, sustaining everything from museum programs to acquisitions. Indeed, the Christiansons’ connections to Mia transcend financial contributions—Kate has long been a Mia Guide and member of the Friends of the Institute.

The Christiansons decided to conserve a painting. They made a gift through Mia’s Adopt-a-Painting program, which allows donors to fund the conservation of artworks in need of care. Their chosen work was Portrait of a Carthusian Monk—at the time, a painting of an unnamed sitter by an unknown artist.

Conservators at the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC), housed at Mia, began a meticulous process of stabilizing and preserving the painting. As they removed two secondary canvas supports that had been added during earlier restorations, something emerged. Hidden beneath layers of material, in delicate calligraphy, was a French inscription that told the painting’s story. The sitter was identified as Dom Pascal Le Tonnelier, prior of the Carthusians of Paris, depicted at the age of 65. The artist was revealed as J. Dumont le Romain, and he had painted the portrait in 1733.

The discovery prompted unbridled excitement for all involved. “Our job as the caretakers of this collection is to know
everything we can about it,” says Rachel McGarry, Mia’s Elizabeth MacMillan Chair and Curator of European Art. “The inscription gave us critical information about the work and led us to all these fascinating stories about religious movements in the 18th century.”

For Kate, witnessing the conservation process and its findings was a source of delight and inspiration. The elegant French
inscription echoed Lynn’s own artistry as a gifted calligrapher. Together, the Christianson family developed a credit line for the painting in Lynn’s memory. Serendipitously, the work returned to Mia’s galleries on February 14, 2024—Valentine’s Day.