Suzanne Deal Booth graduated from Rice in 1977 and has long felt that it is important to pay tribute to those places that have informed, sponsored and mentored you. Of her time at Rice she says,  “…Rice is as much as you could ask for in an undergraduate experience.”

As an art history major art was the focus and passion of her life then and it has remained so throughout her life; "I'm one of those people that I'm so enmeshed in it, I can't imagine my life without it. It's what I live and breathe," she said. "Art is the visual expression of what people were thinking of their time. It's something that remains."

 




As a result of this she challenged the school to devise a number of initiatives that would expose the students at Rice to art. She has made various gifts to the University for the Arts in order to make these initiatives a reality. With her support, Rice has established a three-part collaboration with the museums of Houston: a postdoctoral program, in conjunction with the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston (MFAH); a biennial lecture series with the Menil Collection that brings top scholars to Houston to speak about their research; and funds to support small exhibitions at the MFAH.

In addition, a recent gift from Deal Booth has enabled Rice to commission a new James Turrell public art installation that will stand in the green space in front of the Shepherd School of Music. 



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